Temple University Athletics
MEN'S BASKETBALL LOOKS TO TAME THE WOLFPACK IN NATIONALLY TELEVISED GAME AT THE LIACOURAS CENTER ON SATURDAY
2.14.03 | Men's Basketball
Temple's schedule is currently ranked as the third toughest in the nation according to the latest (Feb. 13) Sagarin ratings. TU has played two teams ranked among the top 10 toughest schedules according to Sagarin, defeating Indiana (No. 3) at home 71-64 while losing to South Carolina (No. 4) on the road, 66-47.
The Owls sport a 13-14 record when appearing on ABC. Temple is currently riding a five-game winning streak on the network, including a victory over then No. 1 Cincinnati, 77-69, on February 20, 2000. The last time the Owls played on ABC was on March 2, 2002 when they pulled out a thrilling, 87-84, double-overtime win over Saint Joseph's when Lynn Greer's jump shot with :02 seconds remaining put Temple in the win column.
Temple is coming off a disappointing 78-59 loss to arch-rival and Atlantic 10 Eastern Division leader Saint Joseph's on Thursday night at The Palestra. The Owls, who trailed by 11 (18-7) early in the game, took a 35-34 halftime lead. However, holding a 40-37 lead with 15:14 remaining, the Owls got caught in an avalanche. Draining 16-of-24 shots from the field, the No. 25 (AP) Hawks outscored the Owls 21-3 during a 6:43 stretch in the second half to capture the victory. Alex Wesby finished with 20 points while the Hawks' Delonte West led all scorers with 32.
North Carolina State comes into Saturday's contest fresh off a 63-57 victory at home on Wednesday night against Georgia Tech. The Wolfpack jumped out to a 35-25 haltime lead and held off the visitors down the stretch. North Carolina State is led by sophomore Julius Hodge and his 18.7 p.p.g. scoring average.
