The RoundHouse | 2/12/2018 9:35:00 AM
By
Paul Suellentrop
Around The American
Team(s) of the week: Temple, thanks to a five-game win streak and strong non-conference wins, edged its way back toward NCAA Tournament at-large consideration.
Joe Lunardi says so.
The Owls are 15-10, No. 40 in the RPI and No. 83 in the Pomeroy rankings. That is not a great spot and if fans are booking hotels early, check rooms in Dayton.
ESPN's Lunardi lists them as one of the first eight teams out of the bracket. Jerry Palm of CBSSports.com does not list the Owls. That's not surprising. Temple has much work to do, but wins over Auburn (No. 8 RPI), Clemson (No. 4) and No. 19 Wichita State will grab the attention of the selection committee if it finishes strong.
Temple plays at Wichita State on Thursday and plays No. 31 Houston at home on Sunday. While it's likely losses to La Salle (No. 185 RPI), George Washington (No. 205) and Memphis (No. 125) weigh down the NCAA resume, the Owls gave themselves a chance.
Ugh: Injuries are part of the game and coaches know not to expect much sympathy. With those clichés out of the way, SMU is taking hits that seem cruel.
The Mustangs (15-9, 5-6 American) dressed eight (six on scholarship) for Sunday's 76-51 loss to No. 6 Cincinnati. Guard Shake Milton missed his third game with a hand injury. Forward Ethan Chargois injured his ankle during warmups and didn't play.
SMU is already without Jarrey Foster and Everett Ray, out for the season with injuries. Scholarship reductions imposed by NCAA sanctions helped put the Mustangs in this place.
Top performances: Central Florida guard
B.J. Taylor scored 22 points and had four assists in Sunday's 68-64 win over Memphis. Teammate
A.J. Davis made 9 of 10 shots to score 20 points, adding nine rebounds and four assists . . . Cincinnati's
Kyle Washington scored 17 points, blocked two shots and grabbed eight rebounds in Sunday's win at SMU . . . Wichita State guard
Landry Shamet scored 16 points and handed out four assists in Saturday's 95-74 win over UConn. Shamet made 4 of 6 three-pointers. Shocker guard
Austin Reaves made 5 of 9 threes and scored 22 points in an 85-65 win at Memphis . . . Temple guard
Shizz Alston Jr. made 8 of 12 shots to score 19 points in a 73-55 win at South Florida. Alston grabbed five rebounds and recorded five assists in 36 minutes. Teammate
Quinton Rose scored 20 points and grabbed six rebounds against USF. Against East Carolina on Wednesday, he totaled 23 points, six rebounds and three assists . . . Tulsa's
Junior Etou scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a 91-89 overtime win over Tulane. It is Etou's third straight double-double.
Keep an eye on this: Tulsa has won four of five games to move into fourth place in the American. The Hurricane outscored opponents by 47 points at the foul line in that stretch.
Quote of the week:
"Just the amazing events of the last three weeks is what has the mood where it's at. It's honestly the most surreal situation I've ever been in my life, and because I feel that, I feel for (the players) like you can't believe. ... Injuries are no one's fault. Injuries are luck," SMU coach Tim Jankovich told reporters after Sunday's loss to Cincinnati.
Get to know: Houston guard Rob Gray scored eight points against Tulane to become the American's career scoring leader. Gray, a senior, has 1,463 points to pass former SMU (and Illinois State) guard Nic Moore by one point.
Gray, from Forest City, N.C., played one season at Howard (Texas) College before transferring to Houston. He was leaning toward signing with Tennessee before coach Donnie Tyndall was fired during Gray's recruiting visit, according to the Houston Chronicle, due to an NCAA investigation. Gray signed with Houston soon after.
Time for trivia:
Q: Why is Temple's mascot an Owl?
A: Temple was founded in 1884 as a night school "for ambitious young people." It adopted the nocturnal bird to honor those beginnings.
Big games ahead: By Sunday evening, we will know much more about NCAA Tournament resumes.
If anybody is going to stand up to No. 6 Cincinnati, this is the week to do it. If Wichita State wants to move back toward a top-four NCAA seed, it needs two wins. If Houston and Temple want to grab the attention of the selection committee, the opportunity is there.
No. 22 Wichita State faces a defining stretch. It plays Temple at home on Thursday with a change to avenge an overtime loss. On Sunday, the Shockers travel to No. 6 Cincinnati.
The Bearcats play at Houston on Thursday. On Sunday, Houston plays at Temple.
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
