Washington, D.C. (Sports Network) - The 19th-ranked Georgetown Hoyas play their first home game of the season, as they welcome the Temple Owls to the Verizon Center for this afternoon's non-conference clash.

Temple opened the 2009-10 season with a 76-56 win at Delaware as part of the Philly Hoop Group Classic this past Saturday. It was the 16th straight win for the Owls over the Blue Hens. At first glance, it doesn't appear that head coach Fran Dunphy has a whole lot of notable talent to work with this year, but the cupboard isn't completely bare so expect to see the Owls stretch their wings a bit and perhaps sneak up on some folks in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

As for Georgetown, it opened the season last Friday with a trip to New Orleans, and the Hoyas responded by topping Tulane in a 74-58 final. While a notch below the top teams in the Big East this year (Villanova, West Virginia, UConn), Georgetown is still a formidable foe. Beginning with this game, the Hoyas will play four of their next five at home.

Temple owns a 21-13 lead in the all-time series with Georgetown, and the Owls have won each of the last three meetings.

Life without Dionte Christmas officially began on Saturday, and Temple's new crop of players made quick work of Delaware in posting the 20-point win. Ryan Brooks led all scorers in the game with 23 points, and he added nine rebounds, a pair of assists and a blocked shot to his impressive stat line. Despite missing all four of his long-range shots, Juan Fernandez was TU's only other double-digit scorer, hitting for 14 points while also dishing out five assists. The Owls shot 50 percent from the field, but just 26.7 percent from three-point range. After falling behind early, Temple dialed up the defense, holding the Blue Hens to just 33.3 percent shooting for the game. A 22-10 edge in points from the foul line certainly helped the Owls, as did a 39-31 rebounding advantage.

The Hoyas had four guys score in double figures in the season opener at Tulane, led by Greg Monroe's double-double consisting of 18 points and 11 rebounds. Monroe, one of the top big men in the Big East and the league's reigning Rookie of the Year, added a pair of blocked shots and hit 50 percent of his field goal attempts in what was solid effort all the way around. Austin Freeman poured in 16 points, grabbed six rebounds and handed out five assists, while Jason Clark finished with a career-high 13 points, five helpers and four caroms. Chris Wright chipped in with 11 points, and was one of the top defensive stars in the game with his five steals. As a team, the Hoyas shot 52.8 percent from the field, which included a sizzling 61.5 percent effort in the second half. With Monroe leading the way, GU staked a 36-25 advantage on the boards.