PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Michael Eric scored 18 points to help No. 20 Temple beat George Washington 70-57 on Saturday to win a share of the Atlantic 10 title and earn the top need in next week’s conference tournament.
The Owls (26-5, 14-2) have won the last two conference tournament titles, but coach Fran Dunphy’s team won’t have to sweat out winning this year to keep playing in March. They’ll be in the NCAA field — and the Owls will be there with their best chance to win a tournament game for the first time since 2001.
No. 25 Xavier could finish with the same A-10 record as Temple with a win later Saturday against St. Bonaventure. But the Owls hold the tiebreaker because of a 77-72 win in their lone matchup on Jan. 20.
