Saint Joseph's will face Boston College in the opening round of the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam tournament on Nov. 20 in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas.

The other first-round games that day feature Northern Iowa vs. DePaul, Tennessee vs. East Carolina and South Dakota State vs. Purdue.

The four-day tournament features four games each day with the first-round losers playing Nov. 21 and the first-round winners in action Nov. 22. The final day features games to determine the order of finish, capped by the title game.

Connecticut beat Wisconsin for last year's title.

ATLANTIC CITY --  Despite one field goal from Dionte Christmas and a hobbled Lavoy Allen, Temple pinned its third defeat of the season on Saint Josephs with a 79-65 victory in a quarterfinal game of the Atlantic 10 Tournament.

The only field goal for Christmas came with a little less than 6 minutes left on a driving layup that gave the Owls a 65-48 lead.

Allen, who finished with nine points and 12 rebounds points, entered Boardwalk Hall before the game with a boot on his right ankle. He showed no sign of injury, though, during the game.

“He showed a lot of toughness playing today,” said Temple coach Fran Dunphy. “I know a lot of kids who wouldn’t have played.”

With Christmas struggling and Allen hurt, Sergio Olmos (14), Ryan Brooks (19) and Semaj Inge (12) combined for 45 points

With the win, Temple improves to 24-2 all-time in A-10 quarterfinal games.

Seniors Ahmad Nivins and Tasheed Carr led the Hawks with 23 and 21 points, respectively. When coach Phil Martelli pulled them late in the game, both were overcome with emotion while on the bench during the final few seconds.

Fourth-seeded Temple (20-11) will now play top-seeded Xavier on Friday night at 6:30 in the first semifinal.

St. Joe’s (17-15) will now hope for an invitation to play in a postseason tournament.
 

ATLANTIC CITY -- Saint Joseph’s trailed Charlotte by 13 points midway through the first half of its Atlantic 10 Tournament first-round game at Boardwalk Hall. The Hawks have given up more than a few big leads this season so there was no reason to think they could not overcome one.

When they second half began, they overcame it quickly and easily, scoring on 14 of 16 possessions and outscoring the 49ers 29-11 on their way to a 72-62 win.

St. Joe’s (17-14) will play Temple (19-11) tomorrow afternoon in the quarterfinals. It is the 11th A-10 meeting between the two schools that played for the championship Temple won last season.

St. Joe’s shot just 27.6 percent in the first half and trailed 30-23. The Hawks got to the foul line early in the second, converted just about every shot and opened up a 52-41 lead with 10:20 to go and nursed it to the wire.

Senior Tasheed Carr had 17 of his 22 points in the second half. You sort of knew the Hawks were going to win it when they trailed just 30-28 early in the second half and star Ahmad Nivins (15 points, 14 rebounds) was just 1-for-8.

St. Joe’s shot 61.9 percent in the second half and was 19-for-21 from the foul line. The Hawks shot 33 free throws to just 11 for Charlotte.

The 49ers (11-20) lost 19 regular-season games for a reason. They gave up the lead more quickly than they got it. And had no answer for a St. Joe’s team that once it got its rhythm never looked like it was going to do anything but win.

Now, St. Joe’s will have to beat a Temple team that swept the Hawks in the regular-season and has beaten them four straight. The winner plays in Friday’s A-10 semifinals.
 

To read our coverage of LaSalle's overtime loss in the quarterfinals, click here.

WE'RE MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO: Stopping by one of the nearby racebooks between sessions to check out the action from Gulfstream Park. Semi-seriously, just some competitive hoops. Trying to make sense of this bracket is like trying to make sense of the regular season. There was a three-way tie for second and four-way tie for fifth. The regular-season champion had four losses. Should be a few games decided late where good luck or bad can change everything in an instant.

TEAM ON THE RISE: La Salle was playing its best basketball at the finish. No player in the league is playing better at the moment than Rodney Green. The Explorers just came from behind to win at Saint Louis Saturday night. The same matchup opens the tournament.

