The Minutemen and Owls get together in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Championship for the second consecutive year.
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — After three dramatic finishes on the first day of the Atlantic 10 Championship, there has already been plenty of fun during the tournament's first go-around at the Barclays Center.
Adding the final chapter of the storied rivalry between the University of Massachusetts and Temple is likely should only add to it.
The Minutemen (20-10) are set to face the Owls (23-8) in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Championship on Friday at 9 p.m. in what will almost certainly be the final game between the two before Temple departs for a new conference next season.
The history between the two squads dates back to the glory days of John Chaney threatening John Calipari in post-game press conferences, and although the more recent editions of the rivalry haven’t had lack the national appeal of those battles, they have been just as exciting.
The 90-88 overtime defeat UMass suffered on Feb. 29, 2012 at the Liacouras Center still sticks in UMass coach Derek Kellogg’s memory.
“The game down there last year I thought was one of the best college basketball games I’ve been a part of,” Kellogg said. “That game was just awesome.”
In last season’s Atlantic 10 Tournament, the eighth-seeded Minutemen defeated the top-seeded Owls 77-71 in Atlantic City, N.J.
This year’s regular season matchup at Mullins Center ended in heartbreak for UMass, which fell 83-82. UMass had the ball on the final possession with a chance to win the game, but didn’t get a shot off.
That win sparked a seven-game winning streak for the Owls, who enter Friday's game in solid shape for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Atlantic 10 Player of the Year Khalif Wyatt scored 24 points against the Minutemen in their previous meeting this season, and UMass point guard Chaz Williams was not shy in stressing the importance of slowing him down Friday.
“We’re just going to have to stop him, and once we cut the head off the train, everything will stop moving,” Williams said. “We just have to control him and just stick to our game plan, and we should come out with a victory.”
Kellogg pointed out that despite Wyatt’s individual accolades, Temple’s cohesiveness as a team has also been a strength.
“The one thing I think that coach as gotten them to do maybe better than any team in our league is he has them playing their roles,” Kellogg said. “If Wyatt takes a lot of shots, nobody’s complaining and they go do their job. They all seem to have a good feel for what they’re trying to accomplish.”
UMass will also have to clean up its effort on the glass — where it was outrebounded 50-32 by George Washington in Thursday’s first-round victory.
“Temple has big guys that can rebound like hell,” Williams said.
Helping that effort will be UMass forwards Cady Lalanne and Terrell Vinson who should have fresh legs after playing 15 and 17 minutes respectively Thursday because of foul trouble.
“If we have two guys that should have a lot of energy tomorrow night, it should be Cady and TV,” Kellogg said.