Temple vs Arizona State: NCAA Tournament Predictions
Written March 17, 2009 by Jordan Haimowitz
Arizona State was an at large team selected out of the Pac-10 conference. They lost in the conference championship game to USC after being up by 15 points at halftime. They are led by their star guard, future NBA lottery pick James Harden. He averages 21 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists per game. Big man Jeff Pendergraph is their low post threat averaging 14 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. The vocal leader of this team is Junior guard Derek Glasser. He runs the point and controls the tempo of this Sun Devils squad. Arizona State has been a fairly consistent defensive team all year long only giving up 60 points per game. While they are defensive heavy, they are also dangerous on offense averaging roughly 70 points per game. They hold opponents to under 40% from the field. In my mind the biggest difference in this game will be the point differential from the free throw line. Arizona State shoots 74% as a team from the line while their opponent Temple shoots under 70%. Arizona State matches up well against Temple. The Sun Devils are a very physical team and that is not something temple is known for. I see quite a few upsets in the first round overall, two in the South Region. If Arizona State plays just half as well as they are capable of, this will not be one of them. The Sun Devils are currently 4.5 point favorites over Temple.
The Temple Owls are the Atlantic-10 conference tournament champions. This is the second year in a row they got the automatic bid as conference tourney champs. Now, while this is an awful draw for them as I believe Arizona State is much better then a 6th seed, they do have the firepower offensively to make this game interesting. The Owls are led by their senior stud, All-Conference performer Dionte Christmas who averages 19 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists per game. Christmas is one of the most talented players in the country. He will certainly be tested though as Arizona State has several superb defenders. The Owls have another player that is worth mentioning. That is 6′9 F/C Lavoy Allen, he puts in 11 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists per game. He will draw the task of going head to head all game long with The Sun Devils senior Jeff Pendergraph. Temple averages 69 points per game, so they will be able to score in this game for sure, it’s whether they’ll be able to play defense. While Temple gives up only 63 points per game on average. They have had games this year against Clemson and Kansas. They lost both of those games giving up 76 points to Clemson and 71 points to Kansas. They did beat Tennessee 88-72. Temple has big game experience, they have the scoring to pull the upset. It will be very tough though.
Haimo’s Hot Notes: Arizona State is coming off a disappointing loss in the Pac-10 championship game to USC, a game which they led by 15 points at half. Temple is the back to back A-10 conference tourney champs. They got a real tough draw with the Sun Devils in the 11 and 6 seed opener in the South region. Dionte Christmas will have to be the best player on the court in this particular game and Lavoy Allen must outplay Jeff Pendergraph for the Owls to win. That is the keys to the game for Temple. Arizona State, just play ball. If they play the way they are capable of or even close to that, they will win this game probably with relative ease. The Sun Devils have senior leadership, big inside presence and a future NBA lottery pick. Expect Temple to keep it close early, perhaps have a lead at half. Come second half, James Harden and crew will pull away. The odds makers have this game with Arizona State giving 4.5 points. I’d lay the points and be real confident in doing so. People love a Cinderella, however, here would be the wrong place to look for one.
Arizona State was 18-11 ATS this year
Temple was 18-11-1 ATS this year
Betting Line: Arizona State -4.5
Jordan’s Pick: Take Arizona State -4.5
Make sure to check out all my South Region Articles. I will have all eight games broken down inch by inch with four of them including my predictions on the betting line:
Picks for South Region so far:
Arizona State -4.5
Documented Record To date:
9-7 OVERALL
5-1 BEST BETS
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:
- NCAA Tournament Predictions: Arizona State vs Syracuse
- Ball State at Temple Free Football Picks
- USC vs Arizona State: PAC-10 Conference Tournament Predictions
- Morgan State vs Oklahoma: NCAA Tournament Preview & Betting Odds
- Temple vs. Kent State Football Betting Odds & Spread
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