Chronicowls, MMX, Post3

I came away from yesterday's game at the Liacouras Center with a lack of understanding.
I don't understand ...
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...how only 3000 fans show up for a Saturday afternoon game featuring a top 25 team (and #8 in the RPI rankings). Yes, I know the crowd was reported as nearly 4300, but unless 2000 of them were seated in the upper level, immediately above us and out of our view, the reported attendance was inflated. The student section was particularly sparse, and at times it seemed the pep band outnumbered the student body at the game. Even the Diamond Gems were MIA. The cheerleaders, usually overlooked, were in strong form yesterday and should see more action during future games.
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...how the oddsmakers are so accomplished at their craft. The line on yesterday's game had the Owls favored by 15. Temple was up by 15 with 21 seconds left in the game.
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...how Lavoy Allen can look so dominant during some stretches of the game, and disappear during others. Allen did not score a basket yesterday until the final 30 seconds of the game. He did however, pull down 14 rebounds, the most he's had in a game since he had 17 against Villanova. By the way, Lavoy Allen is on pace to become the first Temple player to average a double- double in nearly 40 years - Ollie Johnson accomplished the feat by posting team-highs of 13.6 points and 10.7 rebounds per game as a junior in 1970-71.
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...how Temple could make more than half of their shots from three-point range and only a quarter of their shots from closer distances.
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...why the UMass coach would call not one but TWO timeouts with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game and his team down by more than 10 points. Was he trying to make sure his side beat the spread? They did.
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...how this Temple team has developed a knack for going on runs during games that stretch a tenuous lead into a commanding one. Yesterday, with 5 minutes elapsed in the game, Temple had a 11-9 lead, and had just turned the ball over. NO PROBLEM. The Owls scored the next 13 points, and over the next 10 minutes had grown their lead to 35-13. Conversely, in the second half, Temple went more than 4 minutes without scoring, and UMass cut a 16-point deficit to seven. Something similar occurred this past Wednesday evening, when Penn capitalized on a Temple cold spell to reduce a 15-point deficit to just five.
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...why the PA announcer has to narrate every action (she dribbles...he shoots...she misses... ) of the inane contests taking place during halftime and timeouts.
What's occurring on the court is very apparent to those of us in the stands. When a shot doesn't go through the basket we know that is a miss. Announce the names of student contestants and then push the mike away.
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Another solid game for the Owls yesterday. More assists than turnovers (19-12), very good foul-shooting (more than 90%), and strong defense (UMass scored more than 10 points below their season average). By the way, one of the reasons for Temple's success this season is how well they protect the ball (they're in the top 10 in the nation-out of 340 schools- in fewest turnovers per game).
Interesting match-up this coming Wednesday night at the Liacouras Center. Xavier brings a 12-5 record and four-game winning streak to Philadelphia. The over-under for that night's attendance is 7300.