Temple University Athletics
(L to R): Khalif Wyatt, Scootie Randall and Jake O'Brien
Photo by: Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University
Temple in the NCAA Tournament, Day Two: March Madness, March Mindset
3.21.13 | Men's Basketball
Photo Gallery (also shown below) l Temple Press Conference Quotes (PDF)
By Kami Mattioli, Owlsports.com columnist
DAYTON, Ohio -- Around every corner, there's a flash of red.
The crimson arena seats.
The Indiana Hoosier fans gathered in the stands taking in an open practice.
The backpacks of the North Carolina State Wolfpack, bobbling on the shoulders of opponents as they lumber their way off the bus and into the arena's tunnel.
Even the lanyard draped around head coach Fran Dunphy's neck.
Every crimson flash is a reminder of the task that lies ahead for Dunphy's Owls.
Not that they need one, according to Temple's veteran leaders.
Though they wish they could forget, they remember bearing the weight of the burden that a shortened opening weekend and an early exit brought last week, last year.
“We've got a little chip on our shoulder this year,” said senior Khalif Wyatt, the unequivocal leader of the team's late-season success.
“We want to prove that we can belong here and that we can make a run at this thing. Other times we've been here, it seems like we might be happy just to be here. I don't think that's the feeling this time around.”
Just getting through to dance in March is a test of will.
It's a time of the year where the pre-practice preparations are sometimes longer than the drills themselves.
There are sore ankles, bent fingers, achy knees to tape -- lingering, nagging reminders of the battles they've endured.
There's the fatigue of surviving a 31-game regular season slate and the daily grind associated with it.
But none of that matters anymore, because the team is in Dayton, and they're ready.
They're ready to take on the Wolfpack -- a pre-season favorite to win the ACC -- physically, mentally and emotionally.
“We've got five seniors on this team who don't want their season to end yet,” Wyatt said during the team's media availability session this morning.
As a 9-seed facing an 8-seed, the Owls are bracketed as underdogs in tomorrow's contest. It's a minor detail, but it's enough to fuel this hungry team. Especially this season, with a team notorious for upending conference giants.
“A lot of people doubted us, and we found a way to get the job done in certain games,” Scootie Randall said.
Wyatt, seated shoulder-to-shoulder on the podium next to Randall, agreed.
“We've got some real experienced guys and some guys who are real hungry to prove themselves on the national level.
Friday could very well be our last game. We want to go out there and make sure [we] don't have any regrets at the end of the day...You just want to make sure that you left it all out there and that you did the most that you could to try to get your team a win.”
After the conclusion of today's practice, the Owls will head back to the team hotel, some 25 minutes away from the glitz and the glamour of the lights at the arena.
In a quiet suburb of Dayton, Ohio, they'll spend the next few hours preparing, practicing, praying -- doing whatever it takes so that the next flash of red these Owls see are the taillights of the North Carolina State Wolfpack's bus as it heads back to Dayton International Airport on Friday night.
Photos by Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University
By Kami Mattioli, Owlsports.com columnist
DAYTON, Ohio -- Around every corner, there's a flash of red.
The crimson arena seats.
The Indiana Hoosier fans gathered in the stands taking in an open practice.
The backpacks of the North Carolina State Wolfpack, bobbling on the shoulders of opponents as they lumber their way off the bus and into the arena's tunnel.
Even the lanyard draped around head coach Fran Dunphy's neck.
Every crimson flash is a reminder of the task that lies ahead for Dunphy's Owls.
Not that they need one, according to Temple's veteran leaders.
Though they wish they could forget, they remember bearing the weight of the burden that a shortened opening weekend and an early exit brought last week, last year.
“We've got a little chip on our shoulder this year,” said senior Khalif Wyatt, the unequivocal leader of the team's late-season success.
“We want to prove that we can belong here and that we can make a run at this thing. Other times we've been here, it seems like we might be happy just to be here. I don't think that's the feeling this time around.”
Just getting through to dance in March is a test of will.
It's a time of the year where the pre-practice preparations are sometimes longer than the drills themselves.
There are sore ankles, bent fingers, achy knees to tape -- lingering, nagging reminders of the battles they've endured.
There's the fatigue of surviving a 31-game regular season slate and the daily grind associated with it.
But none of that matters anymore, because the team is in Dayton, and they're ready.
They're ready to take on the Wolfpack -- a pre-season favorite to win the ACC -- physically, mentally and emotionally.
“We've got five seniors on this team who don't want their season to end yet,” Wyatt said during the team's media availability session this morning.
As a 9-seed facing an 8-seed, the Owls are bracketed as underdogs in tomorrow's contest. It's a minor detail, but it's enough to fuel this hungry team. Especially this season, with a team notorious for upending conference giants.
“A lot of people doubted us, and we found a way to get the job done in certain games,” Scootie Randall said.
Wyatt, seated shoulder-to-shoulder on the podium next to Randall, agreed.
“We've got some real experienced guys and some guys who are real hungry to prove themselves on the national level.
Friday could very well be our last game. We want to go out there and make sure [we] don't have any regrets at the end of the day...You just want to make sure that you left it all out there and that you did the most that you could to try to get your team a win.”
After the conclusion of today's practice, the Owls will head back to the team hotel, some 25 minutes away from the glitz and the glamour of the lights at the arena.
In a quiet suburb of Dayton, Ohio, they'll spend the next few hours preparing, practicing, praying -- doing whatever it takes so that the next flash of red these Owls see are the taillights of the North Carolina State Wolfpack's bus as it heads back to Dayton International Airport on Friday night.
NCAA Tournament Day 2 Photo Gallery: March Madness, March Mindset
Photos by Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University
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