Ohio (2-6 overall) welcomes a familiar foe to the Convocation Center this Saturday as Marshall (5-3 overall) makes the trip north from Huntington for another huge non-conference game.
The Bobcats started the season poorly to say the least, as they managed just one win over Illinois State in their first seven games. However, they did get back on track Wednesday night with a very solid 79-57 win over an 0-9 Maine team.
The game was won with the duo of JJ Kelly and Javan Simmons, each having their best games in their early Bobcat careers, with Simmons dropping 17 points and the freshman Kelly putting up a career-high of 14 points.
It was a much-needed win for a team that has struggled this season, and it also should give some necessary momentum for another tough opponent as the Thundering Herd comes to town for head coach Jeff Boals’ fifth matchup with the squad. Boals is just 1-4 against Marshall in his tenure as Ohio’s head coach.
Marshall has been solid this year, posting a winning record, but it is riding a two-game losing streak before the Ohio game. The Thundering Herd suffered a blowout loss against Lipscomb before a brutal one-point loss to UNC Wilmington, the game before they visit the Bobcats.
Now, let's take a closer look at Marshall.
Game Information
Opponent: Marshall Thundering Herd
Location: The Convo
Time: Saturday at 4 p.m.
Where to watch: ESPN+
Follow live stats here
Head Coach: Cornelius Jackson (second season)
The second-year Thundering Herd head coach, Cornelius “Corny” Jackson, is a Marshall man through and through. He was born in Beckley, West Virginia, and went on to become the 1996 West Virginia High School Player of the Year in basketball while playing for Oak Hill High School.
He went to Tennessee for his freshman year of college but transferred to Marshall and was the starting point guard for the final three years of his career, leading the MAC in assists in his junior and senior years.
Jackson has made a number of stops as a coach, but he has been with Marshall since 2017 as an assistant, associate head coach and now head coach as of 2024. He had a great first year, coaching the team to a 20-13 record in his first year.
Projected Starters:
#02 Wyatt Fricks
#03 Wilson Dubinsky
#05 Noah Otshudi
#13 Matt Van Komen
#50 Jalen Speer
Statistical leaders:
Points: Fricks (14.2 per game)
Assists: Speer (5.9 per game)
Rebounds: Van Komen (7.8 per game)
FG%: Van Komen (78%)
3-point percentage: Caleb Hollenbeck (46.5%)
Steals: Fricks, Otshudi (1.2 per game)
Blocks: Van Komen (2.2 per game)
Marshall player to watch: Jalen Speer
The sixth-year senior is a veteran of college basketball, originally starting his career at Florida A&M before transferring to Marshall. Speer was a solid player last year, putting up 10.8 points per game while shooting over 35% from deep, but this year he has taken his game further.
The graduate student guard has embraced a playmaking role, dishing out 5.9 assists per game while also improving as scorer and shooter, averaging 12.9 points per game and shooting 37.5% from deep.
