Temple Owls men's basketball
The Temple Owls men's basketball team represents Temple University in the sport of basketball. The Owls compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I as a member of the American Athletic Conference. They play their home games in the Liacouras Center on the university's main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and are currently led by head coach Aaron Mckie. Temple is the fifth-most winningest NCAA Division I men's college basketball program of all time, with 1903 wins at the end of the 2017–18 season.
On March 7, 2012, the Temple Owls announced that they would be rejoining the Big East Conference for all sports in 2013 after 31 years in the Atlantic 10 Conference, with the Owls football team membership beginning in the 2012 season. However, before Temple became an all-sports member of the Big East, the conference split along football lines. The league's non-FBS football schools formed a new Big East in 2013, while Temple and the remaining football members remained in the old conference, but renamed it the American Athletic Conference.
History
The Temple Owls became the first National Invitation Tournament champions in 1938, one year before the inception of the NCAA Tournament. The Owls were retroactively recognized by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll and the Helms Athletic Foundation as the national champion for the 1937–38 season. Temple again won the NIT championship in 1969.During the 1950s, the Temple basketball team made two NCAA Final Four appearances in under legendary Head Coach Harry Litwack. Litwack would be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame after concluding a 21-year coaching career that included 373 wins.
Head Coach John Chaney, also a Hall of Famer, won a total of 741 career games and took Temple to the NCAA tournament 17 times in 24 seasons with the Owls. His teams won the Atlantic 10 regular season championship eight times, while winning the A-10 Tournament six times. His 1987–88 Owls team entered the NCAA Tournament ranked No. 1 in the country, but lost in the Elite Eight to Duke. Chaney reached the Elite Eight on five occasions and was the consensus National Coach of the Year in 1988. On March 13, 2006, Chaney retired from coaching.
On April 10, 2006, Penn head coach and La Salle alumnus Fran Dunphy was named the new head coach. Dunphy had coached the Quakers for 17 straight seasons prior to the move. After struggling his first year, the Owls won the A-10 Tournament for three consecutive years in 2008, 2009, and 2010. The Owls received bids to the NCAA Tournament for six straight years under Dunphy. However, the Owls only won a game in the Tournament twice during that time period. Since Temple joined the American Athletic Conference in 2013, the Owls have struggled, making the NCAA Tournament only in 2016 and 2019.
After the 2018 season it was announced that former Owls standout and current assistant coach Aaron McKie would take over for Fran beginning in 2019.
Players Mark Macon, Juan Ignacio Sanchez, Eddie Jones, Lavoy Allen, Aaron McKie, Tim Perry and Mardy Collins are just a few who have gone on to play in the NBA.
Rivalries
As a member of the Big 5, the Owls have long-standing rivalries with Villanova, Penn, Saint Joseph's, and La Salle. The Owls have the most Big 5 titles to date, with 27. However, they have not won an outright Big 5 title since the 2000–01 season. The Owls won their most recent Big 5 title in 2012–13, going 3-1 in Big 5 play and splitting the title with La Salle. During Big 5 games, the Temple student section unfurls long banners about the opposing team, which has been a Big 5 trademark for Temple.Other rivals include UMass, Cincinnati, and Connecticut. Temple is in the American Athletic Conference with both Cincinnati and UConn and play them regularly in the regular season. When Temple was in the A-10, head coach John Chaney had a personal rivalry with UMass head coach John Calipari.
Awards and honors
Retired numbers
National Awards
All Americans
- Mike Bloom – 1938
- Bill Mlkvy – 1951
- Guy Rodgers – 1957, 1958
- Bill Kennedy – 1960
- Terrence Stansbury – 1984
- Nate Blackwell – 1987
- Mark Macon – 1988
- Pepe Sanchez – 2000
National Coach of the Year
- John Chaney – 1987, 1988
Conference awards
Atlantic 10 Conference (1982-2013)">Atlantic 10 Conference">Atlantic 10 Conference (1982-2013)
- Atlantic 10 Player of the Year
- *Terrence Stansbury – 1983-84
- *Granger Hall – 1984-85
- *Nate Blackwell – 1986-87
- *Tim Perry – 1987-88
- *Mark Macon – 1988-89
- *Aaron McKie – 1992-93
- *Eddie Jones – 1993-94
- *Marc Jackson – 1996-97
- *Pepe Sanchez – 1999-00
- *Khalif Wyatt – 2012-13
- Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year
- *Quincy Wadley – 1998-99
- *Lynn Greer – 1999-00
- *Brian Polk – 2001-02
- *Ramone Moore – 2009-10
- *Khalif Wyatt – 2010-11
- Atlantic 10 Most Improved Player
- *Dionte Christmas – 2006-07
- *Scootie Randall – 2010-11
- Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year
