Adam Fisher wants Temple to play with a defensive approach, but it isn’t quite there yet

Last season, Temple’s mindset was simple: score.

The Owls averaged 78.8 points per game, the third most in the conference and the highest in program history. However, their defense lagged behind.

They allowed 77.7 points per game, the most in the conference. The team often was outhustled, leading to multiple blown leads. That culminated in a blown 12-point halftime lead vs. Tulsa in the second round of the conference tournament to end the season with a 17-15 record.

Coach Adam Fisher wanted to change his team’s mindset before the 2025-26 season. He opted for a more defensive-minded approach in the offseason and brought in 11 new players who fit the bill.

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“We didn’t really change much, because I think [Fisher] just worked on getting guys that want to play defense and that’s something you can’t really teach,” said guard Aiden Tobiason. “So when you get guys that want to play defense, all you have to do is just install what we already know.”

In the first four games, Temple’s defense showed signs of improvement. The Owls (4-3) gave up 70 points per game as they got off to a 3-1 start. However, the wheels have come off as of late.

Temple allowed a combined 256 points in three games in the Terry’s Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational in Florida. The Owls finished in sixth place, with a win over Princeton (79-75) and losses against Rhode Island (90-75) and UC San Diego (91-76)

“We tried to really work a ton this offseason, like, ‘Hey, we got to guard better,’” Fisher said. “How does your offense get better? Through your defense.”

Fisher brought in guards Derrian Ford, Masiah Gilyard, and AJ Smith this offseason because of their defensive ability. Ford is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 16.6 points. He and Gilyard lead the team with 4.6 rebounds per game, while Smith has contributed off the bench.

“I really just tried to make sure that I’m in my right spots on defense,” Smith said. “Allowing my teammates to know that I’m there for them and the gaps and things like that. Just defensive integrity, knowing where you’re supposed to be and how you’re supposed to be there and trying to be there early.”

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The early-season progress on defense has felt like a distant memory after this past week.

UC San Diego (7-0) poked holes in Temple’s defense for 40 minutes on Monday. The Tritons struck down any scheme the Owls threw at them. They shot 62.5%, and Temple forced just five turnovers.

Those problems persisted in the next two games. Princeton (3-6) and Rhode Island (6-2) put up more than 30 points in the first half. Rhode Island hit 55.2% of its shots, including 12 three-pointers.

The trip to Florida ballooned Temple’s average points allowed. The Owls are allowing 76.6 points and opponents to shoot 48.1% per game, which ranks last in the American Conference.

Temple came into the season looking to fix its defense. However, the last three games have shown that there still is a long way to go before the repairs are sustainable.

“[Fisher] has done a good job of putting teams on our schedule that play like the teams want to play in our conference,” Tobiason said. “So I think we do play a lot of teams that go out and transition, and that’ll get us prepared for conference games.”