Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Announces Complete 2009-10 Men's Basketball Schedule
9/2/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Sept. 2, 2009
Click for 2009-10 Marshall Men's Basketball Schedule
HUNTINGTON, W. Va.-- Marshall University head men's basketball coach Donnie Jones announced the Thundering Herd's complete 2009-10 schedule, Wednesday. On tap for MU this season are 17 home games with 10 games against teams that qualified for postseason play in 2009.
The Conference USA schedule is challenging and features five C-USA teams that earned a spot in postseason play a year ago (NCAA-Memphis; NIT-UAB, Tulsa; CBI-UTEP, Houston). Marshall will also play home-and home league games against East Carolina, UCF, Tulane, UAB, and Tulsa.
"I am excited to have the opportunity to compete in this year's C-USA schedule," Jones continued. "I feel this year's conference schedule will be the most difficult from top to bottom since my arrival with lots of parity between all of the conference teams."
The Herd hosts Memphis, the defending league champion, Jan. 27. Marshall has single league games at home against Southern Miss and UTEP. MU will travel to Houston, Rice, and SMU. The Conference USA Tournament moves out of Memphis for the first time and moves to the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. The tournament is scheduled for March 10-13.
"Our non-conference schedule is set up to prepare our team which is younger than it was last year for Conference USA play," Jones said. "We are playing two teams in North Carolina and West Virginia that are potential preseason top-10 teams. We are also playing several other teams such as Ohio that have the potential to make the NCAA Tournament."
Marshall opens the season by hosting North Carolina A&T Nov. 15 as part of the Global Sports Invitational. Marshall's games against North Carolina A&T, Middle Tennessee State (at home Nov. 17), Lamar (at home Nov. 25), and Ohio (in Charleston Nov. 28) comprise the Global Sports Invitational which has earned NCAA exempt status. This exemption will mean only one of the games will count toward MU's regular-season schedule.
The Nov. 21 game at Old Dominion is against a Monarchs' team that went 25-10 and advanced to the finals of the first CollegeInsider.com postseason tournament last season. Marshall travels to defending national champion North Carolina on Dec. 22. The remaining non-conference foes which were playoff teams last season are Binghamton (NCAA/Dec. 7), Troy (CBI/Dec. 12 & 28), and West Virginia in Chesapeake Energy Classic Jan. 20. Other non-conference opponents include Salem International, Brescia University, High Point, St. Bonaventure, and Rio Grande.
Marshall's non-conference opponents compiled 254 wins last season and a .583 winning percentage (254-182). With 17 home games, the Herd hopes to continue the tradition of success in the Henderson Center. Since opening in 1981, Marshall is 296-94 (a .751 winning percentage) in the facility.
A complete list of starting times and television appearances are yet to be determined and will be announced at a later date.
