Chronicowls '12 Temple-Maryland

Twice as many assists as turnovers. That’ll win most basketball games. As it did, yesterday MORNING, for the Cherry and White.  Temple’s starting three guards,  Juan Fernandez, Ramone Moore, and Khalif Wyatt,  produced 54 points, 13 assists, and but 5 giveaways.  And substitute guard Aaron brown contributed 12 points and a team-leading 8 rebounds in 26 minutes of play. An impressive Parliament of Owls.  Graduate student Michael Eric  returned to action after a 13-game absence due to a fractured right patella.

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A packed but not quite full Palestra, although the attendance was announced as a sellout of 8722. Doubtless, more than a few couldn’t make the game because of “wintry mix” driving conditions. Nonetheless, plenty of spirit and energy in the hoops cathedral, as the Maryland faithful “travel well”, and brought at least several thousand supporters to the Penn campus venue. So it seemed more like a Big Five contest, as each cheering section tried to outdo the other. Only rollouts were absent.

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A little more than 5 minutes remain in the game.  In the five minutes just elapsed, the Terrapins had cut a 10-point Temple lead to one. In the next 90 SECONDS, first Wyatt, then Moore, and then Fernandez each make unlikely three point shots.  I Believe We Have Won broke out with about one minute remaining.

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It was an extraordinary day for Philadelphia college basketball, and its fans. For starters, one could have begun  at 11am with the Temple-Maryland tipoff, enjoyed lunch following the game (Slainte, at 30^th and Market, was a good choice yesterday), walked several blocks to the Daskalakis Athletic Center to join 2500 other fans to watch Drexel play Northeastern (the Dragons won), then return to the Palestra to join another sellout crowd to watch Penn edge St. Joe’s in a Big Five classic.  If an Explorers fan, one could have gone to the Gola Arena (instead of the Daskalakis Center)  to see LaSalle play Rhode Island. All in all, five city teams won (Villanova played at Madison Square Garden where they defeated St. John’s) and more than 20,000 fans were in attendance at college basketball games across the city and throughout the day .  Reuben Frank, CSNPhilly columnist,  has an interesting recap of the day (read here ).

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Amazing series of ramps now connect part of the Penn campus. It is now possible to walk from the River Field athletic complex to the Palestra without setting foot on a Philadelphia street.

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Oddsmakers had the Owls favored by NINE over their ACC opponent.  Surprised me (after all, Maryland entered the game with a record (12-5) identical to Temple’s), but the forecasters had obviously done their research, as the Owls beat the spread. While the game was tight throughout, Temple trailed for less than a minute, and led the entire second half.

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The Diamond Gems were in fine form yesterday. The halftime entertainment featured a young man in a Temple teeshirt performing one  balancing act after another (using his chin) , starting with a chair and concluding with a 10-foot stepladder. You had to be there!

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Temple now stands at #19 in the RPI rankings.  St. Joe’s, their next opponent at the Liacouras Center, this Saturday at 4pm, holds the 60^th place in the RPI.  Before then, a difficult game on the road, against Charlotte, this Wednesday evening.  Only radio coverage(1210 AM WPHT) of the game.