— By Bill Cornwell
Marshall hopes a warmer climate helps it get past a pair of disappointing losses to Western Kentucky last week.
The Herd heads to the Sunshine State for two Conference USA games, first against Florida International at 7 p.m. Thursday, before Saturday’s matchup at Florida Atlantic.
The Herd (9-12, 3-5) lost to the Hilltoppers last Wednesday 64-60 after holding a 19-point first-half lead, then fell again at WKU on Saturday night, 91-84.
Marshall is in a three-way tie with UAB and UTEP for ninth in the conference standings — and more importantly, in danger of falling into the lower four teams when league pod play begins in three weeks.
Thursday’s matchup will be against a Panthers’ team that likes to play a style similar to the one favored by Marshall head coach Dan D’Antoni — with lots of pace and three-point shots.
The Panthers (14-7, 5-3) lead Conference USA in scoring at just under 80 points per contest and are tops in the league in assists at 15.9 per game. FIU has been quite effective from behind the arc, hitting nearly 10 three-pointers per contest.
Marshall, meanwhile, averages just under 75 points per game, 13.5 assists and nearly seven triples. The Herd continue to be led by guards Taevion Kinsey and Jarrod West, who enter Thursday’s action averaging 15.5 and 14.4 points, respectively.
Marshall’s frontcourt will face a tough challenge against FIU. Redshirt senior forward Devon Edwards leads the Panthers in scoring at 16.4 points per game, while senior center Osasumwen Osaghee adds 13 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per contest. He is the nation’s top shot blocker with 89 and FIU leads the nation as a team with 147 blocks.
FIU’s attack is guided by sophomore guard Antonio Daye Jr., who is C-USA’s individual assist leader at 5.2 per game.
FAU (12-9, 4-4) has lost three straight.
The Owls have two double-figure scorers in graduate guard Cornelius Taylor (12.5 ppg) and junior forward Jailyn Ingram (10.3 ppg). Sophomore guard Michael Forrest and junior guard Richardson Maitre average nine points. Ingram is FAU’s top rebounder at 4.5.
Marshall returns home next week to host Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech.