— By Bill Cornwell
Having recently wrapped up a successful three-game home stand, Marshall hits the road for a pair of Sun Belt Conference tests this week starting Wednesday at James Madison.
The matchup at Atlantic Union Bank Center in Harrisonburg, Virginia tips off at 7 p.m., and can be seen on ESPN+.
The Dukes (8-7, 1-2) have some momentum after picking up a 78-74 win at Arkansas State on Saturday. That same day, Marshall (10-5, 2-1) led for 36 minutes in an 88-81 win over Appalachian State at the Henderson Center.
Marshall head coach Cornelius Jackson is looking forward to seeing how his team responds to road challenges, with the Herd set to play at Georgia State on Saturday as well.
“We have to take the show on the road and we’re facing the defending regular season co-champions in JMU,” Jackson said. “It’s a tough place to play and they’re coming off of a big win at Arkansas State.”
Marshall displayed depth in its most recent outing, overcoming an early injury to 7-foot-4 center Matt Van Komen that cost him the rest of the contest as well as three players disqualified for fouling out.
Junior Shamarrie Hugie gave the Herd and major lift with 12 points and a trio of three-pointers. He also had two steals and a block.
“Coach Corny wants us to be the most desperate team on the floor,” Hugie said. “He wants us to hit the offensive glass hard, be the first player on the floor for a loose ball because getting an extra possession could win you the game.”
Jalen Speer averages a team-high 14.8 points for Marshall, followed by Wyatt Fricks (14.5) and Noah Otshudi at 13.5.
Van Komen tops Marshall’s rebounders at 7.5.
James Madison is coached by Preston Spradlin, who was formerly the head coach at Morehead State. Spradlin is in his second season at JMU and has compiled a 28-19 record. His overall record as a head coach is 168-128.
The Dukes are led in scoring by junior forward Justin McBride, a Nevada transfer averaging 17.2 points, good for second in the Sun Belt. Other double-figure scorers for the Dukes are Georgia Southern transfer guard Bradley Douglas (14.1) and Texas-Rio Grande Valley transfer guard Cliff Davis (12.8). Junior forward Eddie Ricks III, who followed Spradlin from Morehead State, is JMU’s top rebounder at 6.6 boards.
James Madison’s three-point shooting percentage trails only Marshall among Sun Belt teams.
The Herd and Dukes have met 11 previous times and James Madison leads the all-time series 8-3. The teams split last year’s meetings, Marshall winning in Huntington 80-78 and JMU winning in Harrisonburg 67-64.
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The Marshall women’s basketball team seeks its ninth straight win Wednesday when the Herd plays host to Old Dominion at 6 p.m. inside the Henderson Center.
The Herd (13-3, 4-0) went undefeated in December with six victories and began January with hard-fought road wins at Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State by a total of seven points.
The 13-3 record marks Marshall’s best 16-game start open to a season since 1986-87, when Coach Judy Southard’s squad would finish 24-5 en route to being co-Southern Conference regular season champion.
ODU enters 10-5 and 2-1 in Sun Belt play.