Villanova will wrap up Big 5 play on Sunday when they head to North Philly to take on Temple looking to claim the Big 5 crown and build on Wednesday’s win over Marquette.

The Owls enter the game on a two-game winning streak but have stumbled to a 13-11 record after a 9-3 start. Their best win came over Wichita State on January 15, but they have suffered tough losses to Penn and Tulane as well.

It’s been difficult for Temple to put the ball in the basket consistently. Overall, the Owls rank 101st in KenPom, but just 209th offensively. They score 69.3 points per game and shoot 41.1 percent from the field and 32.9 percent from three.

Temple ranks 295th in effective field goal percentage and 319th in two-point percentage while landing 193rd in three-point percentage. The Owls have gotten an unusually high percentage of their shots blocked and haven’t gotten a ton of second chances on the offensive glass.

Looking at the Synergy Sports numbers, the Owls rank in the 21st percentile offensively with 0.848 points per possession.

Most of the offense comes from spot-ups but has been inefficient, ranking in the 24th percentile. They’ve been OK in transition and using the pick and roll ballhandler, and less effective with cuts and going to the post.

Quinton Rose leads the way with 16.2 points per game to go with 4.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and two steals. But he shoots just 38.2 percent from the floor and 27.8 percent from three while committing 2.4 turnovers per game.

Nate Pierre-Louis is the only other double-figure scorer for the Owls with 11.2 points per game. He adds 8.1 rebounds, three assists, and 2.1 steals, but like Rose has struggled with turnovers (2.1) and efficiency (40.2 percent overall, 23.2 percent from three).

Alani Moore adds 8.8 points per game and has been Temple’s best three-point shooter at 40.7 percent when you account for sample size. De’Vondre Perry adds 6.4 points and connects on 42.6 percent from three but has taken significantly fewer threes than Moore.

Jake Forrester adds 8.6 points and 4.1 rebounds. J.P. Moorman adds 6.1 points, while Monty Scott chips in 6.0 and Josh Pierre-Louis adds 4.3.

‘Nova will want to challenge Moore and Perry on the perimeter. Moore, Rose, and Nate Pierre-Louis have had success running the pick and roll. Rose can also invert the offense, as he’s been Temple’s most efficient player in the post. Forrester has spent a lot of the time in the post and the Owls like to get him cutting as well, but he’s produced average results in both situations. Forrester has been effective converting offensive rebounds, while Scott has been Temple’s best isolation player. Forrester can be a factor as the roll man in the pick and roll.

Defensively, things are better. The Owls check in at No. 43 defensively in KenPom and rank in the 78th percentile, per Synergy, with 0.828 PPP.

Temple has done a good job defending the perimeter, ranking 33rd in opponent’s three-point percentage. The Owls have also had success pilfering the ball, ranking 38th in steal percentage. Much of that is thanks to the efforts of Rose and Nate Pierre-Louis.

Temple has defended shooters well and done a good job limiting teams in transition. The Owls have defended the post well, and also had success with cuts and in isolation. They’ve had the most difficulty with the pick and roll and screens and have also been susceptible to giving up offensive rebounds and conversions on second chances.

On paper, Villanova should win the game. But we know better than to take anything for granted, especially in Big 5 play. Early in the season, it looked like this game might prevent an opportunity for a solid win, but now it’s more about avoiding a bad loss, something Villanova has done well this season.

While Temple has struggled offensively, the Owls to have some quality offensive players and the ‘Cats will need to stay locked in defensively. Temple will try to keep the game close with its defense and hope one of its playmakers can step up and generate enough offense to pull the upset.

Despite being 3-0 in Big 5 play, the ‘Cats haven’t been particularly dominant against their city rivals this season as some of the young Wildcats have gotten their first taste of city series play, so it will be interesting to see how they respond to this final Big 5 test. The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. tip from the Liacouras Center and will be aired on ESPN.