Owls Face a Hot Rhode Island Team

One win down, just two more to go.

As you might know, the Atlantic 10 conference tournament between the quarterfinals and championship game spans just three days. After tonight's games finish, we'll know who the other two teams that remain in the tournament are.

For our sake, Temple's matchup has already been determined-- the Owls will play a familiar opponent in Rhode Island, who the team has faced twice already this year. The Rams are on Joe Lunardi's "First Four Out", and are basically controlling their own destiny at this point.

The Owls would like to continue its success against URI, winning both in Kingston and at home in Philadelphia.

Round one featured an overtime thriller at Rhody, where Temple was able to come out on top when Delroy James was in deep foul trouble. The team's second meeting, however, was a win that was in Temple's hands after the first few minutes of play.

Tomorrow's case, though, has larger implications than almost any other game this season for Rhody. A win over a nationally ranked team, as well as a continued shot at the A10 title are this team's only concern.

Leading the Rhode Island Rams are Keith Cothran, Delroy James, and Lamonte Ulmer. These three talents account for about 40 of Rhode Island's 70 point average. Cothran and James both have the ability to attack the basket and hit the open jumper. Delroy James seems a little more aggressive in the paint. Forward Lamonte Ulmer accounts for most of Rhody's interior production (rebounding and scoring).

This team has a lot of offensive power, but what hurts them is their defensive efforts. Easy-to-break presses, lazy transition D, and sluggish coverage are just a few of the only weaknesses this team has at times.

Below is a quick look at Rhode Island's top performers in their win against Saint Louis.
PTSREBASTTOPFLamonte Ulmer165011Akeem Richmond132101Orion Outerbridge105101Keith Cothran81221
FG Percentage: 45%
3PT FG Percentage: 33%
FT Percentage: 70%

Temple comes off a convincing win over St. Bonaventure, and Rhode Island enters the third round with an "upset" of Saint Louis.

#1 Temple (69), #8 St. Bonaventure (51)
#5 Rhode Island (63), #4 Saint Louis (47)

Apparently Rhode Island fans shouted, "We Want Temple" after their win over Saint Louis. Well, we hope you're ready for us.

Tomorrow's tip is at 1:00 PM, and you can catch the game on CN8. We'll be live blogging tomorrow's game an hour before game time.