Posted: Thursday, January 28, 2010, 3:28 AM | 15 comments |
 

Is beating Temple worth a court-storming?
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Was Charlotte's win over Temple worth a court-storming?
Yes
No
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Coming into last night, the Charlotte 49ers were in third place in the Atlantic 10, one game behind Temple, with a 4-1 conference record and a 14-5 overall mark.

Bobby Lutz's squad won at then-No. 20 Louisville in November and eight days ago at NCAA Tournament contender Richmond. They're ranked No. 88 in Pomeroy and No. 49 in offensive efficiency.

So I was more than a little surprised when I checked the wire last night and saw that the students at Dale Halton Arena stormed the floor after their team beat No. 15 Temple, 74-64.

Notice how I said beat, not upset.

Yes, the Owls are the only ranked team in the Atlantic 10, and yes, the 49ers' win pulled them even with the Owls at the top of the standings. It's a compliment to Temple that Charlotte's fans thought the game was that big a deal.

But as good as Temple is, beating the Owls at home when you're only a game behind them at tipoff doesn't meet my court-storming standards.

Furthermore, it goes against Storming the Floor's official rules for the eponymous act:

-If your unranked team beats a top-10 opponent.
-If your lower-division school beats a D1 opponent.
-You beat your most hated rival in overtime, or on a last-second miracle shot.
-Your team breaks a long losing streak against a particularly difficult opponent.

Let's take the rules in order.

- Temple isn't ranked in the top 10.
- Charlotte isn't a Division II school.
- The two teams certainly aren't rivals the way Temple and St. Joe's or La Salle are, and the margin of victory was 10 points.
- The Owls beat the 49ers last year and the year before, but split two games in 2006-07.

Now you can call me a spoilsport if you want. Charlotte hasn't made the NCAA Tournament since 2005 (though they have gone dancing three times in the last 10 years), and college kids ought to be allowed to have fun, right?

I suppose. But if it were up to me, I'd save the celebrations for the bigger prizes in March. Especially since Charlotte still has to visit Dayton and Rhode Island, and has home games to come against Xavier and Richmond.

