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...The Marshall Thundering Herd will travel to the Murphy Athletic Center to take on the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders this Thursday night in College Basketball action.
The Marshall Thundering Herd won their 4th straight game and improved to 11-6 (4-0 C-USA) on the season after defeating the Charlotte 49ers, 110-93, this past Saturday. Marshall was unstoppable on the offensive end and was able to pull away from Charlotte after putting up 58 2nd half points. Marshall shot 52.1% from the field and 54.5% (12-22) from beyond the arc in the victory. Leading the way for the Thundering Herd was Jon Elmore who had a double-double with 29 points, 10 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals. On the season, Marshall is averaging 89.9 ppg on 47.7% shooting from the field. The Thundering Herd are averaging 10.4 three-pointers per game on 39.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Marshall has been led by Jon Elmore (21.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 6.5 apg, 1.5 spg), Stevie Browning (16.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.3 spg), Ryan Taylor (15.6 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.9 bpg), C.J. Burks (12.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.9 apg). Defensively, Marshall is allowing their opponents to average 85.2 ppg on 45.9% shooting from the field. The Thundering Herd have a rebound margin of -3.9 and a turnover margin of 0.7.
The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders won their 3rd straight game and improved to 13-3 (3-0 C-USA) on the season after defeating the North Texas Mean Green, 79-68, this past Saturday. Middle Tennessee went into halftime with a 37-27 lead and led by double-digits for the majority of the 2nd half in the victory. Middle Tennessee shot 42.2% from the field and outrebounded the Mean Green by a 40-30 margin. Leading the way for the Blue Raiders was JaCorey Williams who had a double-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. On the season, Middle Tennessee is averaging 74.1 ppg on 47.8% shooting from the field. The Blue Raiders are averaging 6.6 three-pointers per game on 38.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Middle Tennessee has been led by JaCorey Williams (17.4 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.9 apg), Giddy Potts (16.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.6 spg), Reggie Upshaw (15.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.7 spg), and Edward Simpson (5.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.9 apg). Defensively, Middle Tennessee is allowing their opponents to average 65.4 ppg on 42.7% shooting from the field. The Blue Raiders have a rebound margin of 2.4 and a turnover margin of 4.2.
The Thundering Herd are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games and 19-7-1 ATS in their last 27 games following a ATS win. The Blue Raiders are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 Thursday games and 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games vs. C-USA opponents.
Marshall has been one of the more exciting teams to watch on the offensive end this season as the Thundering Herd like to push the tempo of the game. Coming into this matchup, Marshall has the 6th ranked scoring offense, 47th ranked FG%, and 35th ranked 3P-FG%. Middle Tennessee is one of the better mid-major teams in the country and as they have three great playmakers in JaCorey Williams, Giddy Potts, and Reggie Upshaw. Middle Tennessee has been solid on both sides of the ball as they have the 49th ranked scoring defense and 45th ranked FG%. Middle Tennessee is a great team, however, Marshall lost road games to Cincinnati and Pittsburgh before the start of conference play by an average of just 4.0 ppg, and if their offense was able to keep those games close, Marshall and this many points is the play here. Take Marshall and the points.....
