Temple University Athletics
OWLS TRAVEL TO MEET FRESNO STATE IN NATIONAL INVITATION TOURNAMENT
3.10.02 | Men's Basketball
The Owls have been selected to the 40-team National Invitation Tournament field, and will open the single-elimination competition in the round of 32 at Fresno State on Wednesday (Mar. 13). The contest will begin at 9:00 p.m. Pacific Time (midnight in the east) at Fresno's Selland Arena, and will be televised live on ESPN.
Champion of the Atlantic 10 Conference East Division, Temple (15-14) won nine of its last 11 games to earn the invitation. The Owls have played in the NIT on 12 previous occasions, winning championships in 1938 and 1969. Following a school-record 12-year run in the NCAA Tournament, Temple returns to the NIT for the first time since 1989, when the Owls were eliminated in the first round by Richmond.
Temple last played at Fresno State on Dec. 31, 1998, a 66-63 win for the Bulldogs. On Dec. 9, 1997, the Owls routed FSU, 76-61, in the inaugural game played at Temple's sparkling new Liacouras Center (then known as The Apollo of Temple). Under veteran Head Coach Jerry Tarkanian, Fresno State (19-14) finished in a fifth-place tie in the Western Athletic Conference with Nevada-Reno before advancing to the WAC Tournament semifinal, where it fell to Tulsa, 81-65, on Mar. 8.
Should the Owls advance past Fresno State, they will meet the winner of Tuesday's opening round game pitting Princeton (16-11) at Louisville (18-12) on Mar. 18 or 19. Third-round games are scheduled for designated home sites on Mar. 20, 21 or 22. The NIT semifinals and finals will be played at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Mar. 26 and 28.
The complete tournament bracket can be viewed at the official website of the National Invitation Tournament: www.nit.org.
