Temple scored its best-ever finish in the Atlantic 10 during the 2008-09 campaign, taking second place in the league’s all-sports standings – calculated by assigning points according to where each team finishes in the league’s 21 championship sports. Only three-time defending champ Charlotte totaled more points than the Owls.
Until three years ago, the A-10 awarded the Commissioner’s Cup to the top finishers in both men’s and women’s sports. The award was discontinued when the league expanded to 14 members.
But the formula for determining the all-sports standings is simple. For those sports that play a full conference schedule, points are awarded according to how each team finishes in the regular season standings. For those that do not feature a full slate of head-to-head matchups, the results of the season-ending championship event are used to award points. The total number of points available in each sport is determined by the number of teams that compete in that sport.
For example, Xavier earned 14 points this year by posting the best regular season record in men's basketball. Fordham had the worst record and received one point. In women's rowing, which features nine teams, Massachusetts gained nine points by winning the A-10 Championship Regatta. La Salle finished ninth and received one point. Saint Louis doesn't compete in women's rowing and received no points.
This past year, Temple accumulated 139.5 points, a 16-point jump from 2007-08, when the Owls finished sixth in the all-sports standings. In 2006-07, Temple finished 10th with 99 points.
As was the case the previous two years, Charlotte finished well ahead of everyone else in 2008-09, scoring 158.5 points. Massachusetts and Richmond finished just behind Temple with 137.5 points.
The cumulative A-10 standings for the 2008-09 campaign were as follows:
1) Charlotte (158.5 points)
2) Temple (139.5 points)
3) Massachusetts (137.5 points)
3) Richmond (137.5 points)
5) Dayton (130.5 points)
6) Xavier (121.5 points)
7) Duquesne (114.5 points)
8) Rhode Island (112.0 points)
9) Saint Louis (104.5 points)
10) Fordham (95.5 points)
11) Saint Joseph’s (94.5 points)
12) George Washington (83.0 points)
13) La Salle (76.0 points)
14) St. Bonaventure (75.0 points)
Among the 21 championship events sponsored by the A-10, Temple competed in 19 of them – all but men's and women's swimming and diving. La Salle is the only A-10 program that fields a team in every sport.
If there’s one “flaw” in the cumulative point system, it’s the fact that teams (like La Salle) that compete in the most sports can accrue the most points, even if they finish at the bottom of the standings. There’s a lower ceiling for teams like Dayton (14 sports) and St. Bonaventure (14 sports), which sponsor the fewest A-10 teams.
So here’s another way to translate the numbers: To calculate the “success percentage” of each A-10 member, divide their point total by the highest possible point total they could have achieved.
For example, La Salle could have earned 243 points by finishing in first place in every sport. Temple competes in every sport except men’s and women’s swimming and diving, which have eight and 10 members, respectively. So the Owls could have earned 225 points by finishing in first place in each of their sports.
For the 2008-09 campaign, the “success percentage” for each school was as follows:
1) Charlotte (158.5/201 possible points – 78.9%)
2) Dayton (130.5/179 possible points – 72.9%)
3) Richmond (137.5/205 possible points – 67.1%)
4) Massachusetts (137.5/209 possible points – 65.8%)
5) Temple (139.5/225 possible points – 62.0%)
6) Xavier (121.5/208 possible points – 58.4%)
7) Rhode Island (112.0/208 possible points – 53.8%)
8) Saint Louis (104.5/204 possible points – 51.2%)
9) Duquesne (114.5/226 possible points – 50.7%)
10) St. Joseph’s (94.5/215 possible points – 44.0%)
11) St. Bonaventure (75.0/173 possible points – 43.4%)
12) George Washington (83.0/192 possible points – 43.2%)
13) Fordham (95.5/228 possible points – 41.9%)
14) La Salle (76.0/243 possible points – 31.3%)
So, this past year, the Owls ranked fifth in terms of reaching their A-10 potential. Charlotte was still the best, while La Salle was the worst. In 2007-08, Temple finished sixth by the same measurement. In 2006-07, they were 13th.
Individually, while the Owls did not win a single regular season championship, they did finish in the top four in 10 A-10 sports. They finished in the bottom four in three sports.
By any measure, Temple took a huge leap forward in 2008-09. Following a third place finish in the Commissioner’s Cup race in 2000-01, the Owls had finished no better than sixth place in any of the next seven years.
Following is Temple's rank in the Commissioner's Cup race for every year since it was founded in 1992-93:
2008-09: 2nd
2007-08: 6th
2006-07: 10th
2005-06: 10th
2004-05: 9th
2003-04: 6th
2002-03: 6th
2001-02: 7th
2000-01: 3rd
1999-00: 4th
1998-99: 5th
1997-98: 6th
1996-97: 6th
1995-96: 5th
1994-95: 5th
1993-94: 5th
1992-93: 5th
So what can we say about 2009-10?
Look out Charlotte, Temple is coming!
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