Temple's trip to hostile Cameron Indoor could pay off

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Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Posted: 11:39 p.m.

By Matt Haughton
CSNPhilly.com

DURHAM, N.C.From clashes around the country to Big 5 battles in Philadelphia, Temple has played in plenty of hostile environments under Fran Dunphy.

Nothing compared to this one.

The 24th-ranked Owls walked into a far different atmosphere than they had ever witnessed before during Wednesdays loss to No. 1 Duke.

They have a great crowd, Ramone Moore said. This is one of the best places to play in the country. They were in it the whole game. It was kind of hard to call out plays so guys can hear. It was pretty loud in here. It might have contributed to the game, but its no excuse for the way we played.

Moore might not want to make excuses, but he can't deny the fans impact.

The Owls struggled to communicate several times while trying to run plays, showing their frustration with their inability to sync together on some occasions.

They can thank no one but Dukes infamous Cameron Crazies for that lack of cohesion. The Blue Devil supporters were loud from the moment the doors opened, rolling out their signature hand waving and chants in an attempt to rattle players.

Juan Fernandez was the Crazies main target on the night with plenty of organized taunts for the Owls junior guard. His 2-of-10 shooting effort did not help matters.

Even with the team taking the loss in enemy territory, Temple feels the scheduled matchup can do nothing but help.

You take a lot out of it. The atmosphere is somewhat of like a tournament game, Moore said. I thank coach Dunphy for scheduling a game like this and putting us in a position to try and prepare ourselves for the NCAA tournament. It helps us in the long run, but at same time we just didnt get the job done tonight.

I think its a great test for us and Im grateful for the opportunity to bring our team down here, Dunphy said. And Im grateful that Mike Krzyzewski will bring his team up to Philadelphia next year. Its a terrific game for us to play.

With the history of both programs, Krzyzewski could do nothing but agree with his coaching friend.

First of all, its an honor to play them, he said. Temples one of the top-six winningest programs in the history of the game. Were one of the top-four and to have to programs like that play, I think its good for college basketball. The traditions of both programs intersect on that particular day and its a nice celebration of college basketball.

Plus, I think it makes both teams better. It gives you a look at how somebody else outside of your conference will play you. That is really good. Its a tough game. I think both teams can benefit, youd rather benefit by winning it.

The Owls hope to be on the winning side of those benefits during this year's tourney and next season when Duke travels to the Liacouras Center.

E-mail Matt Haughton at mhaughton@comcastsportsnet.com

Related: Top-ranked Duke pulls away from No. 24 Temple

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