Temple breaks Villanova’s No. 16 for the first time since 2012

Philadelphia – Khalif Battle He got lost in the crowd of Temple students who thronged the field to celebrate one of the program’s fiercest victories in years.

Only one problem.

The smallest ticks were stuck to the clock.

Hey, it’s been 10 years since the owls ousted the great Vilanova. What are a few more seconds?

Patel said, “I felt like the party was just getting started. I mean, they had to make a 2-second shot on the clock. You do it, take my hat off. But we won.”

Damien Dunn He fouled a lead throw with 1.1 seconds left and made two free throws as Temple beat No. 16 Villanova 68-64 on Friday night, sending the owls fans into a pitch frenzy – twice! Lycoras Center.

The 14 changes in the second half formed this game into the classic Big Five category. All that was missing was the palystra.

“Temple was one of the big shows,” said Patel. “We’re just trying to bring it back that far. Bring back our name. And it was a big deal.”

Dunn sank the first free throw to lead 65-64 and Vilanova called a timeout to freeze on the sophomore guard. Temple security guards lined up at the courthouse in anticipation of the coming chaos—and Dunn turned him over.

He hit the second blow, Temple Zach Hicks The pass was intercepted inside and hundreds of fans immediately rushed onto the field. The public address announcer ordered fans to vacate the court – “The game isn’t over yet!” – Even with 0.0 remaining frozen on the scoreboard.

Turns out, an error was called on Villanova Eric Dixon Hicks went to the free throw line with the 0.2 on the clock and hundreds of Temple students crammed behind the other basket ready to run again.

Hicks made both and called Villanova a deadline. The temple players greeted the impatient fans and also tried to keep calm off the field. When the game finally ended, it was Temple Court Storm, Take 2!

Temple coach Aaron Mackie earned his signature win in his four seasons on the bench. The Owls beat the top 25 for the first time since they topped 16th at Wichita State 65-52 on January 15, 2020.

“It’s great to see the players, that college energy that these kids go to play college basketball for,” Mackie said.

Dunn led the Boom team (1-1) with 22 points, while Battle scored 21 points.

Caleb Daniels Villanova led (1-1) with 19 points and Dixon had 18 points on average. Vilanova scored 26 3-point attempts per game last season, but only hit 2 of 7 against Temple. The owls denied ocean shots and forced the Wildcats to attempt passes in the paint, which met with mixed results.

“They’ve done a good job bringing out something we love to do,” Villanova coach Kyle Neptune said.

Saint Joseph’s, Villanova, La Salle, Penn, and Temple games have been woven into the fabric of Philadelphia’s esports for more than 60 years. However, The Big 5 has lost its luster over the past decade as the Wildcats have turned into a national power and the other four teams just couldn’t keep up.

The pandemic has wiped out the annual game in each of the past two seasons, and this was the first encounter since Vilanova won on February 16, 2020. The owls have not won the series since December 5, 2012, when Fran Dunphy was. Still the coach. Villanova won seven consecutive times in the series, averaging 18 points.

Owls hit the court and shot an annoyance.

Pat is healthy after missing the entire last season with a broken foot, hit 3 and then converted a four-point play to lead 24-11. Temple fans erupted.

The Wildcats were out of their game in their second Neptune game since replacing retired Hall of Famer Jay Wright. Villanova closed in 11-3 runs and trailed 34-29.

Friday’s result equals Villanova’s closest season lost to an opponent not ranked as a seeded team. The Wildcats have suffered the same fate twice before, in Game Two of the 1994-95 season (lost 85-64 to Minnesota) and Game Two of the 1988-89 season (lost 102-81 against Southern Illinois).

Wildcats played without an expected start Justin Moore (Exiting indefinitely, ripped Achilles) and starting the new season in this year’s Big East Cam Whitmore (On the thumb of the right hand).

None of that mattered because fans ignored PA’s pleas and danced and took selfies with Hooter after the last trumpet.

ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.