Marshall Thundering Herd: 24-10, 11-7 in the Conference USA
Head Coach: Dan D’Antoni (4th Season)
Players to watch: Jon Elmore (22.8 PPG, 6.9 APG); C.J. Burks (13.0 PPG, 4.1 RPG); Ajdin Penava (15.5 PPG, 4.1 BPG)
Season recap: After losing to Middle Tennessee last year in the Conference USA tournament, head coach Dan D’Antoni of Marshall had three key players from the rotation return for this season. D’Antoni, the older brother of Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni, loves to push the tempo and shoot right away like his brothers' teams, as the Thundering Herd rank fifth in KenPom’s adjusted tempo.
Although the Thundering Herd played a fairly easy out of conference schedule, they did go on the road to face in-state rival Xavier and only lost by four. Marshall struggled initially in conference, starting off only 5-4. The Thundering Herd were able right the ship in the middle of the season, rattling off five straight wins after their start and finished the season winning seven of their last nine.
Marshall did win both matchups with Middle Tennessee, which was ranked in the top 35 in the RPI for most of the year. In the tournament, the Thundering Herd were led by junior guard Jon Elmore, who averaged 22.7 points per game in the tournament to lead Marshall to the conference title and its first tournament appearance since 1985.
How they make a run: Marshall is a team that likes to get up and down the court to put up 3-pointers. If the Thundering Herd get hot from beyond the arc, they are a team that could pull off an upset and make a run in the tournament.
How they falter: Marshall is just an average defensive team, ranking 150th in KenPom’s adjusted defense. When shots are not falling, the Thundering Herd do not have an elite defense to fall back on in the tournament.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.