Top-seeded Indiana a giant test for Temple

Posted: March 24, 2013

DAYTON, Ohio - Up next for Temple:

Goliath.

The ninth-seeded Owls will play top-seeded Indiana on Sunday for the right to advance to the Sweet 16. The Hoosiers thumped a game James Madison squad on Friday, 83-62.

"They have no weaknesses," Temple coach Fran Dunphy said. "There is a reason they are a No. 1 seed."

Game time and TV was to be announced late Friday. Check Philly.com for updates.

Temple's two games this year against top-tier teams resulted in a pair of losses, but by different means. The Owls were beaten soundly by Duke and hung tough with Kansas. Temple also beat Saint Louis and Virginia Commonwealth. And, hey, that win over La Salle looks pretty good these days.

Indiana (28-6) is led by player of the year candidates Cody Zeller and Victor Oladipo, though coach Tom Crean has a half-dozen options after those two studs.

Against JMU, point guard Yogi Ferrell had 16 points and Will Sheehey came off the bench to add 15.

The Hoosiers led, 43-22, at the half. They outscored the Dukes 13-4 to start the second half and led by as many as 33 - 68-35 - after Sheehey dunked with 8:17 left in the game.

Zeller and Oladipo finished with 11 points each and Jordan Hulls chipped in 10.

Andre Nation led the Dukes (21-15) with 24 points. Ron Curry of Paul VI in Haddon Township, N.J., and Taylor Bessick of Frankford High, scored two points each.

Indiana and Temple haven't played each another since 2004 when John Chaney was leading the Owls and Mike Davis was in charge of the Hoosiers. The Owls hold a 5-4 series lead, for whatever that's worth.

Temple is 0-8 against No. 1 seeds since 1985. All of those games were while Chaney as coach, with the last coming in 2001 when the Owls lost to Michigan State in the Elite Eight.

James Madison coach Matt Brady, a former assistant at Saint Joseph's, was asked if he had any pointers for Dunphy.

"Fran doesn't need my advice," Brady chuckled. "Fran's teams have always had the ability to manage the tempo . . . Fran's teams [always] compete, and they played more teams like this than my group has."


Email: barkowe@phillynews.com

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