SOUTHWESTERN CHRISTIAN RAMS AT TEMPLE LEOPARDS

Preview

TEMPLE, Texas (Interstat) — Two men’s junior college basketball teams seeking consistency will meet Monday when the Temple Leopards host the Southwestern Christian Rams.

The non-conference matchup at Temple’s gym tips off at 7 p.m. CST on Feb. 2, 2026.

Southwestern Christian (8-10) enters after a heartbreaking 83-82 road loss at Ranger on Jan. 21. The Rams have struggled to find a rhythm, alternating wins and losses in their past six games. A player to watch for the Rams is Elijah Clemons, though he was limited to just one minute in the narrow defeat at Ranger. In that game, Niko Smith and Dominic Samuel also saw only a minute of action each, indicating potential roster adjustments or a short-handed lineup.

Temple (4-8) is coming off one of its best performances of the season, an 84-73 road victory at Weatherford on Jan. 21. The win snapped a three-game skid for the Leopards, who showed offensive potency in recent outings, including a 98-point effort in a one-point loss to Grayson on Jan. 14.

Statistically, the game projects as a potential shootout. Interstat’s game simulator forecasts a deadlock, predicting a 100-100 final score.

The Rams will look to leverage their slightly better overall record, while Temple aims to build momentum from its latest win and defend its home court. The contest could hinge on which team better controls the tempo and capitalizes on defensive stops.

This game is the first of a home-and-home series between the teams this season. They are scheduled to meet again at Southwestern Christian on Wednesday, Feb. 25.

For Southwestern Christian, the game begins a critical stretch of five games in 11 days. Temple faces a lighter immediate schedule, with its next game not until a week later at Ranger on Feb. 7.