— By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — No more exhibition games.
Meaningful action starts Monday for Marshall when the Thundering Herd play host to Buffalo at 7 p.m. inside the Henderson Center.
The opener for both teams is part of the Mid-American Conference-Sun Belt Challenge and can be seen on ESPN+.
Herd head coach Cornelius Jackson wants to see plenty of improvement from what his team displayed Wednesday when it trailed for much of a 78-68 win against Pikeville, a NAIA program.
“Even though we won the game, they outplayed us, out-scrapped us and were tougher than us,” Jackson said. “We talk about being consistent, being scrappy and playing with toughness and leadership. We’re searching for all of that now and we’ve got to get it turned around quick.”
Marshall’s 3-point shooting against Pikeville was troubling as the Herd made only 3-of-23 attempts from long range. Additionally, despite a size advantage, the Herd lost the rebounding battle.
Basing it off the team’s two exhibition games, Marshall’s starting lineup could consist of graduate student Noah Otshudi, fellow returner and sophomore Bryce Slay and a trio of transfers in Colt Langdon, Emmanuel Manyoun and Khaman Maker.
Buffalo hopes for a much-improved team this season after struggling to a 17-15 record last year, including 7-11 in the MAC.
George Halcovage is beginning his fourth season as head coach of the Bulls after previously being part of the Villanova staff.
Like Marshall and many other teams, Buffalo’s roster is a new-look one and largely comprised of transfers.
The Bulls won their lone exhibition game against Mercyhurst, 71-66.
The Herd is 10-5 all-time against Buffalo, though the teams have not played since 2005.
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Marshall’s women also play in the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge on Monday. The Herd open the 2026-27 campaign at Massachusetts with tipoff set for 6 p.m.