Kevin Young led the Jayhawks with 16 points, while Travis Releford added 14 points and Ben McLemore scored 13. For the game, Kansas shot 44% from the field in connecting  on 24-55 shots, and Temple made just 30% of their shots.

Kansas bolted out to an early 22-10 lead after McLemore made two free throws. The Owls quickly bounced back in trimming the margin to four points at 23-19. At halftime, Kansas was ahead 33-27. Temple stole their first lead of the game at 44-43 after Wyatt made two free throws at the 14:14 mark. Temple was able to hold a lead of four points  on two different occasions before Kansas took the lead back for good, after McLemore dunked the ball putting the Jayhawks up 58-57.

Next up for Kansas is a meeting with the Iowa State Cyclones and head coach Fred Hoiberg. Last season, the Cyclones made it to the third round of the NCAA tournament before losing to eventual champion, Kentucky. Iowa State is 10-3 on the year.

January 06, 2013; Lawrence, KS, USA; Temple Owls forward Anthony Lee (3) shoots a layup as Kansas Jayhawks center Jeff Withey (5) defends in the first half at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

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Temple earlier this season defeated previously unbeaten third-ranked Syracuse Orangemen, 70-67. The Owls lost to Duke and Canisius.

The Owls are led by a solid inside-outside duo in Khalif Wyatt, and Scootie Randall. Randall, a guard-forward swingman, averages 13 points and leads the team in rebounds with eight per game. Wyatt leads the team in scoring, averaging 15 points and four assists per game. Forward Anthony Lee, averages 11 points and seven rebounds per game. The Owls also have a great passer up front in Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson, who averages nine points, five rebounds and three assists.

Temple has the potential to be a tough opponent for Kansas, because they can win a high-scoring contest and beat you in an ugly game.  What Temple may have no answer for is Jeff Withey in the middle.

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Last season, Temple finished with a record of 24-8 and 13-3 in the Atlantic 10 conference. Temple fell to South Florida in the first round of the NCAA tournament, 58-44. Now, the Owls look to rebound and improve upon this record.

They will have to do it without last season’s leading scorer Ramone Moore who graduated. Fellow guard Khalif Wyatt returns however. The 6-4 guard averaged 17 points, three rebounds and three assists per game. The Owls lost a number of players from last season, meaning this could be a rebuilding year. One player the team may choose to build around is forward Anthony Lee. The 6-9 bruiser averaged five points and five rebounds per game in limited action.

Temple even with a number of new guys suiting up for the team should be a force to reckon with. The game on Jan. 6th is the team’s 14th of the season. The Owls host two top 10 teams facing Kansas in Duke and Syracuse.

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Khalif Wyatt leads the way for Temple this season. The team lost five key players from last season, putting even more pressure on the senior guard to succeed this season. The Owls face Kansas on January, sixth in Lawrence.