Chronicowls '12 Temple-Fordham

GUEST POST FROM TALL PHIL RE. 2/1/12 GAME

’Twas an average sports night in a world-class sports mecca as the Owls mashed the Rams 78-60 while Drexel, St. Joe’s, LaSalle and “Your Sixers” all comfortably dictated, all on the very day that “I Accept All the Blame” Reid granted “Juan More Time” Castillo a stay of execution. So, get this, the Sixers at a radiant 16-6 take back seat to the Owls at 16-5.

This a great city or what?

The Owls own the Rams: five straight, 26 of the last 30, a perfect .750 over recorded history with 39 wins. You wouldn’t have known it through the first eight minutes of this one, though, as only hot-shooting Khalif Wyatt kept his stone cold mates in a game they would, when they came to their senses, last trail by 21-18.

Score at the break: 35-27. Half #1 was Wyatt’s, featuring 16 of his 24. Half #2 belonged to Ramon Moore, who knocked down a career high six treys and a game high 25, two more than Fordham ace Brian Smith. Rahlir H-J had 10. In the “go figure” department, Temple’s 15 turnovers were three more than Fordham’s, and their four steals one less. A still-recouping Michael Eric, in a reserve role yet, blocked five, a career-high tie. And we waited stoically for T.J. DiLeo to finish passing and start shooting, en route to a hard-earned three-point night.

So what do we know re. the 2011-2012 Temple Owls? They’re batting .762 after a season-high five game winning streak. They’re 8-1 at home, where five of their remaining nine regular season games will spontaneously combust. They play Fordham yet again, away, in the season clincher. They travel no further than Kingston, RI, where they play Fri. Only Xavier (15-7 after their win last night) would appear to loom large. If they stay-play within themselves, these Owls could run not just (up and down) the floor, but perhaps the proverbial table.

Non-basketball notes: One, the first 500 Temple students last eve received RecycleMania t-shirts. Two, hmmmm, y’think there were that many students there? Three, the attendance was 4,080—if you count the Diamond Gems and the Dribbling Dunkin' Donut Coffee Cups and the trombonists and the Super Inflectioned PA Meister, 73 times each. Four, speaking of which, how to ’splain the infernal rejoinder following every other whistle, “There’s a time out (voice up, up, away) …on the floor (voice, well, on the floor).” Okay, so just where else do timeouts routinely take place? Five, this group ate first at McCrossens Tavern on 20^th just below Spring Garden, where waiting, for salads not for Godot, was the core activity, and stars don’t come easily; and drank last at Jack’s Firehouse, 2130 Fairmount, a fine place to savor victory and consider the day.

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.

Chronicowls '11, Post 11 (Temple-LaSalle)

Very entertaining, and tight, game yesterday. More than 20 lead changes. The student section, which was depleted because spring break had emptied the campus, didn't break into their "I believe we have won" chant until the final 30 seconds of the game (if you're unfamiliar with the chant, see video above). 14 times the Owls played at home this season, and 13 times we heard the chant ( the Owls won all fourteen home games, but the Georgetown game went down to the final shot, see video below). Temple leads the Atlantic 10 in scoring defense (allowing 61 points per game) but defense was decidedly absent from yesterday's game. First time this season the Owls reached 90 points. Temple had earned fans a taco at Qdoba midway through the second half , and LaSalle had 61 points with 11 minutes remaining in the game. The game's key stat: 19 assists and only 7 turnovers for Temple. The Owls rank third in the A-10 and 39th nationally with 11.5 turnovers per game this season.