TEAM ON THE DECLINE: Since upsetting Xavier, Charlotte has lost four of five. Its only win was against Fordham, which really does not count. This team is more talented than its record, but injuries and inconsistency put them 11th in the standings when they were picked fifth

WORTH NOTING: This is the third year the tournament has been at Boardwalk Hall. It has not been announced where next year’s tournament will be. The finalists are Dayton, Cincinnati, Springfield (Mass.), Pittsburgh and Atlantic City. Sadly, no Philadelphia on the list.

DARK HORSE TO WIN IT ALL: Richmond. Chris Mooney’s team has won five of six. The Spiders beat Xavier on Saturday. Richmond is playing faster now that Mooney has amassed more talent. Having to win four games in four days obviously plays against them, but this is a dangerous team.

TEAM THAT NEEDS HELP TO MAKE THE NCAAS: All of them except Dayton and Xavier. Rhode Island and Temple might have been in play for an at large until late-season home losses to Massachusetts and La Salle respectively. The rest of them have been playing for conference seeding in recent weeks.

BEST PLAYER: Ahmad Nivins (Saint Joseph’s) led the league in scoring (tie with Temple’s Dionte Christmas), rebounding and field goal percentage despite constant double and sometimes triple teams. He was named Player of the Year by the coaches. Athletic artistry would be the best way to describe his game.

BEST SHOOTER: Rhode Island’s Jimmy Baron just set the league record with 345 made treys. This season, he made 102 and shot 45.3 percent. If he is in the gym, he is in range. He nearly beat Duke at Cameron with his quick release until the striped shirts remembered who was supposed to win.

BEST DEFENDER: Tony Gaffney (Massachusetts) led the league in blocks (113) and was second in steals (59). The frontline of the Minutemen defense is not particularly strong which puts all kinds on Gaffney as he mans the back line.

DON'T FOUL THESE GUYS: Kevin Lisch (Saint Louis) shot 82.9 percent and made 107 free throws. Duquesne’s Aaron Jackson, a wonderful all-around talent, shot 81.2 percent and made 134 foul shots.

ULTIMATE TITLE GAME: Temple-Rhode Island. With all due respect to Xavier and Dayton, they are already in the NCAA. The league would like this final as it would give them a third NCAA team. And this game would have the potential to be high scoring and quite entertaining with shooters like Baron and Christmas firing from deep and enough athletes around the basket to make it a game played in all places.

THE PICK: I liked Temple last year and the Owls got home. Without Mark Tyndale and Chris Clark scoring and leading, I don’t think this team is quite as ready as that one. I also don’t think this field is as good as last year’s. If Lavoy Allen can put together three strong games and Dionte Christmas can shoot a decent percentage from deep, I like the Owls. Juan Fernandez is going to be a very good player on North Broad. If he had been there all season, the Owls might be in play for an at large. Slowly, Fernandez’s talents are starting to emerge. If he is locked in for three games, the Owls will have even a bigger chance.
 

This has been a very long season, not because of our up and down play, but with the emotional peaks and valleys. We knew coming in that we would be without a true home court, but the extraordinary efforts of the Penn athletic administration and basketball staff made us feel like Dorothy in the “Wizard of Oz” – that there is no place like home. The true spirit of the Big 5 prevailed.

On the floor it is now time to put up or collect the uniforms. Our struggles continue to be at the offensive end. Nothing comes easy for us. I feel that I must accept responsibility for our weaknesses.

To all of the teams in Philadelphia may your March bring much madness. To the fans, hopefully your brackets (for amusement only) will be full of winners.

To the Philly basketball community, think about joining the coaches in our fight versus cancer – next Monday (March 16) at The Palestra for the March Madness Tipoff Breakfast and April 18 for our annual black-tie gala.

Saint Joseph’s senior guard Tasheed Carr won’t play in tonight's game against Atlantic 10 leader Xavier at the Palestra. Carr, averaging 13.0 points and shooting a team-best 40.2 percent from the arc, suffered what the school is terming a ``mild concussion’’ at practice on Tuesday.

The team doctor examined Carr this morning when the decision was made to keep him out the game. He will be re-evaluated to determine his status for Sunday’s final home game against St. Bonaventure. That is senior day when the Hawks seniors, Carr and Ahmad Nivins, will be honored.

Not having Carr tonight shortens an already very short bench. Hawks coach Phil Martelli said sophomore Charoy Bentley, who has played just 35 minutes and scored two points in the calendar year, will start in Carr’s place. The only regular bench players, guard Chris Prescott and forward Bryant Irwin, figure to get much more time than their typical 10 minutes or so per game.

