Temple University Athletics
Temple Men's Basketball: 24 Hours Until "Go-Time"
3.15.12 | Tournament Central
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NASHVILLE, TN -- The second half of Day 2 in Nashville was a busy one as the Temple men's basketball team got the opportunity to absorb some of the sights and sounds of the Music City.
First stop?
Some authentic Southern cooking.
Early afternoon in Nashville was beautiful, as far as March goes, with temperatures reaching the low-80s and intermittent clouds so the Owls took a short walk down the road to an authentic barbecue joint for their afternoon meal.
The Judges' Vinegarroom was decked out in some Southern charm -- the team actually chowed down while seated underneath a giant bull torso whose horns were adorned with kitschy cowboy boots.
After some BBQ brisket, chicken, green beans, and of course, sweet tea, the Owls walked back to the hotel for a study hall session.
In the meantime, sunny Nashville transformed into a stormy town and lightning slivered the sky into quadrants in the background of the conference room while the guys took to the books.
The same rumbles of the afternoon's thunderstorm punctuated the short ride to the arena for shootaround. As the Owls took to the court at Bridgestone Arena, a hockey rink-turned-basketball-venue, the barrage of rain drummed on the roof in sync with the thump of basketball on hardwood.
It was no matter. They hardly noticed.
This Temple team is focused, hungry -- a point that seniors Ramone Moore, Juan Fernandez and Micheal Eric have harped on consistently for the past week, both on and off the court.
“I think it would be great, all three of us, this is our last go-round,” Moore said when asked about how it would feel to make it to the Elite 8. “So however far we can make it, it would be great. I think the Elite 8 says a lot about the teams that we had in the past, how great of a tradition Temple basketball has had through the years. And, like I said, it would just be great, but, I mean, we don't want to try to look too far ahead.”
That focus and hunger have manifested in each player quickly over the course of the previous 24 hours, and it shows.
In practice, there are no smiles -- just the confident swagger of a team that wants nothing more than to win, and to continue to win.
On the bus, the irreverent chatter is nonexistent. It's all basketball or it's silence. Headphones and game-faces on. Ready to go.
In Coach Dunphy's pre-shootaround press conference this afternoon, he touched briefly on what it will take for this Temple team to make it to Sunday's third-round.
“I hope we play as intelligently as we can, as tough-minded as we can, and as committed to the defensive end as we possibly can,” Dunphy said. “Because all of those ingredients are what it takes to win this game against a team like South Florida, who seemingly is playing, very, very good basketball at the end of this year.”
So far, from what they've shown just in their time off the court, and on the bus or hitting the books, they're a perfect three-for-three.
