Temple coach Adam Fisher addresses reporters at the Big 5 Classic on Dec. 2, 2023. (Photo: Aaron Bracy)
By AARON BRACY
March 23, 2024
Big5Hoops.com
The Philadelphia Big 5 went 44 consecutive seasons with a representative in the NCAA tournament from 1978 through 2022. (There was no tournament in 2020.) Over that stretch, the five schools combined for 92 trips to the Big Dance that included national championships in 1985, 2016 and 2018 for Villanova.
Add in Drexel’s five appearances during that stretch and the combined number of NCAA berths is 97. (Drexel was not part of the Big 5 until this season.)
But this season marks the second straight year without a Big 5 team in the Big Dance. The reasons for Philly schools’ absence have some to do with each of the schools and some to do with the changing landscape of college basketball.
Let’s take a look at each school’s season, why they are not in the tournament and how they might get back there.
Here’s the schedule:
Friday: Villanova
Today: Temple
Sunday: Saint Joseph’s
Monday: Penn
Tuesday: La Salle
Wednesday: Drexel
Thursday: All-Big 5 Selections
Temple
NCAA tournaments between 1978-2022: 26
2023-24 record: 16-20, 5-13 American Athletic Conference
Leading scorers: Hysier Miller 15.9, Jordan Riley 11.9, Jahlil White 10.1, Steve Settle III 8.6, Shane Dezonie 7.9, Matteo Picarelli 7.0
Leading rebounders: Riley 6.0, Sam Hofman 5.7, White 5.5, Settle 5.0
What went right: Temple defeated Drexel and La Salle to earn a spot in the first-ever Big 5 Classic title game, losing to St. Joe’s 74-65 on Dec. 2. The Owls rallied late in the season, incredibly reaching the championship game of the AAC by winning four consecutive games in the conference tournament before losing to UAB 85-69 in the title game on March 17.
What went wrong: The Owls lost their top four scorers from last season to transfer after coach Aaron McKie’s firing. New coach Adam Fisher was left to pick up the pieces. The Owls struggled for most of the season, with the lowlight coming on March 7 when they lost at home to UAB 100-72, only to learn afterward that a gambling oversight organization alerted the school and the conference after a large swing in the pregame point spread. The implication was that there was a point-shaving situation at Temple. An apparent investigation ensued, though no formal results have been made public.
My thoughts: Fisher was not starting the season with a full deck, so anything that he did in his first season wouldn’t be scrutinized much. While not overly critical, I did have questions about how he used his leading scorer, guard Miller. Miller is a very good player, but three-point shooting is not a strength of his game. Yet he got the green light from Fisher to hoist 262 3-pointers while making just 29.4 percent. I get that shooting the 3-pointer is vitally important in basketball today, but I also think coaching to players’ strengths is vitally important, too. In this case, I didn’t see that. On the flip side, what really impressed me about Fisher was how the Owls fought to the finish, improbably getting to the finals of the AAC tournament. That is a great sign for Fisher’s leadership going forward.
So, what’s next for Fisher and the Owls? I know Fisher has the reputation as an excellent recruiter, but I think you can put the game’s best recruiters at Temple and you’re still going to have a problem. The elephant in the room is the American Athletic Conference. Quite simply, the AAC is not a good fit for Temple men’s basketball.
Why? Let’s look at some reasons.
Unless you’re playing in a Power 6 conference, it makes little sense to play in a conference without geographical alignment. The AAC features teams in the Carolinas, Florida, Texas and some other places that aren’t remotely close to Philly. It’s fine for the Owls basketball players and staff to hop on a plane, but it’s unlikely that a large portion of fans will be making many road trips to support the team. Just look at the AAC tournament. Sure, there was a lot of buzz on social media as the Owls marched toward the final. But could you imagine the support, the media coverage and the fan turnout if that final took place in, say, Brooklyn rather than Texas?
I remember how Temple turned up and turned out when the Owls were playing in the Atlantic 10 final in Atlantic City. It was all Cherry & White at Boardwalk Hall.
Besides the odd geography, the AAC is just a bunch of teams. There is not great basketball tradition at most AAC schools. No rivalries with Temple. There is little stability in the league. The best programs in the conference, seemingly, are looking to leave it, or already have. Last year it was Houston, Central Florida and Cincinnati that bolted the conference. After this season, it is SMU that is saying goodbye. Who will be next? The marquee basketball program of the league probably is Florida Atlantic, which is recruiting to its location rather than its conference. Temple, sadly, is just another team in a conference of just a bunch of teams.
I have been following Temple for four decades and would love to see the Owls get back to the level where legendary coach John Chaney built the program into a national program that made 17 NCAA tournament appearances in 18 seasons between 1984 and 2001. Anything that I write or say should be taken in that context. It saddens me to see the Owls dip to 191st in the country in the latest NCAA NET rankings (and that’s with the run to the AAC final). But a return to Chaneyesque heights isn’t going to happen as long as Temple is playing in the AAC – no matter how good Fisher is.
So, what’s the solution? Well, that’s not so easy. There is the issue of football, and there is the issue of economics. Both are tricky. The AAC might be a good fit for Temple football. Honestly, I am not sure and am only looking at this from a men’s basketball perspective. (If it is a good football fit, maybe the Owls can stay in the AAC as football-only, as Army will be doing next season.) I get that football TV rights equals big dollars. The bottom line for me, though, isn’t the bottom line. The bottom line for me is Temple men’s basketball getting back to its rightful place as a regular conference title contender, a regular NCAA participant and a regular AP Top 25 candidate. That’s what the program was under Chaney.
So, where does Temple go? That is another not-so-easy question to answer. The obvious choice would be to go to a Power 6 school. That probably would have happened already if a possibility. If I were in charge of making a Temple men’s basketball decision, I would petition the Atlantic 10 for acceptance back into the conference. It’s where Temple had its most success.
I get that the A-10 is not a perfect solution because you’d be leaving one league that is trying to get respect as a league worthy of multiple multiple NCAA tournament for another league that is trying to get respect as a league worthy of multiple NCAA tournament bids. But at least you’d have a recruiting home base from which to work. Players want to be able to play in front of family and friends. You’d have geography that makes sense. Alumni and students want to be able to travel to games without taking out a loan for a plane flight. And you’d have a history of success on which to rebuild. Temple had its most success in the A-10 and can again — especially after what Fisher showed down the stretch this season.
Maybe, one day, a Power 6 spot will open up for the Owls. Meantime, it makes the most sense to be in a conference that will position Temple to have the most success.
So, the question of whether Temple will get better under Fisher really is secondary. (By the way, I think the answer is a clear yes, whether in the AAC or somewhere else.) The primary question is this: When will Temple make a conference decision in the best interest of men’s basketball? Then, and only then, can we start having a conversation about the Owls returning to the NCAA tournament and the program returning to prominence.
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Aaron Bracy has been covering Philadelphia sports since 1996. His byline regularly appears on Associated Press stories. Big5Hoops.com is his second website dedicated to Philadelphia college basketball. Follow Bracy on X: @Aaron_Bracy and like his Facebook and Instagram pages.