SportsLine.com Report
March 19, 2000

Round 2: Owls stunned by Seton Hall in OT, 67-65

Seton Hall was able to overcome the loss of its floor leader. Temple was not.

The result was an early exit for John Chaney's Owls as the second-seed was dismissed by 10th-seeded Seton Hall, 67-65, in the East Regional in Buffalo, N.Y.

Seton Hall was forced in the first half and beyond to deal with the loss of point guard Shaheen Holloway to an ankle injury. Temple would later lose its point guard, Pepe Sanchez, when he fouled out in the final minute remaining in regulation.

The replacements made all the difference.

Seton Hall's Ty Shine, regarded as the best backup point guard in the Big East, stepped up to score 26 points on 7-of-11 3-point shooting while dishing off five assists. Darius Lane also provided some offense for the Pirates, scoring 16 points and pulling down 14 rebounds.

With Sanchez out, Lynn Greer was forced to play point guard for the Owls, and committed a crucial turnover in the final minute of overtime. He drove the lane, but got caught in the air and tried to pass underneath ... but instead the ball went sailing out of bounds. The Owls then fouled Greg Morton, who connected on one of two free throw shots, giving Temple a chance to tie with 4 seconds to play.

After some confusion following the rebound, the Owls got the ball up court but Greer's running half-court shot was off the mark and the Owls were done.

The loss ended Temple and coach John Chaney's latest bid to get to the Final Four. The 68-year-old coach has taken all but two of his 18 Temple teams to the NCAA Tournament and has reached the Regional Final four times -- including last year.

The Owls were led in scoring by junior forward Mark Karcher, who had 27 points, including a 3-pointer that forced the overtime. His status for next year remains in question as speculation out of Philadelphia has him leaving a season early for the NBA.

How They Got There

The Owls won the Atlantic 10 regular season title going away, with a 14-2 conference record that was marred only by losses to St. Bonaventure and St. Joseph's. It was their second consecutive A-10 title -- basically showing a return to the dominance of the old days, when Temple basketball was all that counted when it came to this conference.

Highlights in Temple's 23-5 season were many, but the clear peak occurred in the eight-day stretch between Feb. 13 and Feb. 20, when the Owls beat No. 19 Maryland, A-10 West leader Dayton and No. 1 Cincinnati.

That's when the Final Four predictions started to flood in.

Starting Lineup

• PG Pepe Sanchez (6-4, 198, Sr.): That he averages just 6.4 points a game yet was the A10 player of the year shows how much he means to the Owls. The Argentinian essentially dictates how well they play, as he shows a knack for finding his teammates in all the right places (8.5 assists a game).
• SG Quincy Wadley (6-4, 195, Sr.): Forced into a surrogate point guard's role during Sanchez' injury, but his return to the "2" spot has given this team an uncommon tandem in the backcourt. Wadley can trade big shots with anyone.
• SF Mark Karcher (6-5, 220, Jr.): If any member of the team has an NBA game, it is probably this undersized-but-rugged gamer. Karcher has NBA range on his 3-pointer, and the quickest release on the team. He typically draws the other team's best defender.
• PF Lamont Barnes (6-10, 240, Sr.): The iron man on this team, Barnes has started 124 consecutive games, believed to be the most of any player in the nation. Though his offense tends to drift in and out -- he's fifth on the team with a 9.8 scoring average -- Barnes is half of the reason why teams don't score on Temple down low.
• C Kevin Lyde (6-9, 240, So.): This shot blocker is the other half of the reason why teams don't score inside against Temple. He's a banger with an improving offensive game, but the luxury here is that with so many talented teammates, Lyde can simply be himself.

Keys To Success

Simply put, Sanchez and the matchup zone are what make this team such a harrowing group to play.

Defensively, the Owls ranked third in the nation in field-goal defense with a phenomenal .363 mark, and limited opponents to a conference-low 55.4-point scoring average. The true proof of this defensive scheme's effectiveness was apparent during a stretch from Jan. 20 and Feb. 5, when the Owls held six successive teams under 50 points. Four of those teams managed no more than 40.

And now for Mr. Sanchez, the unanimous choice as the A-10's player of the year: After missing eight games, he sparked this team to no end, leading the league in assists and steals in conference games.

Coach John Chaney, who always has had solid point guards, calls Sanchez the best he's ever coached.

That's in evidence the way Sanchez gets the ball to Wadley, Karcher and Greer in precisely the right spots, giving Temple perhaps the most potent attack in the program's history.

The Coach

He's never bland, a personality trait that endears John Chaney to his public, and annoys to no end such established institutions as the NCAA.

But in between the one-liners, philosophical diatribes and sentimental musings, Chaney has done one of his finest coaching jobs with this team. Peers refer to him as a Hall of Fame coach more than ever. And Chaney's methods are studied more than ever -- the matchup zone, the focus on a point guard-generated attack, the 6 a.m. practices, the policy of putting together as difficult a schedule as possible.

Chaney doesn't believe in playing cream puffs. As a result, his team never goes soft.

And though he has brought two teams into the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Tournament prior to this run, this unit might be his best team ever.

The Bench

• G Lynn Greer (6-1, 165, Jr.): Just ask Cincinnati. When it's time for a big shot, this skinny junior has no fear. His shooting off the bench is the finishing touch in this offense, and yet another reason why opponents have to defend the Owls honestly.
• F Keaton Sanders (6-6, 225, Sr.): Some reserve big men -- especially in college -- tend to blend in with the wallpaper. But the luxury of bringing in this experienced rebounder is that the Owls don't lose anything, particularly regarding their interior defense.
• C-F Ron Rollerson (6-10, 290, So.): He has an abundance of baby fat, but this kid can play. His offensive flourishes give Chaney some hope that in years to come he will have some serious scoring in the post.

Offense

Defense