Chronicowls '12 Temple-Duquesne

A standout shooting performance overcame a slow start to lead the Cherry and White hoopsters to their 10th consecutive victory, and 21st of the season. The Owls took two-and-a-half minutes to score their first basket, and  five minutes into the game the score was tied at 4-4. In the next ten minutes, the Owls scored 30 points, to take a decisive 34-22 lead. Juan Fernandez contributed 14 points during that span, 20 points overall, and logged 6 assists with but one turnover for the game. Temple shot 57% from the field, 52% from beyond the three-point arc, and 80% from the free throw stripe.
------------------------
Temple fans must prefer games on Saturday afternoon  over Saturday night. Yesterday's crowd of nearly 10,000 was greater than the crowd last Saturday night for the Xavier game. Hooter's Birthday Party couldn't have been the draw. There's a tradition that should be retired. Along with the "special" Simon Says game during half-time that involves some twenty mascots (they're not just team mascots any longer, now there are appearances by product mascots, like the J&J soft pretzel)
------------------------
Khalif Wyatt has perfected a move to the basket that looks awkward to me yet is very effective (Wyatt led all Temple scorers in this game, and is second for the season). Just this past week did a knowledgeable basketball fan inform me that Wyatt's move has a name (the Eurostep), it was introduced to the NBA by Manu Ginobli, and it has been adopted by several NBA stars, among them Dwayne Wade. Let the New York Times describe it:

 "Players in the NBA. now often showcase the Eurostep, a move in which a player drives past a defender by stepping one way and then quickly taking a big lateral step in the other direction. The move is a crafty way to distribute the two steps allocated to a player after he stops dribbling, and it goes right to the edge of being a traveling violation."      

All along I'm thinking that Wyatt's move is awkward, and actually he's being crafty. Keep it up, Khalif.
------------------------
There have many keys to Temple's success this season. Unquestionably, one of them has been the Owls' assist-to-turnover ratio. Their ratio of 1.27 places them 22nd in the nation (among 343 schools). Yesterday's game was their sixth of the season in which the Owls had at least 20 assists. Ramone Moore scored just three points, but he had a career-high 8 assists. Fernandez is now 7th in assists on the all-time Temple list.
------------------------
Temple is now ranked (for the first time this season) in the Top 25 poll, and stands at #16 in the all-important RPI rankings. And the Owls are 10-3 against top 100 teams.Two huge games on the road this week, against intracity rivals and top 100 teams LaSalle and St. Joe's. I expect both to be sellouts. FINAL home game, leap night, against UMass.
------------------------
Maxi's, right in the hear of Temple's campus, was the pre-game meeting spot. One of the few places left where one can find a juke box. And it has among its selections George Thorogood's 1977 recording of the classic "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer".
-----------------------
Temple scarves are everywhere, including the shoulders of Shellie Straub, former nationally ranked squash player, who was a Temple fan Saturday (and we hope from hereon) and joined the gathering at Maxi's.

Chronicowls '12 Temple-Xavier

The Cherry Crusade were in full throat and in white last night, for ESPN's national telecast of the Temple-Xavier Atlantic 10 showdown. As you might surmise, a "whiteout" was called for the game, and 8000 white shirts with the motto "I Believe" were placed on the seats before last night's game.

And here they are, on their feet, at the end of an outstanding Temple hoops performance, celebrating, before a national viewing audience, by chanting the now-familiar refrain of  I Believe That We Have Won.

For a recap of the game, I'll let Chronicowls commenter Scott Matlack describe what unfolded:

"Temple got off to a hot start and never looked back.  They were up 17 - 5 early and by 20 points for most of the game.  Temple shot 7 -11 from three-point land in the first half to dust Xavier.  Ramone Moore had 30 points and could have had 40 if they weren't trying to burn the clock in the second half."
--------------
Disappointing that the game was not a sellout. Let's blame it on the weather. And the fact that there were four other Division 1 college basketball games in Philly yesterday, attended by nearly than 25,000 fans, including the Temple crowd. Nonetheless, the atmosphere was electric inside the Liacouras Center.
-------------
Michael Eric had a big game, registering a double-double that included 16 rebounds. Temple used a 7-minute Xavier scoring drought in the first half to go on a 16-0 run. And T.J. DiLeo played a solid game off the bench.
-------------
Last night's game was the start of a challenging stretch of games to finish the regular season, as each of Temple's next five opponents has a winning record. Next home game is Saturday, against Duquesne, tipping off at 2pm.

Chronicowls '12 Temple-GW I CAN'T Believe That We Have Won

I CAN’T Believe That We Have Won!  Down by 10 points with five minutes remaining in the game, the Cherry and White scored 22 points in those final five minutes to pull off an astounding come-from-behind win against GW.

