The men’s basketball team was ranked No. 22 in ESPN/USA Today’s preseason poll. It’s the first time since 2001 that the Owls have entered a season ranked in the Top 25. As previously reported, the Owls were also ranked No. 21 in Fox Sports’ preseason poll.

Two other Atlantic Ten Conference teams, Dayton and Xavier, also received votes but did not manage to crack the Top 25.

Temple opens the season at home against Seton Hall on Nov. 12.

The rest of the rankings can be viewed here.

Senior forward Lavoy Allen of  the men’s basketball team was added to the preseason watch list for the John Wooden Award on Tuesday. Allen, a 6-foot-9-inch Pennsbury product, was one of 50 players named to the list.

The award, named after former UCLA coach John Wooden, is given to the nation’s top collegiate player who also maintained a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or higher.  A committee will narrow the list down to 20 candidates in March.

Evan Turner, drafted second overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in June, won the award last year. Past winners include Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and David Robinson.

Allen averaged 11.5 points and 10.7 rebounds per game for the Owls last season. Temple opens up the season against Seton Hall on Nov. 12 at the Liacouras Center.

Candice Dupree, a power forward who played for the Owls from 2002-2006,  helped lead the United States Women’s Basketball team to a World Championship yesterday. In the process, Dupree shot 75 percent from the field, a mark that broke Dawn Staley’s 16-year-old record of 69 percent.

The particularly interesting part of this story is the fact that Dupree played for Staley while at Temple.  Staley, now the coach at South Carolina, left Temple following the 2007 season.

Dupree is a three-time WNBA all-star and will likely represent the U.S in the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Steve Maneri, who started 25 games at tight end during his time at Temple, was released from the New England Patriots yesterday, the team’s site reports. Maneri was originally signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent on May 7.  While with the Texans, Maneri made the switch to offensive tackle, a position that scouts believed he could excel at due to his strong blocking skills.

Maneri was placed on waivers by the Texans on Sept. 6 and was subsequently picked up by the Patriots. The Saddle Brook, N.J, native was inactive for New England’s first three games.

With Maneri’s release, only three members of coach Al Golden’s first senior class remain in the National Football League. Defensive tackle Andre Neblett is currently a backup on the Carolina Panthers and has found his way into one game so far.  Defensive end Brian Sanford is currently on Cleveland’s practice squad. Cornerback Dom Harris, who played safety at Temple before switching positions, is on Buffalo’s practice squad.

Offensive tackle Devin Tyler was released from Baltimore’s practice squad Sept. 21 while linebacker Alex Joseph was released by the Green Bay Packers before the season began.

The athletic department has come to an agreement with the Mid-American Conference that will extend the football team’s tenure in the conference by two years, OwlScoop.com reports. The team’s previous agreement was scheduled to expire following this season.

According to the terms of the deal, the men and women’s basketball teams will continue to play a number of games against MAC opponents every year.

The Owls, fresh off their win over Connecticut,  travel to State College to play Penn State on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m.

Senior forward Craig Williams of the men’s basketball team has undergone surgery on his right foot according to a press release from the team. The 6-foot-9-inch forward fractured the fifth metatarsal of his foot over the summer while in his native Virgin Islands. Williams will need around three months to recover from the surgery and is expected to miss the first month of the season.

Williams, who appeared in 29 games last year while averaging 3.8 points and 1.8 rebounds per game, was expected to be Temple’s first post player off the bench for the upcoming season.  Without him, the Owls will need to rely on freshman forward Anthony Lee when junior center Michael Eric or junior forward Lavoy Allen are not on the floor. Additionally, instead of replacing Allen or Eric with Lee or another big man, Temple coach Fran Dunphy could choose to utilize a four-guard set more often.

Regardless of Dunphy’s strategy, Williams’ injury, along with the departure of sophomore forwards Carmel Bouchman and Chris Clarke, leaves the Temple bench significantly smaller.

The Owls open the season on Nov. 12 when Seton Hall visits the Liacouras Center.