waggy
03-02-2008, 03:11 PM
On top of the already heated rivalry, this game is for 2nd place in the A10 standings. Game will be played at the Palestra. Here is what Basketball Prospectus had to say about of their games to watch today:
Matchup: Temple (http://kenpom.com/sr.php?team=Temple&y=2008) (15-12, 8-5) at Saint Joseph's (http://kenpom.com/sr.php?team=Saint%20Joseph's&y=2008) (17-9, 8-5), 7:00
Rankings: Temple, #81 in Pomeroy Ratings (6th of 14 in A-10); Saint Joseph's, #63 (2nd)
Pomeroy Prediction: Saint Joseph's, 75-69 in 64 Possessions
Upset Possibility: 26%
Prospectus: These two Philadelphia Big 5 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_Big_5) members, tied for second place in the Atlantic 10, play in a rivalry game at the Palestra that has implications for both the A-10 and NCAA tournaments. The Owls are 1-2 in Big 5 play this season, having beaten Pennsylvania and lost to Villanova and Saint Joseph's--the latter defeat coming by one point on January 26--while the Hawks are 3-1, with wins over Pennsylvania, Villanova, and Temple, and a one-point loss to La Salle. Saint Joseph's has lost four of its last six, including a killer at home against Rick Majerus' pesky St. Louis squad on Thursday, and is now in trouble with regards to earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament despite being in second place. Considering that first-place Xavier comes in next Thursday, Saint Joseph's badly needs a win today. Meanwhile, no one is mentioning Temple in the same breath as the NCAA Tournament, but if the Owls beat the Hawks, they would be alone in second place in the A-10, and, besides being the only team to beat Xavier in the conference this year, would have wins over Massachusetts and Saint Joseph's, the other two possible A-10 tournament teams. In the Hawks' 68-67 win over Temple on January 26, Saint Joseph's senior forward Pat Calathes scored 24 points on 71 eFG% shooting, while junior guard Dionte Christmas also shot 71 eFG% to lead the Owls with 21. The difference in that game was forged at the foul line--each team got to the stripe 10 times, and Saint Joseph's hit nine free throws while Temple made six.
http://basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=198
Matchup: Temple (http://kenpom.com/sr.php?team=Temple&y=2008) (15-12, 8-5) at Saint Joseph's (http://kenpom.com/sr.php?team=Saint%20Joseph's&y=2008) (17-9, 8-5), 7:00
Rankings: Temple, #81 in Pomeroy Ratings (6th of 14 in A-10); Saint Joseph's, #63 (2nd)
Pomeroy Prediction: Saint Joseph's, 75-69 in 64 Possessions
Upset Possibility: 26%
Prospectus: These two Philadelphia Big 5 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_Big_5) members, tied for second place in the Atlantic 10, play in a rivalry game at the Palestra that has implications for both the A-10 and NCAA tournaments. The Owls are 1-2 in Big 5 play this season, having beaten Pennsylvania and lost to Villanova and Saint Joseph's--the latter defeat coming by one point on January 26--while the Hawks are 3-1, with wins over Pennsylvania, Villanova, and Temple, and a one-point loss to La Salle. Saint Joseph's has lost four of its last six, including a killer at home against Rick Majerus' pesky St. Louis squad on Thursday, and is now in trouble with regards to earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament despite being in second place. Considering that first-place Xavier comes in next Thursday, Saint Joseph's badly needs a win today. Meanwhile, no one is mentioning Temple in the same breath as the NCAA Tournament, but if the Owls beat the Hawks, they would be alone in second place in the A-10, and, besides being the only team to beat Xavier in the conference this year, would have wins over Massachusetts and Saint Joseph's, the other two possible A-10 tournament teams. In the Hawks' 68-67 win over Temple on January 26, Saint Joseph's senior forward Pat Calathes scored 24 points on 71 eFG% shooting, while junior guard Dionte Christmas also shot 71 eFG% to lead the Owls with 21. The difference in that game was forged at the foul line--each team got to the stripe 10 times, and Saint Joseph's hit nine free throws while Temple made six.
http://basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=198