Massimino Back in Philly; Owls Seek to End Slide

PHILADELPHIA - Former Villanova head coach and Big 5 rival Rollie

Massimino makes his first return to Philadelphia in the role of a

visiting coach, as the Temple University basketball team hosts Cleveland

State in a non-conference game at The Liacouras Center.

Temple (4-7) will be looking to end the longest losing streak of John

Chaney's 19-year coaching tenure on North Broad Street. After opening

the season with four consecutive wins and vaulting to the No. 15 spot in

the ESPN/USA Today poll, the Owls have fallen on hard times. Since a

69-61 win over Indiana in the Preseason NIT semifinal at Madison Square

Garden on Nov. 22, Temple has been defeated in succession by top-ranked

Duke in the PNIT final, at Miami (Ohio), by No. 1 Duke at the First

Union Center, at Villanova, at Penn State, at home by No. 16 Wisconsin

and, this past Thursday, at home by undefeated and sixth-ranked Wake

Forest.

Cleveland State (5-5) comes off a tough 82-80 loss at Akron on

Thursday. The Vikings have defeated Vermont, Yale, Missouri-Kansas City,

Oakland and Florida State. CSU's other losses have been to Creighton,

Southeast Missouri State, Siena, California and Akron.

Temple University Athletics