Chronicowls '12 Temple-LaSalle

Entertaining game between the Owls and Explorers. Most accounts of the game offered a similar assessment, adding that it was a typical Big Five game. Which, actually, it wasn’t. A Big Five game, that is.  The next time Temple and LaSalle match up, then at the Gola Arena, will count in the Big Five standings.  While on the subject of the Big Five, it’s time for the group to evolve. It’s now time for the City Six.

------------------

More than 8000 fans watched the evening’s proceedings.  More than respectable.  LaSalle fans filled two sections of the Liacouras Center. Not a bad turnout for a LaSalle road game, yet considering that the game was but a 10-minute subway ride for students on the LaSalle campus, I expected more fans. After all, LaSalle came into the game with a  record of 13 up, and just 5 down, the best start to a season in many a year.

------------------

Balanced scoring, and better than 50% shooting, were key to Temple’s win.  Four Owls scored in double figures, led by Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson’s career high of 19 points.  Temple has shot better than 50% from the field in six games this year. Unsurprisingly, the Owls have won five of them.

------------------

The oddsmakers had Temple favored by 5. During the last 11 minutes of the game, Temple owlways led, but never by more than 5, until Khalif Wyatt made two foul shots to give Temple its final six-point margin, and give rise to the “I Believe We Have Won” chant.   While there were no lead changes in the second half, on four occasions in the final ten minutes a LaSalle score cut their deficit to one.  Nail-biter.

-------------------

LaSalle played a solid game. Only 8 turnovers. But , like Temple, they field a short team, and the Cherry and White won the boards, outrebounding the Explorers by 38-27.

--------------------

PubWebb was the venue for a pre-game gathering of Temple fans (many in soccer scarves, see below).

The purchase of these  scarves support the Temple soccer program.

Here is Temple Sports Hall of Fame member Edna Brown-Hecht (far-right) with President Ann Hart, after President Hart was presented with the scarf during the game. (Chronicowls commenter Nelson Dunham is at left).

Email Joe Stulz at jstulz@verizon.net to purchase a scarf to support Temple soccer. 

Preview of Temple's Final Home Game

For a number of reasons (all of them good) I haven't been to a Temple home game since January 19. And what a home season it's been.
The Owls enter this season's final home game with an unblemished record at Liacouras Center. Today's opponent, LaSalle, is a 14-point underdog, yet coming off two impressive wins. In February 2009, LaSalle came into the Liacouras Center an 11-point underdog and, well, see below...
-----------------------------------
"I can't believe what I've just seen" was the prevailing sentiment at the end of last night's game. From both Temple and LaSalle fans. And there were a bunch of infiltrators last night among us. A decent turnout of Explorer fans boosted the attendance at the Liacouras Center above 6000 for only the fourth time this year. On-street parking was at a minimum last night, so the parking garage became our last, and best , resort. Getting out in a timely fashion was not an issue, as we made a stop at the Draught Horse (on the ground floor of the Liacouras Center) for a post-game beverage.
------------------
The Diamond Gems, with their dance number in the second-half, gave the best performance by a Temple student on the floor last night. I just don't know what to say about, or how to explain, last night's result. Certainly not what the oddsmakers had in mind - the Owls were favored by 11 points. It's not as if Temple played poorly (OK, it wasn't up to their standards but they weren't sloppy with the ball as they had more assists than turnovers) or that LaSalle had an exceptional game (Rodney Green did, but one has to expect that from LaSalle's best player). It just seems as if the Owls made poor choices in their shot selection, and as a result their field-goal percentage was below their season average, and Temple players went to the foul line for only 7 shots. Not much else to which I can point, and I'm not going to dig much deeper, because it will only serve as a reminder of last night's outcome. If you find this Chronicowls posting to be briefer than most, I trust you'll understand.
------------------
Temple has to win Saturday at Dayton (4pm tip-off, game telecast locally by Comcast) to have any chance of an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. A bye into the Atlantic 10 tournament is still likely(awarded to top-four regular-season finishers), but probably two upset wins would be necessary to capture the conference tournament and thus secure an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. While 4 of Temple's 10 losses were to teams in the top 15 in RPI rankings, three have been to teams OUT of the top 100 (including last night). And Temple does not have a win over a team in the top 25. So, their resume (to use current bracketology-speak) for an at-large bid is light.
-----------------
Last home game of this season next Thursday night, against St. Joe's. Let's get a big turnout for that game, the Owls will benefit from our support.

