Chronicowls, MMX, Post5

Ten Owl players scored last night. And Ryan Brooks, leading scorer for the season, was not one of the scorers until fewer than 10 minutes remained in the game. In fact, Temple's two leading scorers, Brooks and Fernandez, tallied but 12 points between them, yet the Owls prevailed by 16 over a mediocre Duquesne team. Lavoy Allen scored 14 points and nabbed 15 rebounds, helping his chances at becoming Temple's first player in 40 years to average double figures in point and rebounds for a season. The Owls came into the game ranked sixth nationally in fewest turnovers per game (10.5 tpg.). Last night was an subpar performance, as the Owls turned over the ball 14 times.
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The game's start suggested a less pleasant outcome. Two minutes into the game, and the Temple faithful were still on their feet, awaiting their team's first score. Our wait was prolonged beyond those two minutes on the game clock by, of all things, a coach's time out. Dismayed by the events on the court, Coach Dunphy called a time out, leaving us on our feet. Improvement was hardly immediate, as Duquesne took a 10-2 lead before the Temple reserves took control of the game. And take control they did. Temple outscored Duquesne 40-21 over the next 15 minutes. The Owls' leading scorer was Ramone Moore, who does not start. Rahlir Jefferson, a freshman, scored a career high 11 points. And T.J. DiLeo contributed a career-high 7 points, including a breakaway dunk.
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The number of fans in attendance might have filled McGonigle Hall. The crowd was announced as 4391. I doubt there were 3900. Is there another top 20 ranked team in the nation which attracts a smaller crowd than Temple? Gonzaga, you're thinking? No, the Zags drew capacity crowds of 6000 for each of their last two home games. Northern Iowa? Well, they've fallen out of the top 20, but since they're in the top 25, let's take a look at their attendance. They were at home (Cedar Falls, Iowa) last night also. The attendance for their game - 6723. Maybe last night's attendance in Cedar Falls was unusual? The attendance at the previous home game topped more than 6000. I won't take this point any further, other than to say if you could identify a top 20 school whose home crowds are smaller, I'd like to know.
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In a previous post, I mentioned the Diamond Gems' fourth-place finish in a national college cheerleading division. Last night, the Gems were recognized by the PA announcer (yes, the one who sounds like Dracula is occupying the seat by the mike) for their accomplishment. In their final performance of the evening, they had many of the fans asking for the Gems of games past. Was that really the Gems in pants and sweatshirts? Order was soon restored, as halfway through their number, in suggestive fashion, the Gems shed their sweatshirts.
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Temple is 16th in the nation according to the RPI. The Owls are also 4-3 against teams ranked in the Top 50 of the RPI with wins over #3 Villanova, #21 Xavier, #12 Rhode Island and #44 Siena. Temple’s Top 50 losses are to #1 Kansas , #4 Georgetown and #42 Charlotte.
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The point spread last night was 13. One of the tip sheets for college basketball wagering suggested that the Owls were a lock to beat the spread. Sure didn't appear that way at the outset, but once again the oddsmakers know their business.
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Again, no radio nor television broadcast of the game. Just audio and video streaming. Perhaps these media are the wave of the future? Important game Saturday, at Richmond. 2pm tip-off. Game will be shown on ESPNU and broadcast on 1210 AM.