Marshall University Athletics
Herd Men Travel to Louisville to Face Cardinals on Tuesday
12/17/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 17, 2007
Marshall at Louisville - Game Notes 
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Marshall University men's basketball team will face nationally-ranked Louisville on Tuesday at Freedom Hall in the first meeting between the schools since 1979. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. ET.
Marshall (5-2) trails the all-time series with Louisville, 8-5. The Cardinals (5-3), ranked No. 22 in last week's Associated Press poll, have won four straight over the Thundering Herd. The game can be seen live on ESPN Full Court or on ESPN360.com. The Thundering Herd/ISP Sports Network will carry a live radio broadcast, which will also be available on Herd All-Access on herdzone.com.
The Herd set several team season-highs in its last outing, Dec. 14 versus NAIA foe Rio Grande, including points (87), field goals (32), 3-point field goals (11) and assists (28). Point guard Darryl Merthie (Lake Mary, Fla.) scored a game- and career-high 22 points versus the Redmen to lead MU to its biggest win, 36 points, in over five years.
Junior guard/forward Markel Humphrey (Atlanta, Ga.) paces MU in points (15.0 ppg) and is shooting 47.9 percent from the floor. Senior guard Mark Dorris (Cincinnati, Ohio) is second in scoring (12.7 ppg) and has connected on a 3-point field goal in a career-high 13 straight games. Dorris' 15-game streak of consecutive games with double-digit points ended with his seven-point performance versus Rio Grande while Humphrey extended his streak to 16 straight games.
Louisville, losers of two straight after a 67-59 loss to Purdue on Saturday, is looking to give head coach Rick Pitino his 500th career victory. The Cardinals shoot 45 percent from the floor and hold opponents to 37.5 percent shooting while claiming a +10.6 scoring margin through its first eight games. Louisville is 3-1 at home, with its lone loss coming in its last outing at Freedom Hall, a 70-65 loss at the hands of Dayton.
UL sophomore guard/forward Earl Clark pulls down a team-high 12 rebounds per game, having grabbed a game-high 13 boards on Saturday versus the Boilermakers. Clark adds 12.6 points, 2.5 assists and 2.4 blocks per game.
Marshall is 5-0 at home this season but lost its two road contests by an average of 6.5 points. The Herd will return to the Cam Henderson Center on Saturday versus Princeton to begin a season-high four-game homestand.
