The season starts tonight began Friday, and we’re going to be catching up on previews for all six city teams throughout the weekend into the early part of this week. Our first installment was about Villanova. Our second was about Drexel. Our third covered Saint Joe’s. Our fourth concerned Penn. And our fifth, which appears below, is about Your Temple Owls. Enjoy.

You might have heard: Dionte Christmas is gone. He’s graduated. He won’t be shouldering the load. So what are the Owls going to do? That’s the big question for 2009-10. The cupboard isn’t bare, but it clearly isn’t what it was, either. But you knew that, didn’t you?

More after the jump.

Christmas was the A-10’s scoring champion three years in a row. He defined streaky, but when that streakiness determined that his shots were falling, the Owls could play with just about anybody. Last season, Temple started 5-6 but finished 22-12 and won the A-10 tournament for the second straight time. This year, the offensive burden seems most likely to fall to senior guard Ryan Brooks (10.6. ppg last year) and junior forward Lavoy Allen (10.9 ppg, 9.0 rpg). Coach Fran Dunphy has already sent something of a warning shot in Allen’s direction, and Brooks did score 23 in Saturday’s season-opening win over Delaware. So read into that what you will.

Much was made last year of the arrival of point guard Juan Fernandez. Now a sophomore, Fernandez will be a regular starter and key contributor. 6-11 sophomore forward Micheal Eric has also stepped into the starting lineup, but he played fewer than 10 minutes per game a year ago. Senior guard Luis Guzman had a similarly limited role that now figures to be expanded. But how good are Eric and Guzman? Good question. Glad we asked it. Up to them to answer.

Among the newcomers, Dunphy seems to be high on the potential — at least at the offensive end — of 6-4 freshman guard Khalif Wyatt, who is joined by 6-7 Carmel Bouchman of Israel and 6-6 Rahlir Jefferson.

OUR PREDICTION: As Mike Kern noted in his preview in the Daily News, “[t]his is now Lavoy Allen’s team.” Much will be up to him, provided Dunphy can push the right buttons with him. The Owls’ schedule last year was among the nation’s toughest, but it paid dividends in January, February and March. This year looks to be no different, with Georgetown, St. John’s, Villanova, Penn State and No. 1 Kansas — which comes to North Broad Street on Jan. 2 — on the agenda. Look for Temple to start somewhat slowly but to still be in the mix in the A-10. We don’t think they’re good enough to be an NCAA team, but this won’t be a lost season, either, even with the loss of Christmas.

Links: 2009-10 Villanova preview [BIG FIVE POST]
2009-10 Drexel preview [BIG FIVE POST]
2009-10 Saint Joe’s preview [BIG FIVE POST]
2009-10 Penn preview [BIG FIVE POST]
Dunphy calls out Allen, others [BIG FIVE POST]
Introducing Juan Fernandez [BIG FIVE POST]
Previewing Temple [Daily News]