Chronicowls, MMX, Post7

I'll ask once again. Where are the Temple fans? Less than 6000 attended the game last night. Perhaps last night it was a good thing that there weren't 10.000 fans to witness Temple's shooting performance. But haven't we been told that the sign of a very good team is one that can win even when it's having an off night? That's the case, I'd submit, with the Owls. Last evening, Temple made fewer than one-third of their field goal attempts (and only 2 out of 15 three-point shots) , and just over 60% of their foul shots. Yet we won (and beat the point spread) over a team that had won 18 games this season, including recent wins over Xavier and Charlotte. Credit several factors. The Owls defense held Dayton to nearly 30 points under their season average, and the Owls offense turned the ball over but 8 times. That comes as small surprise for Owl fans, since Temple leads all Atlantic 10 schools in scoring defense and fewest turnovers. And while the 41 points Dayton scored may appear to be a ridiculously low number (one fan remarked that the score resembled that of an 8th-grade game), last night was the NINTH time that Temple has held its opponent to less than 50 points in a game this season. And back in December, one opponent didn't even score 40 points. Dayton went more than eight minutes in the first half without scoring. NOT A SINGLE POINT. --------------------------------
Dayton is one of the best rebounding teams in the nation. You wouldn't know from last night. Lavoy Allen had 10 rebounds at HALFTIME. He finished with 17 for the game. Allen remains on track to be the first Temple player in 40 years to average a double-double (points-rebounds) for the season. Juan Guzman may not score much, and so is underappreciated. Last night he had a career-high 7 assists, and NO turnovers. Once again, Ramone Moore was the high scorer. Seventh consecutive game in which Moore has scored more than 10 points. He's only a sophomore, and on the verge of stardom (IMHO).
---------------------------------
A 25-win regular season is within reach. That would be third-most in school history, and the most since the 87-88 team that for several weeks was ranked #1 in the nation. In fact, the 23 wins thus far is more than Temple has had over an ENTIRE season since the 2001 team won 24 games. So to say this has been an exceptional season is hardly overstating the case. I'll ask, one final time this season. So where are the fans? Only three crowds of more than 8000, and for an attractive home schedule. Games played in a new arena with scarcely a bad seat. I don't understand it. Frankly, I don't know anyone who does.
----------------------------------
Bought 50-50 raffle tickets. The women's fencing team was the beneficiary. That squad, by the way, is the school's must successful program. Has been for many years. Presently ranked #7 in the nation. And the coach, Nikke Franke, was recognized at halftime for earning her 600th career victory. And, oh yes, we went through another season without a winning raffle ticket.
----------------------------------
A chant has broken out in the student section near the end of all home games this season (with the exception of the loss to Kansas). No one in our section could make out the words of the chant - it wasn't something straightforward like You Suck, or that other popular and obscene chant of A--hole which comes out of the student section several times each game. Last night, I realized that the students, while jumping in place and clapping, are chanting "I believe that we have won". Not original, I've learned, but it's the first time I've heard it and I must say I LIKE IT.
---------------------------------
Positive reports ( two thumbs-up) on the food at the Pub Webb. The pulled pork sandwich is recommended. At least there's an alternative to the Draught Horse for a on-campus post-game spot to allow the parking garage to empty out. Some of us returned to Wino (in Northern Liberties, just 10 minutes from campus), where we enjoyed good meals and drinks, at reasonable prices. And I shouldn't forget that we joined in on a Quizzo game last night at Wino, and much to our surprise were in third place after the first two rounds. We figured we wouldn't much of a match for the twenty and thirty-somethings who were also playing, especially when a question in the first round had all four of us looking at each other in the hopes that one could identify just one movie in which actor Billy Zane had played. Our hopes were not realized. Not one of us had heard of Billy Zane. Turns out he played Kate Winslet's vile fiancé in Titanic, along with lesser roles in less successful movies.
----------------------------------
Temple is now 13th in the RPI. A #5 seed in the NCAA tournament is not out of reach. But that will require, I believe, winning all three remaining regular-season games, and reaching at least the semifinals of the A-10 tournament.
---------------------------------
I'll be out of town for the final home game, so likely this will be my final Chronicowls post of this season. It's been fun, and I appreciate your feedback, and words of encouragement (especially when I was sidelined with writer's block early in the season). Go Owls! I'm counting on each of you to join with the students at the end of the GW game - "I believe that we have won" are the lyrics.