— By Bill Cornwell
Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Keith Gill has challenged league members to strengthen their non-conference basketball schedules to help in metrics used to determine at-large selections for the NCAA Tournament.
Marshall officials have apparently listened to Gill’s call as the Thundering Herd will make a visit to a pair of nationally-relevant Power Conference programs in November.
Marshall will make the short trip north to Columbus, Ohio for a game at Ohio State on November 9, before traveling to Chapel Hill, N.C., for a November 20 against the North Carolina Tar Heels.
“We’re looking forward to competing against the likes of both UNC and Ohio State,” third-year Herd head coach Cornelius Jackson said. “Those are the types of matchups that challenge your team, create memorable experiences for your players and provide a chance to showcase the growth and competitiveness of our program on a national stage.”
Marshall has a brief history with both the Buckeyes and UNC.
The Herd and Ohio State have met twice with the Buckeyes winning both, most recently in November 2016.
Marshall is 0-3 against UNC and last faced the Tar Heels in November 2009.
Marshall’s full non-conference schedule is still being finalized and should be announced in the near future.
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Matewan native Andre Cunningham died recently in Tucson, Ariz., at 58 due to what his family called a “lingering illness.”
Cunningham was a key part of Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Championship teams at Marshall from 1987-91 and scored 1,154 points over his four-year Thundering Herd career, while adding 408 rebounds and 109 assists.
As a freshman, Cunningham was part of a team that won the Southern Conference regular season title and earned a spot in the National Invitational Tournament.
Cunningham was recruited by former head coach Rick Huckabay and also played for coaches Dana Altman and Dwight Freeman.
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The Sun Belt still has 14 members, but the membership has changed.
Effective Wednesday, Texas State has departed for the reconstituted Pac-12 Conference and the Bobcats have been replaced in the Sun Belt by Louisiana Tech.
Louisiana Tech was previously a member of Conference USA.
The Bulldogs were previous members of the Sun Belt from 1991-2001 and had plenty of success. Tech’s women’s basketball team won nine straight Sun Belt regular season titles from 1993-2001 and seven conference tournament championships, including six straight from 1996-2001.
The Bulldogs men’s basketball team won a pair of Sun Belt regular-season crowns (1992 & 1999), while the men’s indoor (1999), women’s indoor (2000) and women’s outdoor (1999) track & field programs each claimed a conference title.
“We are excited to officially welcome Louisiana Tech as a member of the Sun Belt Conference,” Gill said. “With a tradition of athletic success, a passionate fanbase and a geographic location situated within the current Sun Belt footprint, the addition of Louisiana Tech reunites a number of long-standing regional rivalries under the conference banner. As the premier FBS non-autonomy conference in the country, the Sun Belt Conference is RISING and our best days are ahead.”