New Temple basketball coach Aaron McKie’s nonconference schedule announced

Temple will open the Aaron McKie coaching era on Nov. 5 when Drexel visits the Liacouras Center.

The Owls, hoping to put a shot of adrenaline into the program, announced after the 2017-18 season that McKie would be elevated from assistant coach to replace Fran Dunphy.

If Temple really wanted to do things right, of course, it would play Drexel at McGonigle Hall, where McKie was a star for the Owls from 1991-94.

» READ MORE: Temple’s AAC opponents announced, dates TBA

The visit from the Dragons marks the earliest game in Temple history and is one of 13 nonconference dates on the 2019-20 slate.

Temple hosts St. Joseph’s (Dec. 10) and Villanova (Feb. 16). Missouri, a Southeastern Conference team that went 15-17 last season, is at the Liacouras on Dec. 7.

The Owls take a trip to Los Angeles to play USC on Nov. 22 and play at La Salle (Nov. 16) and at Penn (Jan. 25).

Temple plays Miami on Dec. 17 at Brooklyn. It also is part of an eight-team field for the Orlando Invitational, which starts on Thanksgiving Day. The bracket hasn’t been set, but the field is solid (Davidson, Fairfield, Harvard, Marquette, Maryland, Texas A&M and USC).

The Owls missed the NCAA Tournament in four of the last six years and last won a tournament game in 2013. They lost to Belmont in the First Four in March. Their top returning scorers are 6-foot-8 senior Quinton Rose (16.3 points) and 6-4 junior Nate Pierre-Louis (13.3).