Howard Smith-USA Today Sports
Record: 23-9
RPI: 41
BPI: 56
Conference: Atlantic 10 Conference
How They Qualified: At-Large Berth
The Temple Owls were on the outside, looking in not too long ago, but a recent surge down the stretch helped catapult them into the field of 68.Khalif Wyatt is the team’s star, but this Temple team has a number of dangerous weapons around him.
A solid stretch over the closing weeks makes this Owls’ squad a dangerous NCAA Tournament opponent. Temple is red hot and clicking at the right time and that’s a good thing if you’re an Owls’ fans. This appearance within the Big Dance marks the sixth consecutive trip for Temple. However, they have won only won game in the past five seasons combined.
What You Need to Know:
Leading Scorer: Khalif Wyatt (19.9 ppg)
Leading Rebounder: Anthony Lee (7.1 rpg)
Leading Passer: Khalif Wyatt (4.1 apg)
Bad Losses: Canisius, St. Bonaventure, Duquesne
Good Wins: Villanova, Saint Louis, Syracuse, VCU
Sure, Temple has a couple head-scratching losses on their resume, but they also have some impressive wins. The Owls are dangerous, that’s about as simple as you can put it. With Wyatt leading the way, Temple has the 60th ranked offense in the country in terms of points per game, so scoring certainly isn’t an issue.
If the way they finished the regular season is any indication of what type of capability that this squad could potentially have within the NCAA Tournament, they keep an eye on the Owls.
The Temple Owls are dancing!
Follow Paul Seaver on Twitter: @PaulSeaverRS
