Temple University Athletics
MEN'S BASKETBALL MEETS THE MINUTEMEN IN KEY A-10 EAST MATCHUP AT THE LIACOURAS CENTER ON WEDNESDAY
2.25.03 | Men's Basketball
Prior to tip-off, a ceremony will take place commemorating Temple's entry into the exclusive 1,600-win club, joining Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, Duke and St. John's (N.Y.). University President Dr. David Adamany, Director of Athletics Bill Bradshaw and Head Coach John Chaney will take part in the ceremony.
Wednesday's game will not be televised. It marks the first time in 20 regular season meetings between the schools that a contest will not appear on national television. The last time a Temple-UMass men's basketball game was not aired on national television was January 21, 1993, when the Minutemen defeated the Owls, 52-50, at Curry Hicks Cage in Amherst. Nineteen straight meetings between the schools took place before a national TV audience after that game.
Temple and Massachusetts are meeting for the 50th time in a series that dates back to 1983, with the Owls holding a 33-16 advantage. Under Chaney, the Owls are a perfect 4-0 on February 26, last winning on the date against the Minutemen, 72-54, in 2000.
Temple, having won seven of its last nine games, is riding a season-best three game winning streak after a 99-77 win at Fordham last Sunday. TU was led by juniors Brian Polk and David Hawkins who both turned in career-highs by scoring 30 and 29 points, respectively. Temple dished-out a season-high 20 assists and made 15 steals while shooting 51.3 (39-76) percent versus the Rams.
Massachusetts also comes into the contest riding its longest winning streak of the season. The Minutemen downed Duquesne on Sunday, 70-55, after trailing 28-25 at halftime for its third straight win. UMass shot 70.8 percent (17-24) in the second half to overcome the deficit. Anthony Anderson led all scorers with 25 points while Jackie Rogers added 18 points off the bench.
