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Temple isn't going to surprise anyone this time around.
The Owls showed what they were in their 63-45 rout of Arizona State in their first-round game Saturday at the Huntsman Center. So don't expect Notre Dame to overlook a frontcourt unit that hasn't scored many points this season, or underestimate a No. 10 seed. Temple doesn't expect the Irish to, either.
"I don't think we look at the seeding too much: It doesn't matter to much to me, and I doubt it matters to them," junior point guard Shey Peddy said.
If the Owls play as well Monday night as they did against the Sun Devils, they will be a tough out for the Irish. Post players Victoria Macaulay and Natasha Thames flashed a rare scoring threat, taking some pressure off the frontcourt. And the Temple defense held Arizona State to one of its worst shooting percentages of the season.
With the surprises out of the bag, the Owls know they'll have to bring it against the team that is second only to UConn in the Big East.
"It should be a physical game," coach Tonya Cardoza. "We welcome the challenge."
Better balance
Although the high-scoring trio of Peddy, Qwedia Wallace and Kristen McCarthy were each held below their season averages, no one seemed to mind.
Macaulay and Thames took more of the scoring load on their shoulders, combining for 20 points after averaging only 11 during the season. The three guards said they were more than willing to have lower numbers themselves if it means the team has more threats.
"I think it's a good testament to what Vic and Tasha were able to do and the work they've put in," McCarthy said. "All the scoring load doesn't have to be on us three. More-balanced scoring is better for our team — it makes it harder to guard us."
Of course, that's counting on a repeat performance from the big sophomores.
"We want to score and rebound even better," Macaulay said. "Notre Dame has some good posts, but we want them to worry about us, too."
Where no Owl has gone before
With a win in the second round, Temple has a chance to earn the program's first Sweet 16 berth. And that hasn't escaped the team's attention.
"I was thinking about it all last night," Thames said. "It would mean a lot, and it would be something to build off of for the future."
The last two times the Owls have gone to the second round, Temple has fallen to No. 1 seeds: Connecticut last year, and Duke in 2007. Cardoza said talent mismatches have hurt her team's chances to go deep.
"I think when you go against a No. 1 seed, it doesn't have much to do with nerves," Cardoza said. "It is exciting to have a chance to make some history. Not everyone is able to do that."
Pairing at the point
Peddy had a strong showing against Dymond Simon in the first game, limiting ASU's primary threat to only five points. Now the junior guard will have a much stiffer challenge facing Skylar Diggins, the unanimous All-Big East selection.
Cardoza said the 5-foot-9 sophomore, who averages 14 points and almost five assists per game, poses some unique threats in the matchup.
"She's just so big and strong, she likes to post up and go inside," Cardoza said. "Of course, Shey would say she's a great post defender. She's definitely looking forward to playing one of the better guards in the country."
Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw was equally complimentary of Peddy.
"She runs their team — as point guard, she's their most important player," McGraw said. "She can shoot, she can create, she can get to the rim. I think it's going to be a great matchup."
Media darlings
After Macaulay led the team in scoring against ASU, she was asked to make a rare appearance in the postgame news conference. Her teammates immediately gave her grief about it.
"They were like, 'What are you gonna say, Vic? What are you gonna say?' " Macaulay said. "They're always clowning me about things like that."
No one poked more fun at the sophomore more than Peddy, but Macaulay ended up with the last laugh. After Peddy called Diggins a "worldwide-known" point guard at Sunday's news conference, the team — including Cardoza — cracked up at her stumble.
"She was making fun of Vic yesterday," Cardoza said. "Now, she just pulled a Vic."
Twitter: @kylegoon