-----------

The Owls were favored by 15 points.  With just over three minutes played in the second half, the scoreboard read 49-34. GW IN THE LEAD.  Khalif Wyatt and Ramone Moore  took over from there,  scoring 34 of the Owls’ 45 points, including the final 14, to lead their team to victory.

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

A paltry crowd of just over 4000.  Granted, GW came into the game with a losing record, but where were the Temple fans, including the students, whose Cherry Crusade section was about half-full.  The Pep Band was in full force, and did their best to keep the fans’ spirits up during a discouraging first-half performance by the home side.

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

Temple scarves could be seen throughout the stands.  Here, a scarf is presented to  Temple alum Jim Howat, former Temple swim team captain who coached numerous championship soccer and swim  teams at Roxborough High (disclosure: this blogger is an alumnus of Roxborough High, Temple University, and George Washington University).

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

The Owls (fast approaching another 20-win season) now stand at #20 in the RPI ratings, and will host #62 Xavier in a rare Saturday night game at the Liacouras Center. A capacity crowd, and a WhiteOut, are expected.

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

Post-game celebration was held at the Rose Tatoo.  Recommended. Plenty of menu selections, fine food, attentive service, and reasonable prices.

Happy Birthday, Lavoy

Chronicowls has closely followed Lavoy Allen during his four very productive years at Temple (see posts here and here). So we're particularly gratified to see him doing so well for our local pro hoops team. Got his first start in the NBA yesterday (on his birthday!).  And as blog contributor Scott Matlack commented after Lavoy's breakout pro game against the mighty Bulls, "Maybe I'm just caught up in the Sixers success early in the season or maybe I'm just rooting hard for Lavoy...   he had 7 rebounds and 15 points. Both huge for the Sixers (in their win against Chicago)."

Congratulations, Lavoy, on a week of milestones!

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-St. Joe's

Near flawless.  That would describe the Owls’ first and second  halves of yesterday’s game against St. Joe’s.  SIXTY percent shooting from the field, a season high.  Two-thirds of the three- point shots that Temple took in the first half went in.  Combine this with a five-minute St. Joe’s scoring drought beginning at the twelve-minute mark of the first half, and it’s easy to understand how the Cherry and White led by sixteen  (28-12) with just over six minutes remaining in the first half.  The Hawks didn’t get closer than nine points the rest of the game, and trailed by as many as 28 several times in the second half.

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

Temple is 31^st in the nation (among more than 300 schools) in assist-turnover ratio.  They take care of the ball, and move it around nicely. Yesterday’s game was yet another example. 18 assists, and 11 turnovers.  One of the assists came from Michael Eric, who made a pass from underneath the basket that looked to be headed out-of-bounds, when T.J. Di Leo showed up to earn an easy  lay-up.
--------------------------
Ramone Moore now has 13 straight double-digit point games. Khalif Wyatt has 8 straight such games. Yesterday’s was unlikely for Wyatt, as he finished the first half scoreless. Wyatt did have 8assists, as well. Four Owls in double figures, including Juan Fernandez, who scored 17 points in 23 minutes of playing action.

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

A sellout, and then some.  Second largest crowd in the history of the Liacouras Center.  Peculiar, then, to see as many empty seats as I did.  Good to see a lively crowd of Owl supporters throughout the building. And the student section, the Cherry Crusade, were out in full throat and force.

Rollouts aplenty.  “Only Tebow Can Save the Hawk”  read one, and “LaSalle is more relevant than you” read another. And the now customary “I Believe That We Have Won” chant, which was preceded by a “I Believe the Hawk is Dead” chant.  See the final rollout below.

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

Our street parking spot yesterday took us through the heart of the Temple campus, where we came upon, on Liacouras Walk, a fine spot for pre or post game adult beverages. Look for Maxi’s, next to a connected pizzeria  and Conwell Inn, a bed-and-breakfast which also serves as the official hotel of Temple University.

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

Most of the sponsored contests that pass for “entertainment”  during time-outs are inane. Why does the PA announcer insist on providing fans with a running commentary on what is plainly visible to all watching. And if he’s going to do so, can’t he at least make the effort to learn the names of the contestants so that we don’t have to hear “she shoots”, “she dribbles”, “he misses”, etc.  
---------------------------
Ten more games remain in the regular season, half at home. Considering that the Owls have been without two starters for most of the season thus far, a 15-5 record is most impressive.  Temple entered the game at #15 in the RPI rankings, and may rise higher after the win.  Credit Coach Dunphy.  Next home game is Wednesday evening, 7pm, against Fordham. This squad is entertaining to watch, and deserves your support.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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 ).

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

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.

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

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.

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

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!

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

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 '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.