August 31, 2018,  Basketball  No comments

The Marshall University Men’s basketball team looks to remain at the top of the conference and hold off the Middle-Tennessee Blue Raiders and the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.

The Herd compiled a 25-11 overall record last season with a 12-6 conference record. Considering their record on paper, they may not have been expected to be the team to upset Wichita State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament this past March.

Last season’s success leaves a question to fans and spectators alike, “What is in store for this season?”

The Herd opens up their 2018 season with an away game against Eastern Kentucky University, then returning home against Hofstra. Their strong play at home a season ago (14-2 record) may give the impression that there will be the same success at home this season.

Marshall has a weaker home schedule to begin the season, playing before-mentioned Hofstra, Mount St. Mary’s, and North Carolina A&T State. The home games may not be an issue, but their struggles on the road could be their downfall.

A big game against the University of Maryland on the road is the Herd’s first true test of 2018-19.

The Terrapins went 24-9 overall and 12-6 in conference play last season in one of the tougher basketball conferences in the nation. They return in 2018 looking to make a statement, just as the Herd. On Nov. 23, the Herd charge in looking to defeat the Terrapins.

The next home game on Nov. 28, the Thundering Herd seek revenge against the College of William and Mary.

The Tribe outlasted Marshall in a high scoring affair last season with a score of 114-104. The Herd looks to redeem themselves in front of their faithful fans at home.

Point guard Jon Elmore leads this team against the very strong University of Virginia on New Year’s Eve to end the Herd’s non-conference play.

The Cavaliers went 31-3 on their way to an ACC championship and earning one of the four number 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament. A 16-1 record at home shows that this game will surely be no slam dunk for the Herd.

Marshall’s conference-leading offense will need to overpower Virginia’s elite defense and repeat an upset just as the UMBC Retrievers did in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Conference USA play begins on Jan. 3 when the Herd takes on Old Dominion University. This is followed by a consecutive road game in Charlotte, followed by a home game against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on Jan. 12 and again on Jan. 21 in Bowling Green.

Seemingly Marshall’s biggest rival across all sports, the Hilltoppers look to sweep the Herd in regular season play once again.

This game will be an exciting one due to the well-known bitterness and hatred between the schools, made evident on social media with various memes and slander-filled posts. The Herd will leave their “talking” to their play on the court and plan to defeat the Hilltoppers just as they did in the conference championship.

The Herd concludes their play on Feb. 16 against the Middle-Tennessee Blue Raiders who finished with the best conference record at 16-2 last season. This game will be a difficult one for the Herd who plan on preparing for the conference tournament once again, and a win would provide much-needed momentum to end the season.

There is a lot of excitement and expectations going around the area about what this Thundering Herd team is truly made of. This season may be the biggest test yet for coach Dan D’antoni and the Herd. There are high hopes that they can win a second consecutive conference title.