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A 24-win regular season is surely impressive. So why not a higher ranking? Quite simply because the Owls had a soft schedule - only one team in the top 30 has had an easier schedule - and the Owls have beaten only two schools in the top 50 RPI rankings (Georgia and Georgetown). And only six games against teams in the top 50 (by comparison, Villanova has had 14 games against top 50 teams). And the Owls played six games against teams that weren't even among the top 250.
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22 wins in a row at home. Very impressive. Last loss at home was in December 2009, to Kansas, ranked #1 at the time.
Coach Dunphy's fourth consecutive season with at least 20 wins.
To receive a #5 seed like last year, Temple undoubtedly will need to win the A-10 tournament. If the tournament holds to form (highly unlikely), Temple and Xavier will meet in the final next Sunday, in Atlantic City.
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The Diamond Gems brought back alumni Gems to celebrate their 20 years of dancing. I didn't realize the Gems were organized before the Liacouras Center opened, they surely were one of the first college dance squads performing at basketball and football games. Dance teams have evolved into more than a spirit squad to entertain, energize and inspire - just like basketball and football, there are national competitions, clinics and camps. You should know that the nationally ranked Temple University Diamond Gems will be hosting a College Dance Team Prep Clinic on Sunday, March 27, 2011 for high school and college dancers who strive to be a part of a college dance team in their future or who wish to work on their technique and style.

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Crowd of 8154. Respectable. Attendance continues to be disappointing, in light of the entertaining product on the floor. For 14 home games, crowds averaged fewer than 6000 per game. One sellout (St. Joe's) and five crowds that would not have filled the capacity of McGonigle Hall (3900). At halftime the 1969 Temple NIT Championship team was introduced as the newest members of the Temple Athletics Hall of Fame. That team was responsible for my becoming a Temple basketball loyalist, as I was in my freshman year on north Broad Street.
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Saturday was Senior day. Lavoy Allen played his final game at Liacouras Center. He was one of coach Dunphy's first recruits, and had a distinguished basketball career. And unlike many of today's college players, he played all four years of his eligibility. Lavoy Allen scored a career high 24 points, and recorded his fifth straight double-double. And while technically not a senior, Dutch Gaitley played his final regular-season game at Temple. Dutch's story is not the usual one - I commented that he's not a senior - Dutch has already graduated from college (cum laude from Monmouth) where he played for three years, and is now attending graduate school at Temple where he decided to join the team for his fourth and final year of playing eligibility. Dutch started yesterday's game (classy move by Coach Dunphy). It was not , by the way, Dutch's first time in the starting lineup in his college career - he was on the floor at tip-off 42 times during his three-year playing career at Monmouth.
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Graduate student Dutch Gaitley,along with junior Jake Godino and freshman Jimmy McDonnell make up "The Parliament". The trio are the vocal bench supporters of the Cherry and White, and have coined themselves The Parliament. They arrived at the name due to its meaning - the literary collective noun for a group of owls (you know, like a school of fish). They also write a blog (see The Parliament in My Blog List along the sidebar).
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In a welcome change, purchasers of 50-50 tickets (yesterday supporting the track and field team) were publicly thanked by the PA announcer after the winning number was announced. In an unwelcome continuing development, the PA announcer gave his play-by-play of the Dunkin Donuts time-out contest. Far from entertaining, it's annoying and insulting to the crowd (all of whom can follow the action of the two students dribbling down the floor and trying tobe the first to make a layup and foul shot.
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Closing banquet for Chronicowls followers, commenters, and bloggers was held at WineO, at 5th and Poplar in Northern Liberties. Owner-chef Giovanni was accommodating to our larger-than-normal group. Give it a try - good food, reasonable prices, excellent wine selection, and generous cocktails. And less than 10 minutes from the Temple campus.

Chronicowls '11, Post 7 (Temple-Penn)

Penn had cut a 14-point Temple lead to 6 early in the second half , and the Owl supporters were getting restless. The oddsmakers’ 17 point spread on the game seemed way off the mark.  And then Temple went on one of its characteristic runs, separating themselves from the Quakers and coasting to a (yep, you guessed it) 17-point victory. Competent at their craft, are those oddsmakers.  Ramone Moore’s two free throws in the final minute of play made 17 the winning margin AND won every ticket-holder a free taco at Qdoba.

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Khalif Wyatt had a breakout game, leading Temple with 27 points. That made Wyatt the 7^th Owl to be the high scorer of a game this season. Lots of talent on this team.  Wyatt also recorded a team high 5 steals last night, and Lavoy Allen had season-high of 6 blocked shots. 

