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Temple picked sixth in AAC preseason men’s basketball poll

Temple's Quinton Rose was named a preseason first-team all-AAC selection.

Sophomore guard Quinton Rose dunks the ball during the second half of Temple's 75-56 win over UCF at The Liacouras Center on Sunday, February 25, 2018. SYDNEY SCHAEFER / Staff Photographer
Sophomore guard Quinton Rose dunks the ball during the second half of Temple's 75-56 win over UCF at The Liacouras Center on Sunday, February 25, 2018. SYDNEY SCHAEFER / Staff PhotographerRead moreSYDNEY SCHAEFER

The Temple men's basketball team is ranked sixth in the American Athletic Conference preseason coaches poll — again.

The poll was released Monday morning during AAC media day at the Philadelphia Airport Marriott. This is the fourth straight year Temple has been voted sixth in the preseason poll.

"Every year since I have been here, we have been picked sixth," said Temple senior guard Shizz Alston, who averaged 13.3 points last season. "The first year, we won it, and we are trying to do the same thing."

That first place came in 2015-16, the last time the Owls earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

The Owls are coming off a 17-16 season in which they were 8-10 and in seventh place in the AAC. Temple won its opening AAC tournament game against Tulane before being eliminated by Wichita State.  The Owls  then earned a berth in the NIT, losing to eventual champion Penn State in the first round.

"I don't think we should put much thought in that," center Ernest Aflakpui said about the team's preseason selection. "What we should be worried about is practicing and working hard, coming into the season and winning as many games as we can."

Quinton Rose, Temple's 6-foot-8 junior swingman, was named a preseason All-AAC first-team selection. Rose averaged a team-high 14.9 points last season.This is the first time in the six-year history of the AAC that Temple has had a preseason first-team selection.

"I am proud of Q. I think he is deserving of this honor, and now once you get it, what are your responsibilities to maintain it?" said coach Fran Dunphy, who will be guiding the Owls for his 13th and final season before assistant Aaron McKie takes over. "It is one thing to be preseason all-conference. You want to be postseason all-conference, and he has been working very hard at being the best player he can possibly be."

Central Florida was selected as the AAC preseason favorite, earning six of the 12 first-place votes. The Knights are led by redshirt senior guard B.J. Taylor, the preseason AAC player of the year, who averaged 15.9 points and 7-6 center Tacko Fall.

Coaches Preseason Poll

Team (1st place votes) Points

1. Central Florida (6) 114

2. Cincinnati (3) 107

3. Houston (2) 103

4. Memphis (1) 85

5. UConn  75

6. Temple 74

7. SMU 63

8. Wichita State 60

9. Tulsa 48

10. Tulane 23

11. ECU 22

12. USF 18

Preseason Player of the Year

B.J. Taylor, guard UCF

Preseason All-Conference

First Team

Jalen Adams, G, UConn

Jarron Cumberland, G, Cincinnati

Jeremiah Martin, G, Memphis

Quinton Rose, G-F, Temple

B.J. Taylor, G, UCF

Second Team

Corey Davis, G, Houston

Tacko Fall, C, UCF

Jarrey Foster, G, SMU

Markis McDuffie, F, Wichita State

Jahmal McMurray, G, SMU

Sterling Taplin, G, Tulsa

Preseason Freshman of the Year

Nate Hinton, G, Houston