Brunson shows Temple what could have been

PHILADELPHIA>> The resemblance is stunning, almost eerie.

Put a Temple basketball uniform on Jalen Brunson and you’ve got an exact duplicate of his dad, Rick, who played the point well enough to play in the NBA and be inducted into the Owls’ athletic hall of fame.

Jalen Brunson obviously isn’t just any freshman. He’s the ridiculously talented young man who makes top-ranked Villanova go.

The new image of Wildcats small-ball rained a career-high 25 points on the upset-minded Owls Wednesday night on just 11 shots from the field and five free throw attempts. All of the makes had flair. Ditto the two assists. Brunson did it in just 25 minutes,

So mesmerizing was Brunson, what was almost lost in the process was that the Wildcats rolled to an easy 8367 victory over the Owls, ruining the night for the three-block long group of students who bought the remaining tickets to be part of what was supposed to be the ultimate upset.

The first thought after such a methodical effort, at least in this case, is would Temple have had a shot at the No. 1 ranking had they won the recruiting battle for the kid?

We’ll say undoubtedly so. It will be asked around Broad and Montgomery, both at the Center and along the lines of food trucks lining the streets for at least one more year, maybe more. Brunson isn’t ready for the NBA according to a respected league scout who got another look at him.

You probably don’t want to strike up a conversation about that with Owls coach Fran Dunphy.

“Jalen Brunson was tremendous,” Dunphy said. “He seized the moment. I think what drives the great ones is they want that ball … He was really impressive on every one of those shots. There was nothing cheap about any basket he got. He stepped up. Every one of them, every one of his nine baskets was timely. And that’s what the great ones do.”

Brunson had help. The way Jay Wright sees it, you are who your guards are, and the Wildcats proved it again with an almost effortless game featuring Brunson, Ryan Arcidiacono and Phil Booth.

With the Wildcats using them in their short lineup, the Owls found their spots. Obi Enechionyia, the 6-9 forward, getting six quick points to bring a Liacouris Center record crowd of 10,472 to its feet.

But the Cherry and White had no answer for Wright’s small-ball.

After ’Nova center Daniel Ochefu got the team’s first basket in the blocks, the guards scored the next 26 points for a 28-15 lead with 6:03 left in the first half.

The Wildcats coasted into the intermission with a 35-23 bulge.

It was Brunson, who had Temple among his final four college choices, who looked incredibly polished. Brunson scored five straight points in one stretch and posted eight points in the first half, knotting him with Booth for team-high honors.

Brunson’s reverse layups, his trey and the lookaway pass with eyes on the basket and body poised to shoot, freed Mikal Bridges for a wide open three and a 31-19 lead.

Brunson was professional when asked how he approached coming into a hostile environment. Obviously he had been through it before dating back to his high school days in suburban Chicago.

“I came into this game with the same mentality as every other game,” Brunson said. “Coach preaches (to) treat every game the same and that’s what I did.”

Brunson’s father, who was sitting up top, offered encouragement before the game.

“All my dad said was, ‘Good luck,’” Brunson said. “Just like a normal dad, he just wanted the best for me.”

The Owls hung around early behind Obi, the crowd favorite, and freshman guard Josh Brown, who scored 10 points in the first half.

In the second half Trey Lowe pumped in most of his 21 points.

It’s just that when the Owls looked up at the scoreboard following their makes — and there weren’t a lot as they missed 18 of 29 from the field in the first half and shot 37.9 percent on the night — they did a doubletake. The Wildcats always seemed to be leading by double-digits.

The ’Nova defense was that good.

The end of the first half was a microcosm of the game. Down 35-23, the Owls played for the last shot although they had time for a quickie and with a stop, another possession.

Instead, Brown’s trey attempt crashed awkwardly off the backboard, putting the exclamation point on a trying first half.

The best was to come for Brunson, who got teammates open looks by positioning himself deep in the corners. Booth and even Arcidiacono had time to check the game clock before launching on the kickout passes.

Brunson had it from the start, his layup giving Temple a 7-4 lead. He then pump-faked Jaylen Bond into the sky and jumped into him, making one of two free throws.

The Owls didn’t go quietly. After trailing by 23 points, Quenton DeCosey hit a jump shot to pull the squad within 67-55 with five minutes and change to go. The comeback took a lot of energy, though, and the Wildcats — with all of those guards — beat the press, killed the clock and made their free throws.

It’s hard to believe Brunson is a freshman. The kid is magic. The rest of the nation will know when the NCAA tournament starts in a few weeks.