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Temple to play Minnesota in tip-off tournament

07/14/2015, 9:45pm EDT
By Aron Minkoff

Aron Minkoff (@AronMinkoff)

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According to a report, Temple will take on Minnesota in the first round of the Puerto Rico Shootout, an early-season tournament that will begin play on November 19.

CBSSports’ Jon Rothstein is reporting that in addition to Temple-Minnesota, other matchups include Butler-Missouri State, Miami-Mississippi State and Utah-Texas Tech.

Each team in the tournament is guaranteed three games in the tournament, with the championship taking place on November 22.

The winners (and losers) of the Temple-Minnesota and Butler-Missouri State games will face off on November 20 in the semifinals (or consolation round), while the other four teams are on the opposite side of the bracket.

Temple, under the direction of 10th-year head coach Fran Dunphy, is coming off a 26-11 season that saw them barely miss out on the NCAA Tournament. Minnesota, which is coached by Richard Pitino, the son of Louisville and Hall of Fame coach, Rick Pitino, finished last season with an 18-14 record.

This first-round matchup means that a pair of former teammates will be tasked with playing against each other in the early stages of their freshman season. Temple’s Levan Alston and Minnesota’s Ahmed Gilbert, both formerly teammates on Philadelphia’s Team Final.

Both are looking to make a splash early on in their careers as they join teams replacing backcourt depth. It is very likely that the two of them will not just suit up against each other, but could be tasked with guarding each other at some point in the game.

Temple will open its season in the Veterans Classic on November 13 against North Carolina, meeting the Tar Heels on Navy’s campus.

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