Chronicowls "13 Temple-Richmond

Guest post by blog contributor Scott Matlack

Temple 71, Richmond 64

Temple squandered a 13 point lead  in the first half but kept the Spiders scoreless for more than six minutes late in the second half to take the win.  It was the first game in some time where someone other than Wyatt (Randall 21 points) led Temple in scoring.  This was one of the most balanced offensive games of the year for the Owls with four players in double figures:  

Hollis Jefferson    11
Randall                 21
Wyatt                   19
Lee                       12

It was good to see Scootie Randall come out of his shooting slump (8 - 13 from the field) but most impressive, I thought, was the play at both ends by Anthony Lee who contributed a double-double (12 points, 13 rebounds).  The Owls will have to get better at taking care of the ball if they are to continue to win.  With guard T.J. DiLeo nursing a high ankle sprain the Owls had 15 turnovers against only 12 assists.

Temple great Hal Lear  had his jersey retired at halftime.

Chronicowls '13 Temple-Penn

For Philadelphia college hoops fans, it's been an extraordinary week. Four wins over top 25 teams by local schools. Don't recall such a week in my lifetime. Are we witnessing the resurgence of Philly college hoops?
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More than 40,000 fans entered through the turnstiles of basketball arenas, college and pro, in Philadelphia yesterday. Almost half of that number, including Chronicowls reader Mike P.,  were part of a sold-out Wells Fargo Center to see one of the finest singular performances we're likely to see in many a year (think Holiday). The Hagan Center on St. Joe's campus was similarly standing room only. Those fortunate to hold tickets saw the Hawks outscore Xavier. And 7700 fans were in attendance at Verizon Wireless Arena  in Richmond to see LaSalle top VCU and claim its second consecutive win over top 25 opponent (first time in 60 years, I read). The Owls meanwhile travelled to Indianapolis for a first-ever matchup with Butler, where a sold-out arena of 10,000 awaited the intrepid Owls. 1 for 12 shooting from Jake O'Brien and Dalton Pepper, an early injury which sidelined T.J. Di Leo for the rest of the game, and a porous defense, anchored by Khalif Wyatt, proved the Owls' undoing against the 9th ranked home side.
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The Cherry and White were home this past Wednesday evening for their second Big Five contest of the campaign, against the Quakers of Pennsylvania.  Penn hardly looked the part of a squad that had lost 14 of their first 17 games. And Temple hardly looked like a side that had won 12 of its first 17.
School had returned to session, so the Cherry Crusade were out in full force. And the Diamond Gems had returned from the national dance competition in Orlando. And their vocal support lifted a sluggish Owl team to an expected victory.
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Second largest crowd (6700) of the season, most of whom it seemed parked in the garage,  were at the Liacouras Center for the Temple-Penn matchup. Must have been the sub-20 degree temperature that drove fans to indoor parking.   The Owls most attractive home game this season is shaping up to be the one where the Explorers from LaSalle will be heading south on Broad to the Liacouras Center.
The victor of that game will likely be this season's winner of the Big Five. That game has to be a sellout, doesn't it?
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Before the loss to Butler, Temple had fallen out of the top 50 in the RPI rankings. There are now 4 schools in the Atlantic 10 ahead of the Owls, including LaSalle. Temple has losses to canisius (ranked 117) and St. bonaventure (sitting at 130). An at-large NCAA berth isn't looking probable right about now. But no doubt the rest of the season promises to be interesting. Make your plans to become part of the Temple hoops fan experience. And share your thoughts by posting your comments here on Chronicowls (look for the Post Your Comments link below).

Chronicowls'13 - Temple - St. Bonnie's

In winning for the first time at Liacouras Center, St. Bonaventure played like a top 25 team.

60% plus accuracy from beyond the three-point arc, 85% shooting from the free-throw line, and an assist-turnover ratio of better than 2:1 (21 assists,10turnovers). And all five starters scored in double figures.  Meanwhile, the Owls took more than half of their shots outside the three-point mark (why, some would ask), and made just about one-third of them.

The better team surely won yesterday afternoon.

Jake O’Brien had 16 points with more than three minutes remaining in the FIRST half. He had scored more than half of Temple’s points, and had brought the Owls back into the lead after another slow start.

When O’Brien committed his second foul with two minutes remaining in the half, Coach Dunphy substituted for him.  The Bonnies then outscored the Owls 11-2 during the reaminder of the half, and went to intermission holding a four-point lead. And O’Brien didn’t score the rest of the game. And Temple never regained the lead.