What say you?
Posted by Jonathan Tannenwald @ 3:28 AM  Permalink | File Under: Temple | 15 comments
15
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:03 AM, 01/28/2010
    I saw that last night and pointed out how silly it was. Act like you've been there before. I went to a major conference school that was perennially ranked and can't recall storming the floor once.
    — anodyne
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:10 AM, 01/28/2010
    Anyone know why Rahlir Jefferson was a DNP last night? Having Scootie play D for 20 minutes really killed us...not to mention his plethora of 22 foot jumpers.
    — mjd11
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:47 AM, 01/28/2010
    First off, I am a Charlotte 49ers alum, class of '86, and was at last night's game. Am I a fan of court-storming? No, not really. However, if you look closer at our recent history, I understand why my fellow fans stormed last night. 2 of the past 3 years we were a sub-.500 team. 2 years ago, yes made an appearance in the NIT, but it was a 19 blowout loss at Nebraska. Sure, we beat Xavier at home last year but that win only made us 10-15. It was nice, but it didn't have the same enthusiasm as last night. Are we the best team in the A10? Its way too early to say that. However, for the first time since Feb. 2005, I feel like we are one of the top teams in the conference. Those 5 years of waiting justified blowing off some steam. Its been a long down time for us and I'm just happy to be part of the A10 that others are looking up to.
    — JHartlage
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:34 PM, 01/28/2010
    Temple is a very good team. Charlotte's no slouch. Charlotte's capable of beating most of the teams ranked 10-25. Will they, not sure. Can they, of course. Storming the court seemed a little silly. But this is college. I'm a Temple alum and watching them storm the court made me thing of two things. One, what respect for Temple. And two, it's fun to watch a bunch of kids have fun without hurting anyone. It's a grim world we live in now, so enjoy the things you can.
    — davew31
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:45 PM, 01/28/2010
    I was at the game last night sitting on the end line at courtside on the UNC Charlotte bench side of the floor. I know for a fact that the mass exodus of students running from the stands onto the floor was discussed and thus oestensibly contrived by one of the UNCC Cheer Coaches who went from section to section with about five minutes remaining in the game and told the students to do as they subsequently did. Two quick obervations: Charlotte's two Guards, Numbers 1 and 3, are quite good. And Temple needs to work the ball inside to Lavoy Allen, not Erik, if they want to try and avoid the shooting inconsistency that seems to plague them at times. Juan Fernandez had only one shot Lavoy scored only four points in the entire first half.
    — Eagles_Fan_In_Georgia
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:53 PM, 01/28/2010
    The students can do what they want... it is all about the student experience.
    — BFlint
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:03 PM, 01/28/2010
    If I want to watch a game where the fans don't care, I'll just watch the NBA......
    — willll
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:52 PM, 01/28/2010
    I was at a St. Joe's vs. Villanova game at the Palestra in February 2003 when the St. Joe's students thought it was appropriate to storm the court after winning the game 92-75 when Villanova was 12-8 and SJU was 16-3. Prior to that experience I never really disliked Saint Joe's basketball but since then I have less respect for their fans. Storming the court at the Palestra against an unranked team starting 3 freshman with a worse record is a disgrace.
    — jphilly01
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:52 PM, 01/28/2010
    The only time we've stormed the court at Drexel in recent memory is when the girls won the CAA Championship game last year (played at JMU's arena). Before that (and before I was a student) we apparently stormed the court after beating Sam Houston Sate on ESPN to get the chance to play in the preseason NIT at the Garden. I would tend to agree with "Storming the Court's" criteria.
    — DrexelDragonFan
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:53 PM, 01/28/2010
    As a Temple fan I was surprised to see the storming and I'd agree the same should be reserved for beating a top ten team (or a team coached by Calipari, Bobby Knight or a game where Dick Vitale is doing the color commentary.) Also add: whenever the losing team is Duke. V
    — goose1
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:22 PM, 01/28/2010
    I saw that and was surprised. Temple's not that great and Charlotte's not that bad; and it's still January. I didn't hear if Nets fans stormed last night though. That would be understandable.
    — burholme
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:39 PM, 01/28/2010
    Let the fans storm the courts if they want. They know better than Philly/national fans their emotions and what prompted them to cheer. Apparently, Charlotte has sought more national attention. Philly fans may be spoiled, especially this year.
    — Paul Short
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:56 PM, 01/28/2010
    The court storming was probably unwarranted, but the confetti was just pathetic.
    — PhillyTom
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:47 PM, 01/28/2010
    JHartlage, everything you said was spot on about our Charlotte 49ers. The rest of the world doesn't understand because they don't really know our history. I went to school there back when we were still affiliated with CUSA. I miss the old CUSA and our old rivals. Eversince Charlotte was forced into the A10, we have had very minimal success. It has been a frustrating few years for us. I ran out on the court to celebrate something positive for this team. It sucks being constantly being overshadowed by the ACC here in Carolina. This win was a big "release" for us here in Charlotte... As for the confetti, nothing special about that whatsoever. We always have confetti after a win.
    — charlotteniner


15 comments
About Jonathan Tannenwald
I fell in love with the Big 5 at first sight upon moving to Philadelphia in 2002. At various points in my journalistic career, I've covered all six of the region's Division I teams. During that time, I've eaten many soft pretzels from the Palestra's concession stands, which is how this blog got its name.

I write primarily about the University of Pennsylvania and the Ivy League, but I also cover the other basketball and football teams across the city from time to time. In the spring, you'll find coverage of the Penn Relays here.

In addition to all of that, I write Philly.com's soccer blog, The Goalkeeper.

You can contact me by email by clicking here.

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