Tuesday preview: Lee and Temple excited to kick off season

What: Temple at Kent State

When: 12 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center

TV/Radio: ESPN/1210-AM

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After stunning the Drexel Dragons on Friday night in a 66-62 overtime thriller, the Kent State Golden Flashes are looking to move to 2-0 on the season and take down another member of the City Six when Temple makes the commute to Ohio.

Tuesday’s highly anticipated matchup will be Temple’s 2012-13 season opener and the Owls are looking to start off on the right foot in a nationally televised contest as part of ESPN’s Tip-Off Marathon, which consists of 24 straight hours of college hoops. That might be considered heaven on earth for some of you basketball junkies out there.

DUNPHY

The last time these two teams met was in coach Fran Dunphy’sfirst game as the Owls head coach in 2006. Kent State took down Temple by a score of 63-54.

Kent State has 10 players listed on their roster that are 6-5 or taller, so Temple’s big men will be tested to the fullest extent. Sophomore center Anthony Lee will have his hands full, but standing at 6-9, Lee is ready to take over the center position and play a vital role for the Cherry and White.

“Me being center this year is definitely a big challenge for me,” Lee told Philahoops last week. “I feel like I’m ready for the opportunity, given that I played and started half of the games last year, so with the experience from last year I feel like now is the step where I can make the progression and be a consistent rebounder and a double-double player.”

Lee averaged 5.0 points and 5.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game last season, connecting on just over 50 percent of his field-goal attempts. Lee also gained some valuable experience throughout the season when filling in for Micheal Eric. Lee had his best game when the stage was at its highest, scoring 11 points, pulling down 7 rebounds and blocking 3 shots in Temple’s victory over Duke on Jan. 4.

Lee logged 17.9 minutes per game last season and proved to be a viable option in the post on both ends of the floor, but this year he will be the Owls’ No. 1 go-to option down low and Lee knows his role.

“Just focusing on being in the correct spots on defense and knowing that I’m  the anchor playing at the center position,” Lee said. “I have to really talk a lot in the back so the guards know when the screens are coming.”

Kent State cannot be taken lightly. The Golden Flashes won 21 games a year ago and stunned a Drexel team on Friday evening that enjoyed a 19-game winning streak last season.

“We’re going to really have to pay attention to what it is they do well and try to counter that each and every possession,” Dunphy said.

Temple’s depth is well-documented. The starting lineup is yet to be determined, but Dunphy seemed at ease with where his players stand.

“We have eight or ten guys that could be finishers,” Dunphy said. “Who starts doesn’t mean anything to me, but who finishes and who’s in the game during crunch time is what matters.”

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RANDALL

Scouting Temple: The Owls return eight letterwinners from last season and add three solid veterans in Scootie Randall, Jake O’Brien and Dalton Pepper. … Khalif Wyatt, a preseason first team all-conference selection, leads the Owls scoring attack. The senior guard averaged 17.1 ppg last season and is one of two starters that remain, along with Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson. Randall and Anthony Lee anchor the Owls defense.

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Scouting Kent State: Senior guard Randal Holt is the only starter to return from last season for the Golden Flashes. Holt averaged 12.7 ppg in 2011-12 and is a deadly threat from beyond the arc. … Senior forward Chris Evans dropped 21 points and 9 rebounds vs. Drexel on Friday going 7-11 from the floor. The 6-8 forward is a versatile player who can also step out and shoot the trey. … Bryson Pope is the Flashes’ go-to man off the pine. Pope previously played at Tulsa and at 6-7 can defend any position from the one to the four.

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Sound Off: It will be very interesting to see how coach Dunphy manages the lineup on Tuesday. With his deepest roster in seven years at the helm, Dunphy has many options and we could see 10 or 11 different players log minutes for the Owls vs. Kent State. With so many players rotating on and off the floor I’m curious to see how the Owls gel together.

“We’re definitely excited,” Lee said. “We’re opening up our season. It’s a new year for everyone to gel together and we’re just gonna have to come out and play hard like every other game. We have a target on our back just because of our name. Even though they’re not a big-name school, they definitely have the respect from us and our coaches. It’s a big game for us all around.”

A noon tip-off on a Tuesday is a bit odd, but the Owls practiced at noon on Saturday and Sunday in order to prepare for the early start.

“There’s nothing we can do about it,” Dunphy said. “We knew that we were going to play at 12 o’clock about six months ago.”