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Former Governor Ed Rendell joined nearly 8,000 fans at the Liacouras Center. Larger crowd than I expected. Good to see the suites in use, they're dark on many game nights.

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Diamond Gems were uninspired, in their outfits and performances. Must have been worn out from their recent appearance in Florida, where they competed in the College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship held at ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex.  The Diamond Gems competed in the Division 1 Hip Hop Category (7^th place finish) and Division 1 Pom Category (a very respectable 4^th place finish).

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Last night the halftime entertainment once again consisted of a youth basketball game. Impressive play last night from the youngsters, including a handful of successful three-point shots. I wonder, though, why music has to be blaring out of the PA system while the game is underway. If someone insists that music must accompany halftime entertainment, then, please, turn  down  the volume.

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Former Temple great Bill Mlkvy (Owl Without a Vowel) was honored at halftime. He celebrated his 80th birthday yesterday. Looks 15 years his junior, and perpetually wears a smile. Sixty seasons ago, Bill Milkvy averaged 29 points a game, and scored 730 points. The former still stands as a school record. Only five players since Mlkvy  have scored more than 700 points in a season (and there are many more games in a season now than in Dr. Mlkvy's day). Those five are (descending from most recent): David Hawkins, Lynn Greer, Nate Blackwell, Terence Stansbury, and Hal Lear. If Mark Macon came to mind, he scored 699 points in his freshman season.

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The loss to Duquesne hurt Temple’s ranking in the polls and RPI, dropping out of the top 25 in each. A win this Saturday, in Cincinnati against Xavier, would be a huge boost. The Musketeers are the only Atlantic 10 school ahead of the Owls in the RPI rankings (read here for more).

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Lively post-game gathering at Pub Webb.  Seems like the place to be on campus on Wednesday nights. DJ spinning music, Yuenglings at a special price, and fans celebrating a hoops victory.

Chronicowls '11, Post 5 (Temple - St. Louis)

Listless. How a nearby fan described yesterday afternoon at the Liacouras Center. Apt, if describing the Temple basketball team, the Diamond Gems, and the crowd. Only the Temple pep band, small in number but large in enthusiasm, were undeserving of the label.
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Good teams find a way to win games they don't deserve, according to conventional sports wisdom. That's probably the best which can be said about the Owls performance against St. Louis University. The Owls were outrebounded by one of the poorest rebounding teams in the nation. The Owls had one stretch where they missed 11 shots in a row. Lavoy Allen committed as many fouls (4) and turnovers (4) as he scored points (4). St. Louis did not help their cause - they did not make a three-point shot. Don't recall the last time an opponent came into the Liacouras Center and failed to make a three-pointer.
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The nickname of St. Louis University is the Billiken. It's a mythical creature, like the dragon, griffin, or elf. The school newspaper describes it as a jovial creature with a broad smile, a rotund belly and a tuft of hair on top of his head. Translation: some weird member of the elf family. Or as another observer of college mascots put it, if an Ewok and a Gremlin produced offspring, you may have an idea of what a Billiken looks like. Though no one is certain of why the Billiken came to be the mascot, there are a couple of things the Billiken positively stands for: good luck, happiness and heaps of grins. Apart from a rabbit's foot, souvenirs symbolizing a Billiken are next in line for bringing you luck. Not a bad mascot to have on your side.
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As if to stir the crowd out of its somnolence, the music during time-outs was cranked up to ear-splitting levels. And, please, will someone in TU's athletic department ask the PA announcer to push away the microphone once he announces the names of the contestants during a time-out. The fans don't need a running commentary (she dribbles, he shoots, he misses). We're perfectly able to follow the action on the court. It's really no different than following the action during the game - we don't need the PA announcer to describe what we're seeing.
One of the contests during a time-out turned out to be a test of endurance for the contestants, who had to make at least 3 full-court dashes before even getting to pick up a basketball. It took the The PA announcer nearly 30 seconds to describe what the contestants had to do to win a $100 certificate to the Fresh Grocer. Nice prize, bu t next time just let the two students play out the contest and skip the explanation for the fans. We already have an idea that the first one to score a basket is the winner.
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Home team usually receives four points from the bookmakers. Familiarity with the baskets/rims is one reason. Temple made fewer than one out of three shots yesterday. Loud support from a large crowd is another reason. 3300 fans, mostly sitting on their hands. Favorable calls from the referees is yet another reason. Surely, the referees were worth all four of those points yesterday, as most of the late-game calls favored the home team.
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Fernandez was on the bench in street clothes. Injured his knee in a practice. His presence was missed. The Owls only recorded seven assists. His status for Wednesday's game against St. Bonaventure is uncertain.
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Pub Webb (on Cecil B. Moore Avenue) turned out to be an ideal post-game spot. Just a block walk from the Liacouras Center. Available table for a party of six, large-screen TV for Eagles viewing, and meaty chicken wings (the mild sauce is on the spicy side, can't imagine what the "atomic" sauce is like).
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Next game is Wednesday night, against a St. Bonaventure squad that has racked up 9 wins already, including one over St. John's. Students will still be on break, so I'll be surprised if the attendance tops 4000. Too bad, because the Owls are one of the top teams in the country.