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School is not back in session, so the Cherry Crusade (student section) was small in number. And the Diamond Gems were absent, as the squad was competing once again at the national championships for dance teams. No word yet on the outcome.  For those who missed the Gems, see photo below.

The Pep Band was present, bolstered by no less than four tubas, and provided plenty of spirit. And the crowd, one of the largest of the season, was enthusiastic, particularly as the Owls mounted a comeback that cut a 12-point deficit to two. That, as it turned out, was as close as the Owls would get in the second half.
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Perhaps one of the finer performances of the afternoon was turned in by the Temple student chosen to “bowl” during one of the timeouts. A hefty prize awaits the student who rolls a bowling ball the length of the court and scores a strike. On most attempts over the course of the season, a “gutter” ball is rolled.  This student knocked down seven of the pins.

And it’s refreshing to see some of the inane games that have passed for entertainment during time-outs replaced by noteworthy recognitions, like the one of a Temple professor with a lengthy list of accomplishments. Too bad someone decided it would be a good time to play loud background music while the PA announcer was reciting the professor’s accomplishments.

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Tough loss, but as one nearby fan commented at game’s end, “That’s the crucible that is the A10”.

Owls Meet Jayhawks

Very impressive effort by the Owls. Only made FOUR turnovers.
And made but 19 field goals, including NONE in a seven-minute stretch during the second half. And still the Owls were in the game.Here's a wrapup, as told on Twitter.

Chronicowls '13 - Owls Fly By Falcons to Close Out 2012

 

 

A fine finish to the year, and an inspiration to Chronicowls.  A rare New Year’s Eve game. Alright, the competition didn’t exactly bowl us over (Bowling Green), but the win was a highlight in at least two ways. The school’s 1800^th win in basketball, joining an elite group of SIX schools who have reached that milestone.  And as a dear friend once advised me, “a milestone is but a marker by the side of the road that tells you how far you’ve come, but leaves no clue as to where you’re headed.”  I believe the Owls are headed to many more milestones. The second highlight marking the win on New Year’s Eve is that it was Temple’s first on that date (then again, the Owls had played just three times on this date, losing to Fresno State in 1998 and to Villanova in 2002 and 2005). Dinner and drink at Jack’s Firehouse, followed by the 6pm fireworks, completed a highly satisfactory  New Year’s Eve for the Chronicowlers.

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Temple, now 6-1 at The Liacouras Center this season, has tallied its most wins on its home floor to the start a season before the New Year (Jan. 1) in program history. Not surprising, since in years past Temple hasn’t played 7 home games before the turn of the year. All in all, there will be 17 home games this season (if the postponed Detroit game is rescheduled), the most in recent memory. No excuse for not catching at least one game this campaign.

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Breakthrough this year. The winning number of the 50-50 raffle supporting a Temple athletic squad is now posted on the scoreboard, along with a PA announcement. An earlier post (read here) described the new scoreboard and the advertising ribbon. Both are enhancements to the Liacouras Center  experience, which, I contend, is equal to any college basketball venue  in the region, including the Palestra.

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Temple opens the 2013 calendar at #32 in the RPI rankings.  Conference competition kicks off next week.  No fewer than ten Atlantic 10 schools are ranked in the top 100 of the RPI, so the conference schedule will be exceptionally tough this year (Temple’s final season in the Atlantic 10).

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2013 also begins with two difficult match-ups on the road, Kansas (#2 in RPI) and Xavier, before the Owls return to the Liacouras Center for a rare Saturday evening (6pm) tipoff on January 12. Two other attractive home games this season should be LaSalle on February 21 and Virginia Commonwealth (VCU) on March 10.
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It’s now easier to follow the Owls. The Athletic Department has released an app for the iPhone and Android.

Chronicowls '13 - Wagner (on Temple-Wagner)

And so they came to the Land of Liacouras, these Seahawks, from their 105-acre perch atop Grymes Hill on Staten Island, overlooking harbor, ocean and Manhattan. They were loaded for bear fresh off their mid-week dismantling of Princeton via an 8-2 OT run. Coached by Bashir Mason, who led Drexel in assists and steals for four years and beat Temple as a senior, the Green & White had averaged 43 pts. in two wins and 63 in three losses. If you can imagine that!

