— By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — While the start of Marshall’s football regular season is only a week away, there’s also some thought about the winter and basketball season in Huntington.
The 2024-2025 regular season schedules were released Friday both Herd basketball programs.
The MU women are the defending Sun Belt Conference champions and are being led by first-year head coach Juli Fulks, who came to Marshall from Transylvania University, where she led the Pioneers to the 2023 NCAA Division III title.
The Marshall men also have a new head coach in long-time Herd assistant Cornelius Jackson, who replaced Dan D’Antoni in April.
The men’s schedule features 18 home games beginning with a Fans First contest against Pikeville on October 27 with the regular-season opener slated for November 4 against Davis & Elkins.
Marshall’s SBC schedule has 18 contests with nine on the road and nine at home, starting at Southern Miss on December 21.
“We are extremely excited to release our 2024-25 schedule,” Jackson said. “We can’t wait to be back in The Cam playing in front of the best fans in the Sun Belt Conference.”
The MU men start the regular season with six of their first eight games at home. The first four home contests will be with D&E, Toledo, Southern Indiana and Bellarmine. Then comes a trip to defending national runner-up Purdue, before Marshall returns home to play South Carolina State and Morehead State with a matchup at Western Kentucky sandwiched in between.
Following games at UNC Wilmington and Wright State, the Herd welcomes an old rival in Ohio on December 14 and plays host to West Virginia Wesleyan two days later.
Marshall’s Sun Belt Conference home opener is January 2 against Texas State.
The MU women will also play 18 Sun Belt Conference games. The Herd hosts six non-conference games with the home opener on Sunday, November 10 against Northern Kentucky.
“We’re thrilled to announce the release of season tickets for Marshall women’s basketball, and we can’t wait to have our fans back in The Cam supporting us,” Fulks said. “This season promises to be exciting, fast-paced, and the fan’s energy will be a crucial part of our success.”
Marshall opens the regular season on the road, facing Toledo on November 4 in the Mid-American Conference/Sun Belt Conference Challenge.
The home opener is set for November 10 against Northern Kentucky.
Other non-conference home games are against Elon, George Mason, Salem, Jacksonville and Davis and Elkins. Non-conference road games take place at Cincinnati and Florida and the Herd will take on Penn State and Tulsa in the WBCA Showcase in late November at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World in Florida.
Marshall opens the Sun Belt Conference slate at home on December 29 against Texas State.
Both squads will participate in the 2025 Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Pensacola, Florida, scheduled for March 4-10.
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The Sun Belt Conference announced the kickoff time for the Thursday, October 17 football game between Marshall and Georgia State has been moved up from 8 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. The game is being nationally televised on ESPN2.
2024-25 Marshall Men’s Basketball Schedule
Oct. 27 Pikeville (Fans First)
Nov. 4 Davis & Elkins
Nov. 9 Toledo
Nov. 11 Southern Indiana
Nov. 16 Bellarmine
Nov. 23 at Purdue
Nov. 27 South Carolina State
Nov. 30 at Western Kentucky
Dec. 4 Morehead State
Dec. 7 at UNCW
Dec. 11 at Wright State
Dec. 14 Ohio
Dec. 16 West Virginia Wesleyan
Dec. 21 at Southern Miss
Dec. 28 at Elon
Jan. 2 Texas State
Jan. 4 Troy
Jan. 9 James Madison
Jan. 11 Georgia Southern
Jan. 16 at James Madison
Jan. 18 at Coastal Carolina
Jan. 23 at Georgia State
Jan. 25 at Georgia Southern
Jan. 30 Georgia State
Feb. 1 Coastal Carolina
Feb. 5 Arkansas State
Feb. 13 at South Alabama
Feb. 15 at Louisiana
Feb. 20 at Old Dominion
Feb. 22 at App State
Feb. 25 Old Dominion
Feb. 28 App State
2024-25 Marshall Women’s Basketball Schedule
10/27 UPike (Fans First Game)
11/4 at Toledo (MAC-SBC Challenge)
11/10 NKU
11/13 Elon
11/17 George Mason
11/21 Penn State (WBCA Showcase)
11/23 Tulsa (WBCA Showcase)
12/1 Salem
12/8 at Florida
12/13 Jacksonville
12/18 at Cincinnati
12/21 Davis & Elkins
12/29 Texas State
1/2 at Arkansas State
1/4 at Troy
1/9 at James Madison
1/11 at Old Dominion
1/15 James Madison
1/18 App State
1/22 Georgia Southern
1/25 Southern Mississippi
1/29 at Coastal Carolina
2/1 at Georgia Southern
2/5 at Louisiana
2/8 MAC Opponent TBD-HOME
2/13 Old Dominion
2/15 Coastal Carolina
2/19 at App State
2/22 at Georgia State
2/26 ULM
2/28 Georgia State