DAYTON, Ohio – My look at some of the best and worst performances and happenings from Temple’s 76-72 East Regional second-round victory over N.C. State here Friday at University of Dayton Arena:
Best performance: It would be insane to not give this award to Khalif Wyatt. His 31 points were tied for the fifth most by an Owl in the NCAA tournament. It was also the most tournament points by a Temple player since Mark Macon had 31 in 1991. The Norristown native scored 12 of Temple's final 17 points. His final two points came on a pair of foul shots with two seconds left. He accomplished all that after jamming his left thumb with 16 minutes, 38 seconds to play.
Worst performance: Averaging 8.5 points, Wolfpack reserve Rodney Purvis was supposed to create matchup problems. But the freshman was held to two points on 1-for-3 shooting. He also committed three turnovers while fouling out with two seconds left. That foul enabled Wyatt to clinch the game.
DAYTON, Ohio – The start time for Sunday's East Regional third-round game between ninth-seeded Temple and top-seeded Indiana has been set for 2:45 p.m.
The NCAA tournament game will be televised locally on CBS.
DAYTON, Ohio – Temple Owls fans will be relieved that Khalif Wyatt’s left thumb injury is not serious.
The senior guard jammed it while attempting a layup with 16 minutes, 38 seconds remaining in Temple’s 76-72 NCAA tournament victory over North Carolina State on Friday at the University of Dayton Arena. Wyatt was replaced by T.J. DiLeo seven seconds later. He came back into the game with 14:26 left.
“When it first happened, well, I got by my defender, and I went to make a move, and my hand just got caught in whoever was guarding me jersey, and my thumb got bent up a little bit,” said Wyatt, who finished with a game-high 31 points.
Dayton, Ohio – Reaction to ninth-seeded Temple defeated eighth-seeded North Carolina State, 76-72, win Friday’s NCAA tournament second-round East Regional matchup here at University of Dayton Arena.
It was over when: Temple guard Khalif Wyatt hit a pair of foul shots with 2 seconds left to give the Owls a 76-72 cushion.
Game ball goes to: Wyatt finished with a game-high 31 points. The senior made 12 of 14 free throws en route to shattering the Owls’ single-season made foul shot record. Wyatt’s 31 points are also the fifth most by a Temple player in the NCAA tournament. It was the most since 1991.
DAYTON, Ohio - Mark Ellis, a junior cornerback at Williamstown High School, will take an unofficial visit to Temple on Saturday.
The 5-foot-10, 176-pounder missed the 2012 season after suffering an ACL injury last spring at the VTO/Rivals Elite 100 Combine.
Ellis likes Temple and Rutgers. He’s also receiving recruiting interest from West Virginia, Penn State, Massachusetts and James Madison.
Dayton, Ohio -- Kevin Newsome was expected to challenge for Temple’s starting quarterback job when he arrived on campus on August.
Instead the former Penn State quarterback, who attended Tidewater Community College before transferring to Temple, spent last season as the third string quarterback behind Juice Granger and Chris Coyer. Several months later, the Virginia native has slid further down the depth chart.
Newsome heads into spring practice as the fifth-string quarterback.
DAYTON, Ohio. – Here are observations heading into Friday’s NCAA tournament game between Temple and North Carolina State at the University of Dayton Arena.
Who’s hot: Wolfpack guard/forward Scott Wood might be one of the hottest players in the tourney. The 6-foot-6 senior averaged 19 points while shooting 59.3 percent on three-pointers in last week’s Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
Who’s not: It’s hard to believe that Temple’s Khalif Wyatt would be in the category. But the Atlantic Ten player of the year struggled through 4 of 19 shooting in last Friday’s A-10 tourney quarterfinal loss to Massachusetts.
DAYTON, Ohio – North Carolina State coach Mark Gottfried is the latest to compliment Temple’s Khalif Wyatt for his old-school playing style.
The ninth-seeded Owls (23-9) face the eighth-seeded Wolfpack (24-10) here Friday in NCAA tournament East Regional second-round game at University of Dayton Arena.
“As we watched more and more film of him on tape, you’re trying to find that old-school guard that you can compare him to, and we had a hard time,” Gottfried said during Thursday’s press conference.
DAYTON, Ohio – What’s different now compared to the 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012 NCAA tournament – which all ended in opening-round setbacks for Temple?
“Other times we’ve been here, it seems like we might be happy just to be here,” Owls senior guard Khalif Wyatt said. “I don’t think that's the feeling this time around. I think guys are focused, and the main goal is to try to get a win, get some wins.”
That was evident by the demeanor Temple, seeded ninth in the East Regional, displayed on the podium during Thursday’s press conference and in the locker room. before practice Gone was the laughter and chitchat it displayed in previous tourneys. Instead, the Owls sort of had fierce us-against-the-world glares on their faces.
DAYTON, Ohio -- Ask Temple coach Fran Dunphy if Anthony Lee will play in Friday’s East Regional against North Carolina State, and the answer is: “We are planning on Anthony playing.”
Ask Lee, and the answer is: “I’m definitely playing.”
The 6-foot-9 junior post player, who had been dealing with a concussion, vowed Thursday to play in the NCAA tourney second-rounder at University of Dayton Arena.