A Look Back to 2009 Chronicowls

Last regular season home game last night. Last time we'll see Sergio and Semaj at the Liacouras Center. (I'm not going to count a NIT game if Temple should host one). And, of course, the last celebration at the Liacouras Center of Five Months of Christmas.
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Last night's game drew the largest crowd of the season (just a little more than 9300). We figured the crowd would be a large one when at 7pm we came to a traffic standstill FOUR blocks from the Liacouras Center. There was even a line waiting to get IN the parking garage. Can't begin to imagine what the line was like getting OUT. We made sure we wouldn't find out - we parked on the street near 17th and Berks.
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Lines of traffic were hardly the last lines we encountered. The beer lines were exceptionally long. We did convey our best wishes to Peg, who has dutifully staffed the Yuengling kiosk near the lobby for at least two seasons, and perhaps more. She's graduating from Temple this spring with a degree in Nursing. We're confident she'll do well as she ventures out into the world after college (our health care system surely needs more nurses). Lines for the rest rooms were plenty long as well.
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In an evening full of "last times", there were several "first times". One of the regular halftime activities is a contest where a Temple student has 60 seconds to sink a basket from half-court. Of course, most have difficulty hitting the rim. Last night's contestant was sharp. His first six tosses each hit the rim, one going in-and-out. His seventh was an air ball. His eighth went IN! FIRST time I've seen that shot made since the Liacouras Center opened more than a decade ago. For his accomplishment, he won $5000 toward the first year lease of a Toyota. Another halftime contest involved two students rolling across the floor to furl themselves in a shroud, then unfurling themselves by rolling back across the floor, and having completed that inane activity, grabbing a basketball, dribbling down the court, and making a layup. I didn't notice what the student who scored first won for this prodigious feat, nor what company sponsored this event. I do know this was the FIRST time I saw this event, and I expect(and hope) it will be the LAST. I much prefer the halftime entertainment where two students encased in a styrofoam Dunkin' Donuts cup (shaped like a vest so that the contestants can use their arms to dribble and shoot the ball) race down the court to see who'll be first to make a layup and foul shot.
Another FIRST last night - the winning raffle number was announced precisely when we were advised the announcement would be made - at halftime. Took all season but finally somebody got it right.
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The Diamond Gems were in fine form last night,as was the Pep Band, which turned out, ,along with the Wild Cherry student section, in larger-than-usual numbers.
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The seniors stood out last night on Senior Night. Christmas and Olmos were the two leading scorers, and Inge had a solid night, collecting 9 points, 4 steals, 2 blocks, while committing only one turnover. The Owls had a strong 1.6 assist/turnover ratio, committing only ten turnovers for the game. Fernandez had a steady floor game, putting up 5 assists and but 1 turnover. For context, consider that a 1.6 ratio for the season would have the Owls second in the country (as it is, their 1.2 ratio going into last night's game placed them at 34th -out of more than 300). Temple does lead the A-10 conference in assist/turnover ratio. Olmos is the first tall player in many, many years to steadily improve during his career at Temple. I think that speaks to Dunphy's coaching abilities (and that of his staff) . Temple's defense has improved considerably over the season (and it is now the top-ranked defense in the conference), another testament to the coaching staff.
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While any win over St. Joe's is to be savored, this year's Hawk squad is mediocre. "Take away Nivins, and you've got Fordham" is how one of the neighboring fans put it last night. The Hawks went through an 8 minute stretch last night without a basket. What was disappointing was that the Owls built but an 11-point lead during that period, and of course St. Joe's came back to cut the deficit to 2. That was as close as the Hawks were to get.
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It's been a good home season, 9 up, and just 2 down. Those two losses(Miami, Ohio and LaSalle) likely cost the Owls an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament. Now, the Owls must repeat last year's A-10 conference tournament championship to secure a spot in the NCAA tournament. Last night's win earned Temple a bye in next week's tournament in Atlantic City.
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The oddsmakers were right on again last night. Temple was favored by 8. With four and a half minutes left in the game, Temple was
ahead by 8. Sergio Olmos' foul shot with 10 seconds left in the game gave the Owls their final winning margin of 9.
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Likely, this is the final Chronicowls post of the season. I've enjoyed writing, and from your comments, I take it that most of you have enjoyed reading the posts. And in ways small and large, those of you who have joined me at the games have provided spark, inspiration, and insights that have found their way into these posts.

FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT
FOR THE CHERRY AND WHITE

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.

Chronicowls, MMX, Post4

An exciting college basketball game at the Liacouras Center last night. Plenty of good shooting , especially by Temple in the second half, making more than two-thirds of their shots, and many tense moments. Juan Fernandez had a season (and career) high seven assists, Luis Guzman had a single turnover in 39 minutes of action while contributing 10 points, and four Owls (led by Ryan Brooks' 22 points) score in double figures. Temple's defense, which has been holding opponents to 55.5 points per game to rank third nationally, was good, but not exceptional, last night. But like every other game this season, the Owls held their opponent last night to a score below its season average.
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The oddsmakers , once again, were right on. Temple was favored by 5 points. Temple's winning margin was 5 points.
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The over-under for attendance last night was 7300 (no, you won't find the attendance over-under in the morning paper, it's available only in Chronicowls) . It was hard to tell from a glance around the arena whether the crowd last night was larger or smaller than 7300. Those who bet the under were winners - the crowd was announced as 6813 . Rather meager, considering that Temple is nationally ranked and Xavier was undefeated in conference play coming into the game. At least the student section was full of loud supporters. And the pep band was in full strength.
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In the most recent Chronicowls, I mentioned that there wasn't much energy flowing from the crowd or the court at last Saturday's game, and I added that even the Diamond Gems were absent from the event. Turned out their absence was for good cause. Over the weekend, the Temple University Diamond Gems Dance Team competed in its first ever national championship at the Universal Dance Association College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship, held at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. Over 85 dance teams from across the nation competed in this event (its basketball equivalent would be the NCAA tournament). The Diamond Gems competed in the Division 1 Hip Hop Category and finished in FOURTH place.
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If you weren't at the Liacouras Center last night, your options to follow the game were limited. There was NO radio coverage, nor streaming video. But if you accessed
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A loyal Owl fan commented the other day that he would have found laughable the preseason prediction that Temple would win 16 of its first 19 games. I agreed. But put together good coaching, solid defense, crisp ball movement that leads to more assists than turnovers, and balanced scoring, and all of a sudden you have the makings of a 16-3 team.http://www.owlsports.com you could listen to a streaming audio version of the game featuring Harry Donahue doing play-by-play with John Baum providing game analysis. By the way, a group of us attending a Temple soccer game at Ambler Field this past fall were joined on the sideline by John Baum. John is an administrator in the Temple athletic department, a classy guy, and a fine representative of the athletic department and university.