"Lavoy [Allen] joked around and said, 'Are we even in the tournament, did they just forget about us?' " the Owls' Ryan Brooks said.
No. 11 seed Temple (22-11) will play No. 6 seed Arizona State (24-9) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Miami. If the Owls win, they will play the winner of No. 3 Syracuse and No. 14 Stephen F. Austin on Sunday.
The Arizona State game is something Dionte Christmas, the most outstanding player in the A-10 tourney for the second straight year, has been waiting for since his 1-for-12 (0-for-8 from three) effort against Michigan State in a first-round NCAA loss last year.
"It was real important to [get another chance]," Christmas said. "I did not represent myself or my team the way I should have in the tournament. I think this year, it's going to be a different story."
Christmas won Friday's semifinal game with Xavier with two giant threes between the 2-minute and 1-minute mark. He followed with 29 points against Duquesne, including seven threes. His high-arcing shots looked like they might hit the ceiling, but they kept splashing through the net. He now has 2,014 career points. Just think how many he might have if he had gotten more run as a freshman when he had just 111 points.
Christmas can go off at any time. And he never lacks for confidence. Before he shot Xavier out of the tournament, he was 4-for-25 in the previous two games.
"My teammates and coach Dunphy have all the confidence in the world in me," Christmas said. "It's hard to get down on yourself with teammates like that."
Last year, Christmas had 22 points against Saint Joseph's in the championship game. He had 29 against La Salle in the quarterfinals. Now, he gets a second chance to go off in the NCAA.