Saturday afternoon’s final at the staggeringly unpopulated (no part of an announced 5,371) North Broad bastion: 70-62 Owls, about which Dunphy confessed, “I think they outworked us…played harder…tougher…better than us. They deserve a lot of credit, the Wagner guys.” Hmmm. Probably so, praying to reprise their 25-6 campaign last year. But they were smaller and couldn’t shoot straight, or long, with a woeful trey display of 3-for-11. That’s vs. Temple’s 9-19, 47.4% longball game, surpassing its 16-38, 42.1 efficiency inside the arc.

Advisedly ceding the turnover title 12-7, the Owls prevailed in FG and FT percentages (.431, .786), blocked shots (7-4), assists (14-11) and steals (7-3). Three Wagner guys may’ve had three with double figures, but they were no match for Temple’s two, Scootie Randall with 10 pts. plus a team-high 9 boards and Khalif Wyatt with a game-high 26 in his 34 minutes. That included a critical trey at the 1:45 mark when Wagner had, somehow, fought back to trail just 60-55. Which must’ve been what Dunphy meant!

Strange game? Sure. Minutes in, Wagner led 10-2. Cause for concern? Welllll…nope. Moments later, it was all Owls, 12-10. And they built leads from there, albeit never commanding, because Wagner, despite an entertaining airball display and some awfully short guys in awfully long shorts, is certainly scrappy. And don’t forget, these Seahawks were seeking to set the tone for their gridiron brethren who, that evening, would tangle with Eastern Washington in the FCS playoffs, after trumping their 0-3 start with a slick 9-0 finish. In the end, alas, both squads fell.

NEC conference member Wagner draws from a student body under 2,200, with 375 grad students thrown in. Temple doesn’t. Speaking of which, Temple’s graduate forward Jake O’Brien added 8 pts. and others of the nine who saw action contributed. But now the fun starts. First, the Big 5 opener at the Pavilion on Wednesday vs. a ’Nova squad ripe for the picking. Looks like 6-0, best since the ’87-’88 opening run of 14-0 (en route to 32-2). Then, next Saturday at the Izod Center, it’s Doooookkk. So 7-0 outta the box could portend great things this season, especially with three home games to follow.

Oh, and by the way, one great thing happened when the Owls’ all-male Broad Street Line took center court before tip-off to belt out a courageous and mostly harmonious rendition of, “Oh, say can you see.” If you can see ’em at an entertainment venue near you, do. If, on the other hand, you’re offered one chance to hurl an ersatz bowling ball the length of the Liacouras court at an ersatz bunch of bowling pins, albeit for $10,000, tell ’em you’ll have to ask your mother.

 Posted by "Tall Phil" Wagner

Chronicowls '13- Meeting of the Owls

The Owls of Temple hosted their counterparts from Rice University, in the 2012-13 hoops season opener at the Liacouras Center. And the wise Owls prevailed, relying upon their experienced seniors (Hollis-Jefferson, Wyatt, and Randall) and two grad students (DiLeo and O'Brien)to outlast the visitors. By the way, Temple and Rice are two of four Division I basketball programs to use the "Owls" moniker. Not present on the Liacouras Center floor Saturday night were Florida Atlantic and Kennesaw State.
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The Liacouras Center, now in its 16th year, has gone high-tech. Welcome news for the "Temple fan experience". A new center-hung scoreboard consisting of four video screens and featuring high-definition quality visuals for live action, replays, game animations, team logos, student athlete introductions and real-time statistics. And that's not all. Complementing the center-hung scoreboard is  a new   LED ribbon system spread (or wrap-around)across the Liacouras Center's 200 Level façade. Very impressive. One glitch noted by last night's attendees - lighting varies in intensity depending upon the background of the advertising being shown on the wraparound. I'm confident it will be worked out.
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The Owls are comfortable in their nest - they have won 36 of their last 38 games  at home.
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 Temple clearly looked to be the superior side early on, jumping out to a 16-5 lead. For the next seven minutes, the Owls scored but seven points, and found themselves tied at 23. Rice stayed close (they were within one point of Temple with 9 minutes remaining in the game) but never took the lead.
Keys to Temple's win: twice as many assists (16) as turnovers (8) and making 10 of 11 free throws in the second half.
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The Owls bench  -- comprised of T.J. DiLeo, Dalton Pepper, Jake O'Brien, Quenton DeCosey and Dan Dingle and considered to be a strength of the team-- posted just five points and didn't register a single basket until five minutes remained in the game. The Temple bench was outscored by Rice's,
18-5, and went 1-for-11 shooting.
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Good-sized crowd last night (almost 7000) , spirited student section (the Wild Cherry), and a full complement of enthusiastic pep band members. All enjoyed a highly entertaining halftime performance by a rope-skipping, somersaulting troupe whose show was one of the best in years.
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The oddsmakers had  Temple favored by 14. Final score: Temple Owls 77 - Rice Owls 63.

