You could see them massing at the far end of the court, just behind the dancers and the band. The clock ticked down and the student section swelled, pushing to the edge of the court. Only a few doe-eyed security guards stood between the growing crowd and a hardwood celebration. When it was over, a giant cherry-colored horde stormed the court.
Temple beat fifth-ranked Duke (see story.) There was much rejoicing.
On Thursday night, 20,420 people filled the Wells Fargo Center, the third-largest college hoops assembly in the buildings history. They were treated to an excellent game and an unexpected ending. Temple won 78-73. It was the fourth straight season that Temple has recorded a victory against a top-10 opponent, but it was the first time in 15 years that the Owls put more points on the scoreboard than Duke.
The last time I saw Temple students rush the floor was over a decade ago. Pepe Sanchez was the point guard and John Chaney was the coach. Chaney fared better that night. After Sanchez hit crucial free throws to help the Owls beat No.5 Michigan State, the fans flooded the court and trampled poor Sanchez.
This time it went smoother. Though there was one exuberant (and doughy) Temple fan that took off his shirt for the cameras and whipped it in a circle over his head while screaming. That was a like a visual trampling, but still preferable to the one Sanchez absorbed.
While Owls fans jumped up and down on Thursday, an authoritative voice came over the PA system and instructed everyone to immediately clear the court. The crowd didnt disperse, but it did boo, which was the right response. It was a good night for Temple.
Thats when youve arrived as a basketball program, Fran Dunphy said, when the students rush the floor.
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So true. The Owls (10-3) have won three of the last four A-10 tournaments, but topping the Blue Devils marked the biggest win for the program in a long while. It was the kind of victory that everyone notices, from casual fans to hardcore hoops heads to shrieking Coach K apologists. Dunphys crew is tough and talented and legit. If last seasons NCAA Tournament victorythe first under Dunphywas a notice to the nation that Temple hoops is building something significant again, then upending Duke was a reaffirmation of that statement.
Its not a team were playing, were playing a program, Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski said. Temples always had a program with John Chaney and now with Dunph. Youre playing a tradition here. Youre not playing a singular team. It always has good kids with John and with Dunph who bought into that tradition.
Dunphy had those kids ride the subway to the game. He said they did it as a tribute to all the Temple people who took the subway to class or a part-time job or both. Dunphy said the players did it for them and because thats Temple. It was one of the biggest games of their lives, and they took the Broad Street line to South Philly. Its hard to imagine Duke doing the samethough, in the Blue Devils defense, Im not sure Durham has much in the way of underground public transportation.
Anyway, the ride back to North Broad Street was probably a blast for the Owls. New friends at every stop. Hey, did you hear the good news? We beat Duke.
Whenever you play Duke you want to beat those guys, Ramone Moore said. It means a lot. Its something that we believed in coming into the game. Im not sure how many people believed it, but we believed it.
Hes right. No one believed it. Duke had won 49 straight games against teams outside traditional power conferences (Big Ten, Big East, SEC, ACC, PAC 12, Big 12). And Temple, per usual, was missing two key players, Micheal Eric and Scootie Randall. The Blue Devils were supposed to win. That they didnt was a happy occasion for Temple fans and Duke haters alike. (I never understood rooting for the Devils. Its like cheering on the IRS.)
In the news conference after the game, someone asked Krzyzewski if he saw the upset coming. He stared for a while and then laughed.
Come on, Krzyzewski said. If I saw it coming, I would have faked an illnessinstead of getting ill during the game. We take a very bitter lossthats what we take out of this.
The Owls rode the subway. They beat Duke. It was a good night.
E-mail John Gonzalez at jgonzalez@comcastsportsnet.com.