Temple Looking Good

A month ago, everyone in Philadelphia believed that Villanova was the region's best team and had the best chance to go far in the NCAA tournament. Many people are starting to change their thinking after watching Temple dominate St. Bonaventure and Rhode Island in the A-10 tournament. While those teams may not seem like tough opponents, Temple made sure each game was never in doubt.

The final score of this afternoons game in Atlantic City was 57-44. Temple beat Rhode Island to advance to the Atlantic 10 championship tomorrow. Temple never trailed during the game. Their stifling defense kept the Rams uneasy all game.

This team is led by guard Juan Fernandez and big man Lavoy Allen. Fernandez is a guy who has it all on the offensive side of the ball. He can shoot the three with the best of them. He can pass the ball because of his uncanny court vision. He can dribble-drive to the bucket.

Allen is a tough rebounder, and while his contributions may not always stand out on the stat sheet, he is a vital part of this team. This Owls' team is packed with supporting players who can come up big at any time.

The Owls will take on Richmond tomorrow in the A-10 title game. Temple, the 17-th ranked team in the country, already had a ticket punched to the big dance before this tourney. After this tournament, they be a 3 seed in the NCAA tourney.

The way I see it, Temple is a complete team. Their defense is 4th ranked in the nation, and defense wins championships. Temple beat Villanova earlier this year. Villanova is an inconsistent team and not too well defensively. Right now I'm saying the Owls will go farther into March than the Wildcats.

But who knows, the 'Cats could regain their rhythm if the beat an easy first round opponent.

Villanova Falls Again

The Villanova Wildcats were eliminated from the Big East tournament after their 80-76 loss to Marquette in a quarterfinal game. The Wildcats had beaten Marquette two previous times this season. This was not a surprising loss for me. Nova has been struggling of late, having lost five of their last seven. At times this season, Nova has looked like one of the top teams in the country. More recently, they have looked like a overrated team that can't defend.

This Villanova team has to pull it together if they hope to get anywhere deep into March. First, they need to consistently knock down shots. Second, the need to limit the turnovers. The defense has been a bit better than the offense. Marquette doesn't have a dominant big man either. Nova's gonna have to tighten up the D if the want to go deep into the Tourney.

Yes this is my first post in a while. I'm gonna ease back into it.