Best Philly rivalry: Nova-Temple hoops

One of the rivals Wednesday night, in what should be the raucous highlight of Philadelphia's college basketball season, is a large public institution that was founded by a Baptist minister. Its campus, veined by subway lines and narrow streets, sprawls across the redbrick heart of gritty North Philadelphia.

The other is a much smaller Catholic school that occupies a leafy slice of Main Line real estate. It has only a third as many students as its urban adversary and is twice as costly to attend.

Despite the geography and 96-year basketball history they share, Temple and Villanova Universities really don't have much in common. The twin spires of Villanova's graceful chapel and Temple's iconic bell tower are separated by 18 miles and a demographic chasm.

"They're the yin and yang of Philadelphia's basketball," said Steve Lappas, the former Villanova coach.

The fact that two such diverse colleges can maintain the kind of vibrant rivalry that will be on display when the No. 1-ranked Wildcats (22-3) meet the Owls (16-8) at Temple's Liacouras Center Wednesday at 7 p.m. speaks to the ongoing adhesive power of a faded Big Five.

"I applaud those people who have gone before us and created the Big Five and those who since then have taken care of this great thing we have," said Temple coach Fran Dunphy. "We're two distinctly different institutions, each with its own personality. But we've got 60 years of tradition between us."

That Big Five tradition has spawned competitiveness among all the makeshift city league's members. It's also led to a frequently posed question: What is Philadelphia's best rivalry?

While the Wildcats' annual Holy War with St. Joseph's might be better-known, it's been the Villanova-Temple matchups, pairing the two programs that in recent decades have been the most consistently successful, that now generate the most interest and competitiveness.

Villanova leads this ancient series, 45-42, according to Villanova's records, a margin that is the narrowest of any Big Five rivalry.

"St. Joe's was a big rivalry game, no question. Two Catholic schools from the same place," said Lappas, a longtime Villanova assistant and its head coach from 1992 to 2001. "But I think Temple, once John Chaney got there, became a national program, and there was a little more juice."

Villanova-Temple has featured legendary coaches such as Chaney, Rollie Massimino, Harry Litwack, and Jack Kraft; future Hall of Fame players such as Paul Arizin and Guy Rodgers; and a host of memorable moments and outcomes.

The Wildcats' 2003 triumph, for example, came in a Liacouras Center matchup that began at 12:01 a.m. Temple was spurred to its 1965 victory by an ailing Delaware County teenager, Betsy Schulz, who died a week later. In 1970, the teams met in an opening-round NCAA game. And in 1995, Temple's upset prevented No. 2 Villanova from climbing atop the polls for the first time ever, an accomplishment the school finally achieved last week.

Chaney said the rivalry seemed to gain steam after the Wildcats joined the Big East and won an NCAA title in 1985. Those two developments not only reshaped Villanova basketball but helped Temple, allowing the Owls coach to recruit more effectively and more broadly.

"We were in the Atlantic Ten, and we didn't have a TV contract," Chaney said. "But Villanova was in the Big East. The Big East had that big TV contract, and kids who didn't know much about Philadelphia basketball knew who they were. So I could say, 'If you come to Temple, you're going to play Villanova every year.' "

Ironically, one player Chaney recruited in the mid-'80s was also prized by Massimino. Temple won that battle, and the player, West Philadelphia's Howie Evans, would turn in the single greatest performance in the long series.

"Both Rollie and I were recruiting Howie. His mother was eager for him to sign. Didn't really matter which school," Chaney laughed. "Fortunately for us, they visited Temple first. It was a stormy night. I took them to dinner at the Diamond Club, and we got him. If he'd have visited Rollie first, he'd probably have gone there."

That recruiting coup, Lappas said, irritated Massimino, which added to the animosity between the schools - and their coaches.

"I'm not going to say they were friends, but they had a great mutual respect," Lappas, now a CBS basketball commentator, said of Chaney and Massimino. "They were old-school coaches that came up the hard way. Anyway, both were recruiting Evans, and Coach Mass was sure he was going to get him. It always drove him nuts that he didn't. And then every time we played against him, he played great."

Evans never played greater against Villanova than on Feb. 10, 1988. Reminiscent of Wednesday's game, the 18-1 Owls entered having recently earned the school's first No. 1 ranking. Meanwhile, 16-6 Villanova was No. 20.

Many of those who witnessed Temple's 98-86 triumph remain certain it was the pinnacle of the 89-game rivalry.

"I remember that game vividly," said Dunphy, then an assistant coach at La Salle. "It was as fine a contest as I've ever seen. It was a classic case of two really good teams playing terrific basketball. They should replay it every year on Comcast. It was just a remarkable game."

Temple's McGonigle Hall was sold out. Mayor Wilson Goode and 76ers owner Harold Katz were among the 4,800 fans, many of whom would pour out onto Broad Street afterward, jubilantly parading until well past midnight.

The game, with two coaches who were renowned for controlling the tempo, became an up-and-down shootout. Through 40 minutes, the intensity stayed as high as the shooting percentages.

"Maybe more than any game I ever coached, the kids just took control. I was happy to just sit there and watch," recalled Chaney.

Massimino felt the same.

"That was one of the best basketball games played in this city in a lotta, lotta, lotta years," he said afterward. "That was a national championship kind of game."

The Daily News headline termed it a "Masterpiece." The Inquirer noted that many were already calling the game "the greatest in Philadelphia college basketball history."

Doug West had 27 points for Villanova, and point guard Kenny Wilson contributed 25 points and nine assists. Temple freshman Marc Macon led all scorers with 31 points. But it was Evans who stole the show.

Under intense pressure, Temple's low-key point guard collected 20 assists, 17 points, and committed just a single turnover.

"Something to tell my children about," Evans said.

Chaney and Massimino are gone now. Temple plays at the Liacouras Center. It's the Wildcats who are No. 1, and the Big Five and its rivalries survive in a diminished state.

And in a basketball-crazed city, fans are again hoping that a couple of old rivals can make North Broad Street come alive.

"The series has been so close and so entertaining over all these years," said Dunphy. "Hopefully, Wednesday's game will be representative of that history."

ffitzpatrick@phillynews.com

@philafitz