- *John Chaney – 1983-84, 1984-85, 1986-87, 1987-88, 1999-00
- *Fran Dunphy – 2009-10, 2011-12
American Athletic Conference (2013-Present)">American Athletic Conference">American Athletic Conference (2013-Present)
- American Athletic Conference Most Improved Player
- *Nate Pierre-Louis - 2019
- American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year
- *Fran Dunphy – 2015, 2016
[Naismith Memorial [Basketball Hall of Fame]]
- Harry Litwack – 1976
- John Chaney – 2001
- Guy Rodgers - 2014
Owls in pro basketball
NBA Drafted players
Season-by-season results
The following is a list of Temple Owls men's basketball seasons, with records and notable accomplishments.Postseason
NCAA tournament results
The Owls have appeared in the NCAA Tournament 33 times. Their combined record is 33–33.| 1944 | Elite Eight Regional 3rd Place Game | Ohio State Catholic | L 47–57 W 55–35 | |
| 1956 | First Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National 3rd Place Game | Holy Cross Connecticut Canisius Iowa SMU | W 74–72 W 65–59 W 60–58 L 76–83 W 90–81 | |
| 1958 | Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National 3rd Place Game | Maryland Dartmouth Kentucky Kansas State | W 71–67 W 69–50 L 60–61 W 67–57 | |
| 1964 | First Round | Connecticut | L 48–53 | |
| 1967 | First Round | St. John's | L 53–57 | |
| 1970 | First Round | South Carolina | L 51–53 | |
| 1972 | First Round | West Virginia | L 71–77 | |
| 1979 | #7 | First Round | #10 St. John's | L 70–75 |
| 1984 | #8 | First Round Second Round | #9 St. John's
| W 65–63L 66–77 |
| 1985 | #8 | First Round Second Round | #9 Virginia Tech
| W 60–57L 46–63 |
| 1986 | #9 | First Round Second Round | #8 Jacksonville
| W 61–50 OTL 43–65 |
| 1987 | #2 | First Round Second Round | #15 Southern
| W 75–56L 62–72 |
| 1988 | #1 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | #16 Lehigh
| W 87–73W 74–53 W 69–47 L 53–63 |
| 1990 | #11 | First Round | #6 St. John's | L 65–81 |
| 1991 | #10 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | #7 Purdue
| W 80–63W 77–64 W 72–63 OT L 72–75 |
| 1992 | #11 | First Round | #6 Michigan | L 66–73 |
| 1993 | #7 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | #10 Missouri
| W 75–61W 68–57 W 67–59 L 72–77 |
| 1994 | #4 | First Round Second Round | #13 Drexel
| W 61–39L 58–67 |
| 1995 | #7 | First Round | #10 Cincinnati | L 71–77 |
| 1996 | #7 | First Round Second Round | #10 Oklahoma
| W 61–43L 65–78 |
| 1997 | #9 | First Round Second Round | #8 Ole Miss
| W 62–40L 57–76 |
| 1998 | #7 | First Round | #10 West Virginia | L 52–82 |
| 1999 | #6 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | #11 Kent State
| W 61–54W 64–54 W 77–55 L 64–85 |
| 2000 | #2 | First Round Second Round | #15 Lafayette
| W 73–47L 65–67 OT |
| 2001 | #11 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | #6 Texas
| W 79–65W 75–54 W 84–72 L 62–69 |
| 2008 | #12 | First Round | #5 Michigan State | L 61–72 |
| 2009 | #11 | First Round | #6 Arizona State | L 57–66 |
| 2010 | #5 | First Round | #12 Cornell | L 65–78 |
| 2011 | #7 | Second Round Third Round | #10 Penn State | W 66–64L 64–71 2OT |
| 2012 | #5 | Second Round | #12 South Florida | L 44–58 |
| 2013 | #9 | Second Round Third Round | #8 NC State
| W 76–72L 52–58 |
| 2016 | #10 | First Round | #7 Iowa | L 70–72 OT |
| 2019 | #11 | First Four | #11 Belmont | L 70–81 |
NIT results
The Owls have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament 18 times. Their combined record is 23–16. They are two time NIT champions.| 1938 | Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals | Bradley Oklahoma A&M Colorado | W 53–40 W 56–55 W 60–36 |
| 1957 | Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game | Dayton Bradley St. Bonaventure | W 77–66 L 66–77 W 67–50 |
| 1960 | First Round | Dayton | L 51–72 |
| 1961 | First Round Quarterfinals | Army Dayton | W 79–65 L 62–60 |
| 1962 | First Round Quarterfinals | Providence Loyola–Chicago | W 80–78 L 64–75 |
| 1966 | First Round Quarterfinals | Virginia Tech BYU | W 88–73 L 78–90 |
| 1968 | First Round | Kansas | L 76–82 |
| 1969 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals | Florida Saint Peter's Tennessee Boston College | W 82–66 W 94–78 W 63–58 W 89–76 |
| 1978 | First Round | Texas | L 58–72 |
| 1981 | First Round Second Round | Clemson West Virginia | W 90–82 L 76–77 |
| 1982 | First Round | Georgia | L 60–73 |
| 1989 | First Round | Richmond | L 56–70 |
| 2002 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game | Fresno State Louisville Villanova Memphis Syracuse | W 81–75 W 65–62 W 63–57 L 77–79 W 65–64 |
| 2003 | Opening Round First Round Second Round Quarterfinals | Drexel Boston College Rhode Island Minnesota | W 68–59 W 75–62 W 61–53 L 58–63 |
| 2004 | First Round | Rutgers | L 71–76 |
| 2005 | First Round | Virginia Tech | L 50–60 |
| 2006 | Opening Round | Akron | L 73–80 |
| 2015 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | Bucknell George Washington Louisiana Tech Miami | W 73–67 W 90–77 W 77–59 L 57–60 |
| 2018 | First Round | Penn State | L 57–63 |