Chronicowls '12 Temple - UMass

Just as European custom may find the woman seeking the man’s hand in blissful (is there any other kind?) matrimony on Feb. 29, so it was on this Leap Day 2012 Edition that the Owls beseeched the Minutemen to stay the course on the Liacouras Dance Floor, where Chaz Williams had it in overdrive from the start authoring a personal 26-pt. (game high, shared with Khalif Wyatt) clinic, featuring 5 of 7 treys + game highs of 11 assists and 4 steals. And the 69” (uhhh, maybe) high (not “tall”) whirling dervish even grabbed 8 rebounds, for cryin’ out loud.

But, serendipitously, that was hardly the story of this Liacouras Leap Lunge—not on our Senior Night, not in our house, not with the A-10 tourney top seed dangling in the balance. No sir. The headline signature moment was…hold on, is this possible… as exhilarating, octave-scaling, deeply mez-MO-rizing a rendition of the national anthem as we’ve likely heard since Julius Caesar coined Leap Day. Truly, this golden-tonsiled goddess could’ve halftimed a Gladiatorial Super Bowl in Rome’s great Coliseum. Talk about a tough act to follow…but we digress.

Here, then, was a cherry’n’white squad, slackjawed at Chaz’ jazz and hardly energized by an early Juan Fernandez 4-pointer, with a transcendent vocal presence still suspended in the air. Yet the anthem did end, on the word “brave,” no less, and the game did ensue, on this night where things weren’t always as they seemed, and things seemed ill at ease. From tipoff to .7 sec. left in OT, less than recommended went right for a Temple team looking to finish with wins in 13 of its last 14 (check, assuming 10-18 Fordham complies on Sat.,), a 13-3 conference record (check, ditto Fordham) and a barely nicked 13-1 home slate (check, thanks Dayton). The 90-88 final tally, after Temple’d squandered its 10-pt. cushion over the final 150 seconds of regulation, before yielding the first 6 markers in OT, didn’t come easy. In fact, it left the announced 6,519 faithful near catatonic, uncertain if and when to launch into “I do believe that we…”

But all was right with the universe when the words “…have won!” came full cycle. And the Owls  had, by a whisper, thanks in no small measure to their staggering 30 of 40 free throws vs. UMass’ 6 of 10. A correlated success: Owls had just 14 fouls vs. UMass’ 25. Beyond that, comparable numbers all around, mostly, other than the Minutemen’s .449 vs. .391 field goal superiority. Fortunately, enter #1, on this undesignated Khalif Wyatt Night. The junior guard’s 26 were big, yes, especially including only 4 field goals. So how huge were his 17 (yup, seventeen) free throws? And his deft touch scoring the final 7 pts. of an OT where UMass nailed the first 6? Oh, and let’s not forget Michael Eric’s career high 19, all after intermission, plus a game high 15 rebounds (tying his season high). Or Juan Fernandez’s well-above-average 18. All on a night when Ramone Moore’s 13 were 4 pts. under average.

The difference, on this Senior Night? Maybe #31 Jake Godino. Okay, he played only the first minute in his 6^th game appearance, bringing his season total to all of 9 minutes, but the guy bagged his first career start, set the game tone and showed his grit while dishing a flawless pass even as the world cried SHOOT! Untold stories like Godino’s can propel teams to greatness. He was joined at center court pregame by Messrs. Moore, Fernandez and Eric in receiving framed jerseys from a duly grateful Fran Dunphy. (Heck, could he be Jeremy Lin in disguise for the Big Dance?)

Alas, reluctantly, we bid farewell to the effervescent Diamond Gems and Spirit Squad, the resonant trombonists-oboists-percussionists et al, the Drunken Dunkin’s, the Silverthroated Voice of the Owls, the Hot Dog Howitzer that Couldn’t (Be Shot Straight), the…. Happy summer to all, till we gather again to exhort the 2012-2013 Temple Owls, whose predecessors, we here predict, will find deserved madness in this fabled month of March.

Guest post by Chronicowls Contributor Tall Phil (the Content Razor)