FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Twas a time, not that far in the distant past either, that the mere mention of UMass and Temple in the same sentence made scalpers and television execs alike salivate uncontrollably, as the combination of both on the same basketball court meant very nice profits for each.

Sadly, those days are gone, the greatest evidence of this being that their own league, the Atlantic 10, failed to match the two teams up for a home-and-home series in their newly designed scheduling schematic; one in which each team meets only three other conference teams twice a season.  In the league's eyes, the rivalry between the two, once one of the most heated in the nation and at one time the crown jewel of the A-10, doesn't even quantify a bi-annual meeting anymore.  For UMass, those teams deemed the most worthy of a twice yearly matchup are Rhode Island, St. Louis and St. Joseph's.  For Temple, it's a bit more complicated; there are two other teams in Philadelphia alone (St. Joe's and LaSalle - and even LaSalle didn't get the honor of the meeting the Owls twice) that have long-standing rivalries with the Owls. 

Anyone who watched the intense, hate-filled battles (almost bordering on wars) waged between the Minutemen and Owls during the late 80's through the turn of the millennium would hardly believe the rivalry has taken such a downturn.  That there were 3,700 empty seats at today's game tells you how far the interest in this rivalry has dropped, although the current state of the two programs has as much to do with lackluster attendance as anything. 

No longer is either school a national power, in fact, it has been 10 years since UMass made their last appearance in the Big Dance; the magic that John Calipari brought with him to Amherst disappeared like a fast moving cloud almost as soon as he departed.  There were a couple of residual NCAA appearances after coach Cal left; this success was as much a by product of the talented cupboard Calipari had assembled and left behind as much as it was good coaching by Bruiser Flint.  To put it in Parcells-speak: if you couldn't cook with the groceries that had been given you (at least in this situation), you pretty much couldn't cook at all.

At one time, Temple was the 600 pound gorilla in the room, the monkey on the Minutemen's back.  It was indeed a glorious day when UMass finally beat Temple for the first ever time, a victory that seemed like it might never come.  For UMass and its fans, Temple was the basketball equivalant of the Yankees; no matter how hard they tried, no matter how talented a team they had, UMass just couldn't beat the Owls.  But when they finally did (on the twenty second try), the glory was indescribable; pure bliss on the hardwood. 

While the rivalry isn't as intense as it once was, it still holds a special place among the participants; the players and coaches know the history and the importance with beating the other team.  But looking at the present state of the two programs, it's hard to see this rivalry ever again equaling the white-hot intensity of the 1990's, especially when the league has deemed the rivalry a one-trick pony.

It's hard to say where UMass is at this point in time.  Even with today's loss to the Owls, the Minutemen find themselves at 26 in the RPI.  Everytime it seems that UMass gains some momentum (momentum they'll seriously need in order to make a run towards a spot in the Big Dance), they seem to get pulled back into the pack.  This week is a perfect example; after beating a 19 and 3 Rhode Island team, they can't keep the momentum going as they fall to the Owls. 

I'm pretty certain that UMass is one of the 65 best teams in the nation, but unless you're in a BCS conference, you have to go above and beyond in order to get an at-large bid.  And A-10 teams that get on the win-a-game, lose-a-game see-saw generally aren't dancing come March.  The Minutemen need a serious late season push in order to get an at-large bid.  The question is, do they have what it takes to make that run?