Marshall University Athletics
Men's Basketball to Start 2014 at Akron
1/1/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 1, 2014
GAME 13: MARSHALL (5-8, 0-0 C-USA) at AKRON (7-5, 0-0 MAC)
Thursday, Jan. 2 - 7 p.m. ET
Akron, Ohio | James A. Rhodes Arena (5,500)
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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Looking to start off 2014 with a win to snap a two-game losing skid, the Marshall men's basketball team will hit the road to take on former Mid-American Conference foe, Akron, Thursday, Jan. 2 at 7 p.m.
In-game Twitter updates @HerdMBB, results and a recap from the night's action will be available at HerdZone.com.
HAVE YOU HERD?
Marshall most recently fell on the road to South Carolina (Dec. 30), Monday, 92-65 as the Thundering Herd was unable to keep up with the physical play of the Gamecocks. Marshall led for a span of 26 seconds after freshman guard Kareem Canty (Harlem, N.Y.) sank a layup to put the Herd up 31-30 with 3:10 to play in the first half, but would get no closer.
The Herd struggled to keep pace with the South Carolina offense as the Gamecocks scored 56 points in the second half, to 34 by Marshall. South Carolina showed its physical nature with a 54-28 edge in points in the paint and led in second chance points 18-4, while the Herd lost the rebound battle, 45-28.
ROAD WOES
The Herd is currently 0-6 away from home this season and has not won away from the Henderson Center since Feb. 20, 2013, in an 82-70 win over UCF. Marshall is 2-20 away from Huntington since the start of the 2012-13 season.
MIXING IT UP
As a result of bumps and bruises throughout the season to some of the Herd's starters, coach Tom Herrion has used five different starting lineups in 13 games this season. No same starting lineup has been used more than four times this year.
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
Marshall has yet to win a game this season in which it failed to reach the 70-point plateau. The Herd is 1-3 when scoring between 70 and 79 points and 3-2 when scoring above 80. Having a 5-2 record when keeping opponents below 79 points of offense, Marshall is 0-6 when allowing the opposition to score more than 80 points.
AT THE WIRE
So far this season, the Herd has seen seven of its games decided by 10 points or less and Marshall has posted a 1-6 mark in those close contests. Now 0-2 in games decided by five points or less, the lone Herd victory in a game decided by 10 or fewer points game against Western Kentucky (Nov. 26), 74-64.
GOARDING THE BOARDS
Sophomore forward TyQuane Goard (Charleston, W.Va.) has come on strong since he was inserted into the starting lineup against Vanderbilt (Dec. 5). Goard is averaging 24.8 minutes per game and is a team best 62 percent from the field (31-of-50) this season.
The transfer swingman has used his length and athleticism to help the Herd in its rebounding efforts as he is averaging 5.3 per game. 27 of his 69 total rebounds have come on the offensive glass, creating second-change opportunities for Marshall. Goard recorded his first career double-double on 21 points and 13 rebounds in 34 minutes against Arkansas State (Dec. 21). Goard also went 11-of-13 from the line against the Red Wolves.
A HELPING HAND
The benefit of having a true point guard has helped the Herd greatly this year and Canty has been the primary reason for that. An average of seven assists per game has the freshman ranking tied for sixth in the country in dimes, while he is the top assist man in C-USA. Canty has recorded three double-doubles on the season, all coming from a combination of points and assists. He most recently recorded 14 assists against Alice Lloyd (Dec. 17), setting a career best and tying for fourth-most steals in a single game by a member of the Herd in the history of the program.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
With numerous scoring threats in the Marshall lineup, four members of the Herd are averaging double figures in scoring, three of which have become a mainstay in the Herd's starting lineup: Canty with 17.3, Ryan Taylor (Indianapolis, Ind.) with 13.0 and Chris Thomas (Denver) with 12.1. The Herd has received scoring help from more than its top four scorers as Marshall has had three or more of its own score in double figures in 12 of 13 games this season.
The Herd is 4-8 this season when three or more of its own score in double figures and 1-0 when two or less reach 10 points.
ON THE LINE
Free throws have been a point of emphasis for the Herd this season as Marshall is 4-2 when converting more attempts from the charity stripe than opponents and 1-6 when making less free throws than the opposition. The Herd is shooting 61 percent from the line this season (250-of-410). Marshall's 160 missed free throw attempts rank first in NCAA Division I men's basketball.
SCOUTING THE ZIPS
Akron (7-5) most recently snapped a three-game losing streak with a, 77-66, win over Copping State (Dec. 31). Two of the defeats during the skid came to the same South Carolina team that Marshall fell to, Monday night.
Senior forward Demetrius Treadwell enters the contest with 13.6 points per game and eight rebounds per game, both numbers make him the team leader in each category. Treadwell is one of two on the Akron roster to have started and played in all 12 of the Zips' contests this season.
Marshall leads the all-time series 11-10 as the two sides prepare for the 22nd meeting in the history of the programs. Akron has got the best of the Herd in the last three meetings and Marshall has not defeated Akron since Mar. 3, 2003 in Huntington, 78-68. The last time the Herd defeated the Zips in Akron was Mar. 1, 2002, 104-87.
UP NEXT
Marshall will return home for its final nonconference contest of the season against Presbyterian, Sunday, Jan. 5 at 2 p.m.
---HerdZone.com---
