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Temple shocking Wichita State just what Owls needed

By Dan Parzych

PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 01: Temple Owls fans rush the court after the win at the Liacouras Center on February 1, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Temple men's basketball team defeated 16th ranked Wichita 81-79 in overtime. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 01: Temple Owls fans rush the court after the win at the Liacouras Center on February 1, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Temple men's basketball team defeated 16th ranked Wichita 81-79 in overtime. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images) /
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The Temple Owls came through with a huge win on Thursday by upsetting the Wichita State shockers.

For the most part, this season has been a lot of back and fourth for the Temple Owls, although it has been frustrating at times to see them fail to come through when it matters the most against ranked teams such as Villanova and Cincinnati. On Thursday, the Owls found themselves in another position to make a statement against one of the top teams the country has to offer in the Shockers of Wichita State, and even though it took a few extra minutes of play in overtime, Fran Dunphy’s squad was able to come through in a big way this time.

Taking down No. 16 Wichita State in overtime 81-79 was a huge accomplishment for Temple, as as Quinton Rose led the way for the Owls by scoring 19 points. But as enjoyable of a win as this was for the Owls, the team still has a long way to go since they still have a lot to prove before March rolls around if the team is going to have any chance of participating in this year’s big tournament.

Early on in the season, Temple made a big statement by winning each of their first three games, with two of those wins coming against Clemson and Auburn, but also this team has been difficult to figure out since the last few months have been somewhat of a roller coaster ride. Between losing to Villanova by 20 along with falling just short of upsetting Cincinnati after losing 55-53, each of these games against ranked opponents would have looked great on the Owls resume.

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At least against Wichita State, Temple didn’t let this one slip away in overtime since there were a few close calls when it seemed like the Owls were going to end up on the losing end. With another meeting with the Shockers in less than two weeks, it will be interesting to see if the Owls can pull through with another victory, although playing on the road in front of a hostile environment will be a lot more difficult. Then again, at least this will be another good test for Temple since a second win over the Shockers will certainly boost that resume for when March rolls around.

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