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Marshall Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Thundering Herd

By Jason Burgess

SAN DIEGO, CA - MARCH 18: Jon Elmore
SAN DIEGO, CA - MARCH 18: Jon Elmore /
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SAN DIEGO, CA – MARCH 16: Jon Elmore #33 of the Marshall Thundering Herd reacts after a three point basket in the second half against the Wichita State Shockers during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena on March 16, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA – MARCH 16: Jon Elmore #33 of the Marshall Thundering Herd reacts after a three point basket in the second half against the Wichita State Shockers during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena on March 16, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

Marshall had a historic season in 2017, earning their first NCAA Tournament win. Can 2018 be even better for the Herd?

Teams from Conference USA are no strangers to upsets in the NCAA Tournament. In 2016, Middle Tennessee State had the upset of the tournament, knocking off Michigan State. Last season the Marshall Thundering Herd turned the trick as a No. 13 seed by knocking off Wichita State.

The team won 11 games in head coach Dan D’Antoni’s first season, and over his first four years, the Herd has climbed from those 11 wins to 27 last season. Not much was expected of them as they were picked to finish seventh in the conference, they finished fourth and ran the table in the conference tournament to earn the automatic bid.

Marshall is an offensive juggernaut, averaging 83.8 points per game, conversely, they were one of the worst teams defensively in terms of points allowed, surrendering 79 per contest. Offensively they ranked 21st in three-point field goal made per game (10.1), 10th in total three-pointers made (362), and 11th in assists per game (17.1). If you look at the herd’s defense, it is not as if they don’t play any, they do, their field-goal percentage defense is mid-pack nationally at 191st and they rank 6th in block shots per game at 5.8. Where they struggled was on the glass with a -5.0-rebounding margin and their inability to win the turnover battle, ending the season with just a 1.1 turnover margin.

D’Antoni does return six of his top seven scorers from a team that got a taste of March success and is thirsty for more. There is plenty of reason for optimism in Huntington, here is a look at Marshall for the 2018-19 season.