While Drew Neitzel managed just five points, Raymar Morgan battled his way inside to lead Michigan State with 15 in the win over the Owls.

Temple bows out despite 14 points apiece from Mark Tyndale and Ryan Brooks.

How they got in: Atlantic 10 champions

Basically: Despite getting hot over the last few weeks of the season, Temple appeared NIT-bound unless it was able to make a stunning run through the Atlantic 10 tournament. Helped by missing Xavier, the Owls were able to pull it off with a 69-64 win over St. Joe's to finish the season with seven straight wins and their first berth in the tournament since 2001. Led by guard Dionte Christmas and with plenty of smart sharp-shooting, they're peaking at just the right time after a 6-8 start and a daunting date with Xavier. But with a blowout win over the Musketeers, the team woke up and was nasty the rest of the way.

Strengths: Shooting. While this isn't a high-powered offense, it doesn't miss much. Helped by good passing and few turnovers, the Owls hit 47% of their shots, 74 percent from the line, and aren't bad from three. There isn't a lot of size, outside of seven-footer Sergio Olmos, but even despite that, they still get plenty of blocked shots and lots of inside scoring.

Weaknesses: Rebounding. For a team that can get to the basket without much of a problem, and for all the good shooting, there's not a whole bunch of rebounding. Most bizarre for John Chaney's old team, the defense isn't anything special. Head coach Fran Dunphy has done a great job, but his team can be scored on.

Players you should care about: Christmas, a 6-foot-5 junior forward, was one of the A-10's best players last year scoring 20 points per game, and then he got even better as a double-digit scorer in every game but one. Oddly enough, his worst game of the year came in the A-10 semifinal blowout over Charlotte, scoring just six points. If he's not on in the big tournament, the Owls might be bounced early. Helping out will be senior guard Mark Tyndale, a decent three-point shooter who was a monster on the boards in the A-10 tournament, getting 34 in three games.

Best wins: Xavier 78-59; St. Joe's 69-64 (Atlantic 10 Championship)

Worst losses: at Charleston 79-76; Fordham 78-76