The Temple men’s basketball team opens its season on Friday, Nov. 9, at No. 7 Tennessee, beginning a campaign that will see the Owls taking on perennial powerhouse Duke and two-time defending NCAA champion Florida.

The Owls, entering their second season under coach Fran Dunphy, will play 13th-ranked Duke on Jan. 9 at the Wachovia Center and Florida in the Orange Bowl Classic on Dec. 29 before beginning Atlantic 10 play on Jan. 12 at Charlotte.

Temple is led by junior guard/forward Dionte Christmas and forward Mark Tyndale, who finished first and second in scoring in the A-10 last year.

The women’s basketball team will also play 10th-ranked Duke, in a rematch of the second round of last season’s NCAA Tournament, at the Paradise Jam tournament on Nov. 22–25. They will also face No. 3 Rutgers (last season’s NCAA Tournament runner-up), No. 4 Maryland and No. 9 Georgia.

The Owls begin play on Monday, Nov. 12, at home against Central Michigan and will open the A-10 season on Jan. 12 at Dayton. They are led by coach Dawn Staley, now in her eighth season, and by senior center Lady Comfort and sophomore guard LaKeisha Eaddy.

For ticket information, go to http://owlsports.cstv.com or call 215-204-8499 (for season tickets) or 1-800-298-4200 (for individual game tickets). For tickets to the men’s Duke game, call the Wachovia Center box office at 1-800-298-4200.

— Written by Kevin Gardner