1-1 LN, 31-26 +15.2* YTD
Marshall -15, 2*
Good spot for Marshall to get a blowout win under its belt. Teams often break out after holding team meetings, and after giving up a 22 pt lead in a terrible loss earlier this week they won;t stopplaying late in the game.
HUNTINGTON -- It?s too early in the basketball season to panic, but not too soon to sit down and talk.
Marshall players gathered for an informal team meeting after Wednesday?s practice to discuss the state of the Thundering Herd, forward Marvin Black said.
The meeting focused on Tuesday?s 101-100 overtime defeat at Morehead State when Marshall basically self-destructed in the second half and blew a 22-point lead.
"We talked among ourselves," Black said. "We comforted each other and told each other that everything is going to be all right. We?re focused on beating Western Carolina and going into Christmas 5-2."
Marshall (4-2) plays host to Western Carolina (3-4) today at 7:30 p.m. in Cam Henderson Center.
The game marks MU?s first meeting with an old Southern Conference rival since the Herd left for the Mid-American Conference in 1997. Marshall leads the series with the Catamounts, 28-13.
Western Carolina opened its two-game trip through the Mountain State with an 82-55 defeat Wednesday at West Virginia. The Catamounts are led by Kevin Martin, a 6-foot-7 sophomore guard from Zanesville, Ohio, scoring 25.8 points per game.
"I don?t care who our opponent is, we just need to win," Marshall head coach Greg White said.
Western Carolina is a full-court pressure defensive team, which is something Marshall didn?t handle very well against Morehead State. Marshall committed 21 turnovers against the Eagles, with 10 of them in the final 10 minutes of the game when the lead slipped away.
White said the defeat was marred by numerous physical and mental errors.
"Had we won the game we?d still be having this conversation," White said. "You need to have some poise. We need to chalk it up as a learning lesson.
"The thing that impressed me is it bothered our team. We need to get back in the gym and play. We?ve got a bad feeling about our last game."
The problems with Morehead State?s pressure mostly involved Marshall point guard A.W. Hamilton. With the Eagles trapping the player who caught the ball inbounds, Marshall continually made the mistake of feeding it to Hamilton, White said.
Marshall has its press attack designed to look for the shooting guard who will draw the trap and dump the basketball off to Hamilton with freedom to advance.
"We never go directly to the point guard," White said.
Black said the team learned valuable lessons about maintaining composure and not going into a panic when something goes wrong.
Executing the game plan is the key, Black said.
Marshall guard Ronald Blackshear, the team leader with a 21.3 scoring average, said he?s ready to bounce back.
"We?re going to make mistakes," Blackshear said. "We just have to stay focused. When we do make a mistake we have to make sure they don?t keep happening."
Western Carolina is 0-4 against NCAA Division I teams on its schedule, but three of those losses were by five points or less.
The Catamounts also come to town after a bad outing. West Virginia buried the Catamounts 49-16 at halftime and didn?t get closer than 26 points in the second half.
"We definitely had that deer-in-the-headlights look," Western Carolina head coach Steve Shurina said. "In all the years I?ve played or coached, our first half performance was the most embarrassing I?ve ever been a part of."
Martin, who had 20 points against WVU, was ranked No. 4 in the latest national scoring statistics. He scored 46 in the season opener against Coastal Carolina, breaking WCU?s Ramsey Center record of 44 by Robert Gaines against Marshall in 1992.
Terrence Woodyard, a 6-9 sophomore, averages 10.7 points for the Catamounts.
Marshall -15, 2*
Good spot for Marshall to get a blowout win under its belt. Teams often break out after holding team meetings, and after giving up a 22 pt lead in a terrible loss earlier this week they won;t stopplaying late in the game.
HUNTINGTON -- It?s too early in the basketball season to panic, but not too soon to sit down and talk.
Marshall players gathered for an informal team meeting after Wednesday?s practice to discuss the state of the Thundering Herd, forward Marvin Black said.
The meeting focused on Tuesday?s 101-100 overtime defeat at Morehead State when Marshall basically self-destructed in the second half and blew a 22-point lead.
"We talked among ourselves," Black said. "We comforted each other and told each other that everything is going to be all right. We?re focused on beating Western Carolina and going into Christmas 5-2."
Marshall (4-2) plays host to Western Carolina (3-4) today at 7:30 p.m. in Cam Henderson Center.
The game marks MU?s first meeting with an old Southern Conference rival since the Herd left for the Mid-American Conference in 1997. Marshall leads the series with the Catamounts, 28-13.
Western Carolina opened its two-game trip through the Mountain State with an 82-55 defeat Wednesday at West Virginia. The Catamounts are led by Kevin Martin, a 6-foot-7 sophomore guard from Zanesville, Ohio, scoring 25.8 points per game.
"I don?t care who our opponent is, we just need to win," Marshall head coach Greg White said.
Western Carolina is a full-court pressure defensive team, which is something Marshall didn?t handle very well against Morehead State. Marshall committed 21 turnovers against the Eagles, with 10 of them in the final 10 minutes of the game when the lead slipped away.
White said the defeat was marred by numerous physical and mental errors.
"Had we won the game we?d still be having this conversation," White said. "You need to have some poise. We need to chalk it up as a learning lesson.
"The thing that impressed me is it bothered our team. We need to get back in the gym and play. We?ve got a bad feeling about our last game."
The problems with Morehead State?s pressure mostly involved Marshall point guard A.W. Hamilton. With the Eagles trapping the player who caught the ball inbounds, Marshall continually made the mistake of feeding it to Hamilton, White said.
Marshall has its press attack designed to look for the shooting guard who will draw the trap and dump the basketball off to Hamilton with freedom to advance.
"We never go directly to the point guard," White said.
Black said the team learned valuable lessons about maintaining composure and not going into a panic when something goes wrong.
Executing the game plan is the key, Black said.
Marshall guard Ronald Blackshear, the team leader with a 21.3 scoring average, said he?s ready to bounce back.
"We?re going to make mistakes," Blackshear said. "We just have to stay focused. When we do make a mistake we have to make sure they don?t keep happening."
Western Carolina is 0-4 against NCAA Division I teams on its schedule, but three of those losses were by five points or less.
The Catamounts also come to town after a bad outing. West Virginia buried the Catamounts 49-16 at halftime and didn?t get closer than 26 points in the second half.
"We definitely had that deer-in-the-headlights look," Western Carolina head coach Steve Shurina said. "In all the years I?ve played or coached, our first half performance was the most embarrassing I?ve ever been a part of."
Martin, who had 20 points against WVU, was ranked No. 4 in the latest national scoring statistics. He scored 46 in the season opener against Coastal Carolina, breaking WCU?s Ramsey Center record of 44 by Robert Gaines against Marshall in 1992.
Terrence Woodyard, a 6-9 sophomore, averages 10.7 points for the Catamounts.
