Owls

Let me start by stating the obvious. Khalif Wyatt must have a solid game if Temple expects to advance beyond its first game of the NCAA tournament for the second time in six seasons. The senior guard struggled through 4-for-19 shooting in Temple's Atlantic Ten quarterfinal loss to Massachusetts. But when he's on, the Owls (24-9) have a chance to beat anyone. Temple must also find a way to slow down North Carolina State's high-scoring offense in the East Regional second-rounder here at University of Dayton Arena.

DAYTON, Ohio - If great players are defined by their performances on the biggest stage, Friday night is the biggest night of Khalif Wyatt's basketball life. Yes, Wyatt played in NCAA Tournament games each of his first three seasons. But he has never been Temple's best player, with 19.8 points and 4.1 assists per game. He has never been the Big 5 and Atlantic 10 Player of the Year. He never has been the face of frustration. Before this season, Wyatt was just a part of the fabric of failure, an ever larger piece of the Owls' 1-5 tournament record since Fran Dunphy took over the program seven seasons ago. That includes two losses as a No. 5 seed in their tournament opener; in 2010 to Cornell, and, last year, to South Florida.

KHALIF WYATT gives his basketball team a chance, almost every single game, against just about any opponent. Because Temple's senior guard can blow up at any time. So how many guys can say that? And the Norristown native does it in his own unique style. "I don't know where we'd be without him," said forward Jake O'Brien, a graduate-student transfer from Boston University. Well, probably not in the NCAA Tournament for the Owls' sixth consecutive appearance. The Owls, a No. 9 seed, will play eighth-seeded North Carolina State at 1:40 p.m. Friday at Dayton, Ohio.

NEW YORK - Temple guard Khalif Wyatt sat in the media room late Friday night, his voice a monotone, a blank stare on his face. His team had just been eliminated in the Atlantic Ten tournament quarterfinals by Massachusetts for the second straight season. It was a game in which he scored 19 points but shot just 4 for 19 from the field. "They did a good job defending me," Wyatt said. "I still had some good looks. Just couldn't put it in. " Wyatt and the Owls were beaten by the Minutemen, 79-74, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Temple was scared. The Owls were told they might have blown an NCAA tournament berth after an Atlantic Ten tournament quarterfinal loss on Friday. "Coach [Fran Dunphy] was talking about NIT and CBI and stuff like that," Khalif Wyatt said Sunday. "I had a feeling that we were in. But Coach did a good job of making it suspenseful. " Of course, Dunphy wasn't serious. The Owls were a lock to reach their sixth consecutive tourney with an RPI of 42 and victories over 16th-ranked St. Louis, No. 19 Syracuse, and No. 25 Virginia Commonwealth.

Temple was scared. The Owls were told they might have blown an NCAA tournament berth after an Atlantic Ten tournament quarterfinal loss on Friday. "Coach [Fran Dunphy] was talking about NIT and CBI and stuff like that," Khalif Wyatt said Sunday. "I had a feeling that we were in. But Coach did a good job of making it suspenseful. " Of course, Dunphy wasn't serious. The Owls were a lock to reach their sixth consecutive tourney with an RPI of 42 and victories over 16th-ranked St. Louis, No. 19 Syracuse, and No. 25 Virginia Commonwealth.

NEW YORK - Just six days ago, Temple seemed nearly invincible. Coming off a nationally televised blowout of No. 25 Virginia Commonwealth, which was their seventh straight win, the Owls appeared unstoppable in their quest for an Atlantic Ten tournament title. It didn't happen. Temple's seemingly well-oiled machine was wrecked by Massachusetts for the second consecutive season in the A-10 tourney quarterfinals. This time, the Minutemen prevailed, 79-74, on Friday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

NEW YORK - Just six days ago, Temple seemed nearly invincible. Coming off a nationally televised blowout of No. 25 Virginia Commonwealth, which was their seventh straight win, the Owls appeared unstoppable in their quest for an Atlantic Ten tournament title. It didn't happen. Temple's seemingly well-oiled machine was wrecked by Massachusetts for the second consecutive season in the A-10 tourney quarterfinals. This time, the Minutemen prevailed, 79-74, on Friday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

NEW YORK - Temple is more than the Khalif Wyatt show. Swingman Scootie Randall, who is working with a shooting coach, is quietly in the midst of a strong bounce-back stretch. So much so that maybe Randall - not Wyatt, the Atlantic Ten player of the year - is the biggest reason for the Owls' seven-game winning streak.   No. 3 seed Temple (23-8) expects to add to that streak in Friday night's A-10 tournament quarterfinal round here at the Barclays Center against sixth-seeded Massachusetts, a 77-72 winner over George Washington late Thursday night.