The wait is finally over folks, college basketball returns tonight and things will kick off with a bang. With senior Jordan Price leading the way and a few talented new additions, the La Salle Explorers hope to become the Atlantic 10’s most improved team. In order for La Salle to accomplish all they desire this year, however, the Explorers will need to take things one game at a time. Facing off against the Temple Owls in their first game of the regular season provides a tough test right off the bat.
La Salle hosted Carleton, a Canadian national championship team, in their exhibition game. Putting up 23 points, Jordan Price led the way for the Explorers in the scoring department. 6’7″ redshirt junior B.J. Johnson also had major contributions on La Salle’s 79-73 win. Johnson notched a double double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. These two upper-class leaders will be key to the Explorers overall success as a team this season.
As for Temple, the Owls hope to build off of a very solid 2015-16 season. Last year Temple finished the regular season with a 21-12 overall mark and won the American conference title. While it certainly will not be easy, the Owls are looking to repeat as conference champs and make their case for the NCAA tournament. Senior captains Josh Brown, Daniel Dingle, and Mark Williams must carry the load for Temple. The Owls hope to start their 2016-17 season off right with a win over a much improved Explorer team.
The A-10 along with the rest of the college basketball world will keep close eyes on La Salle’s opening game against their Big Five rival. ESPNNews will carry the Explorers vs. Owls match-up live tonight at 7:00 pm E.T. Both teams come into this year with high expectations and want to grab an early quality win to start the season. In order for La Salle to accomplish their goal of becoming the A-10’s most improved team, they will need to start winning challenging games like this one. Expect this La Salle-Temple showdown to be nothing less than an opening night thriller.
