Temple faces Massachusetts in Atlantic 10 Tournament quarterfinals

As crazy as it sounds, the Owls (23-8) can't focus too much on stopping Chaz Williams in Friday night's Atlantic Ten quarterfinal against the Minutemen (20-10).

Temple tried that in the first half of an 83-82 victory over UMass on Feb. 16 in Amherst, Mass. It backfired. The Minutemen scored 26 points in the paint before intermission. Fourteen of them came from Cady Lalanne, a sophomore center.

Now, Owls guards Will Cummings and T.J. DiLeo will have their hands full against the speedy Williams, an all-Atlantic Ten selection. However, they must stay out of foul trouble, while at the same time making things uncomfortable to Williams.

Meanwhile, Temple center Anthony Lee must also play aggressive while staying out of foul trouble. The Owls don't have a backup post player capable of slow down the Minutemen inside. More important is having offensive balance.

If Temple plays solid defense and gives Khalif Wyatt scoring help, Massachusetts will struggle.

   - Keith Pompey