Jack Scheuer’s Off The Boards – December 31, 2014 Edition

Obviously, the addition of Jesse Morgan and Devin Coleman has made a big difference  for Temple.  The Owls desperately needed some offense and those two have provided it.  Morgan, especially  can light it up, and his hot steaks can carry a team.  Where this  added scoring has really made a difference is that it provides much more space for Will Cummings to do what he does best, drive to the hoop.  He’s only 6-2,175, and absorbs hits like a pulling guard, but he should have more room to operate now.

The Owls will get a chance to see just how much they’ve improved when they visit UConn tonight.  The defending National Champs feature All American guard Ryan Boatright, so if Temple plays “man” we could see a great matchup between Cummings and the Huskies star.  Where Temple could be in trouble is in the size department, with 7-0 Amida Brimah, 6-9 Kentan Facey, and highly-touted 6-7 freshman Daniel Hamilton hitting the boards hard for the home team.

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Villanova’s success has been mainly because of the great balance they have, with just about every game providing a different high scorer.  A main factor in this development has been the way Ryan Arcidiacano has bought into the system.  Definitely known as a shooting guard in high school, he has refined his game each season on the Main Line to where he shoots much less than previously, and rarely takes a bad shot, all for the good of the cause.  For this, the junior guard  should be commended.

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Trivia Time: Can you name the 4 former Penn players who are now coaching in Division One? Answers at the end of the column.

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This and That : Former Sixer Jrue Holiday is having a real good year with New Orleans, averaging 15.5 points and 7.2 assists a game…. Rasual Butler has made a great comeback in the NBA.  Out of the game just 2 years ago, the ex- LaSalle star is a valuable man off the bench for the Wizards, scoring 10 points a game while hitting 52% from the field….Shooting percentages are down everywhere, as are assists.  There might be a connection there….Things don’t seem to be working out too well  with Anthony Lee and Ohio State.  The Temple transfer is playing only 12 minutes an outing, averaging 4 points and 3 rebounds for the #20 Buckeyes…. Saturday afternoon at Seton Hall could be a tough test for 6th-ranked Villanova.  The Pirates are a much improved team this season.

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Answer to Trivia Time: Jerome Allen at Penn, Fran McCaffery at Iowa, Andrew Toole at Robert Morris, and Matt Langel at Colgate.