League games have arrived for all the city schools except Penn. The vibe, tempo and preparation are all different. The scouting reports are more concise because everyone is more familiar with styles and individual players.

The A-10 will go through Xavier but the list of contenders is longer than at any time in my 24 years in the league.

My players have had the opportunity to get rested but now back to the real world with the second semester starting on Hawk Hill. Classes, tutors and study hall all have to be factored into our game preparation and away travel. We are fortunate that most of the professors recognize the sacrifices that the players made to represent SJU. The key, as in most cases, is communication. We beg our players to “yell” for help. I’m very proud of the strong working relationship that has developed with the faculty.

On your favorite team, keep an eye on the seniors. The clock is ticking for them. Some sprint to the finish line while others tiptoe because they may not be confident about the future.

Hope you get a chance to see the Hawks at The Palestra - the best building in college basketball.

It is an honor playing a small role in Philadelphia basketball most especially the Big 5. What a tradition! It pulls at and out every emotion in your body. There are no casual fans.

On Thursday, my players had the opportunity to participate and compete at the highest of levels. The game vs. Villanova wasn’t an artistic success but every player on each team put their heart and soul into the 40 minutes. A national TV audience saw, and, hopefully, understood the “Holy War.”

A special note to acknowledge the student sections at each school. The Villanova kids backed their team and stayed away from the uncalled-for insults that are masked as rooting for your team in far too many arenas. The SJU “kids,” although small in number, were heard and their support is much appreciated.

The real world now calls each of our players. It is exam week. Practice sessions are shorter since there must be time spent preparing, working with tutors and/or study groups. The anxiousness to perform is comparable to a game. Lectures and projects have been attended to - now it is game time.

This is a tough time for players because as their peers finish their academic work they can head home to family and friends. The players must continue to prepare for the next game - for us Monday, Dec. 22 vs the defending Ivy League champs, Cornell. I’ve crafted a schedule that will allow each player to spend Dec. 23, 24 and 25 with their loved ones.

The most difficult game for me every year is the one after exams and prior to Christmas break. My staff and I will be hard at work to prepare.

During this break in the action for the 14th year we have adopted four families whom are allowing us to share Christmas with them. Funds were collected at our Creighton game and the team has been divided so that each family gets special consideration. Every year I’ve gotten tears in my eyes witnessing my guys “shop.” Their idea of fashion and bargains, often, make me laugh. To watch them wrap the gifts calls into question: How did they pass kindergarten? We end up with lots and lots of scotch tape on every package and plenty of wasted wrapping paper.

The night of delivering fills me with pride. Each and every player gets more than they give. It truly is their presences in the home that makes this a tradition that will always be a part of my program.

If we don’t get a chance to visit prior to the holidays, my hope is that you and your family enjoy a blessed Christmas.

During my years at Saint Joseph’s, I have always prided myself on our preparation on and off the court. Keeping everyone and everything going in the same direction has allowed our players to concentrate on daily improvement, competing at the highest level and hopefully enjoying the experience that is Hawk basketball.

Our trip to the EA Sports Maui Invitational was the program’s most daunting undertaking in my time on Hawk Hill.

Start with the top-notch competition like Texas, North Carolina, and Notre Dame. Factor in the time changes, the academic responsibilities despite missed class time, how, what and when to eat, where to practice and you begin to get a feel for the amount of logisitics. Then you understand why the trip was years in planning.

It is an honor for my program to represent Philadelphia, the Atlantic 10 and the non-BCS schools that rarely get such an invitation.

The Maui Invitational has the feel of an NCAA Regional. Fans representing each school invade the lobbies, restaurants and shops. Tables full of tournament wear are operating day and night. The top referees in the country are flown in to take care of business. ESPN expertly covers every practice and game. What an invaluable experience! This has to pay dividends as the calendar turns to December.

Much credit should go to Rob Sullivan, our director of basketball operations, who allowed the coaches to concentrate on basketball. Sully did it all with a kind word for all and an unmatched energy.

Hopefully all the readers of this blog get a chance to spend quality time with their families during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Talk with you soon.