The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Sports

Related Photos

  • Photo courtesy

    whiteside.jpg
December 21, 2009

Marshall visits Heels

Thundering Herd takes on 10th-ranked North Carolina tonight

By Gary Fauber

The level of competition takes a giant leap tonight for Marshall.

The Thundering Herd, averaging 104.3 points over the last three games, will take on No. 10 North Carolina tonight in Chapel Hill. Tip-off from the Dean Smith Center will be 7 p.m.

Marshall (9-1) has won seven straight games and has went over 100 points in three of its last five games. The fifth was a 99-70 win over Troy.

But, those lopsided wins came against West Virginia Conference school Salem International (119-35), NAIA Brescia (105-54) and, most recently, 109-76 over High Point on Sunday.

Tonight, the credentials are far greater. The Tar Heels are the defending national champions. A chunk of that team is gone, most notably Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson, but Carolina is still a top 10 program and coached by Roy Williams, who has a career record of 602-141.

The Tar Heels are coming off Saturday’s 113-90 loss to No. 2 Texas. They are led by Deon Thompson, a 6-foot-9 senior forward averaging 16.3 points per game. Sophomore Ed Davis, a 6-10 forward, averages 14.6 ppg. They are followed by 6-5 senior guard/forward Marcus Ginyard at 10.7 ppg.

Davis leads the team in rebounding at 9.5 per game and in field goal percentage at .690.

Meanwhile, freshman phenom Hassan Whiteside has become the talk of Huntington. The 7-0 Gastonia, N.C., native will get his biggest college test to date in his home state.

Whiteside is averaging 12.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.3 blocked shots per game. He leads Conference USA in blocks by a considerable margin over Tulsa’s Jerome Jordan and is second in rebounds.

He made his first career start against High Point and posted his third straight double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. He also blocked six shots.

Against Brescia, Whiteside posted the first triple-double in school history with 17 points, 14 rebounds and 11 blocks.

Last week, Whiteside was featured nationally in ESPN The Magazine and on NCAA.com.

Joining Whiteside in the starting lineup will be guards Darryl Merthie, Damier Pitts and Shaquille Johnson. Johnson averages 12.0 ppg, Pitts 10.3 and 4.3 assists and Merthie 6.4 ppg.

Senior forward Tyler Wilkerson is the team’s leading scorer at 13.5 ppg and grabs 7.0 rebounds.

Tonight’s game will be televised by Fox Sports South and the New England Sports Network.

— On the Internet:

http://insider.espn.go.com/insider/espnmag

http://www.ncaa.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/121709aaa.html

Text Only
Sports
  • Woodrow holds off Huntington

     It took Woodrow Wilson’s boys basketball team nearly three quarters to figure out that the backside lob was open in Huntington High’s zone.

    January 10, 2012

  • MSU hosts Rio Grande

    For the first time since 1995, Mountain State stands a little past the half-way point at the season with five losses.

    January 10, 2012

  • OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE - WVU to join Big 12 Conference

    The Big 12 Conference Board of Directors have voted unanimously to accept West Virginia University as a full conference member effective July 1, 2012.  The Mountaineers will begin competing in the Big 12 beginning with the 2012-13 athletic season.

    October 28, 2011

  • Friday update: Big East notified WVU leaving for Big 12

    The Big East says it has been notified that West Virginia is leaving the conference and joining the Big 12.

    October 28, 2011

  • Cardinals force Game 7 in World Series

    After one of the greatest games in baseball history, a 10-9, 11-inning victory over Texas in Game 6 in which the Cardinals were twice within one strike of elimination.

    October 28, 2011

  • Schiano sings WVU’s praises

    It hasn’t been the year that Rutgers coach Greg Schiano envisioned.
    Not close.

    December 1, 2010

  • BNI will usher in mat season

    This time around, the Beckley Newspapers Invitational will have a decidedly more local flavor.

    December 1, 2010

  • Huggs likes looks of young Noreen

    Perhaps it was the season. Whatever it was, West Virginia coach Bob Huggins went straight to the pie.
    Well, the figurative pie.
    Huggins had just watched his team beat Virginia Military Institute 82-66 in front of 12,367 fans at the Charleston Civic Center Saturday.

    December 1, 2010

  • Oak Hill places 3 on AA

    Whether it was opposing defenses or illness, nothing stopped Charleston Catholic’s Tom Trupo for long.

    December 1, 2010

  • Spartans open with victory

    Turnovers produce points and the Greenbrier East girls basketball team collected plenty of each en route to an 81-43 season-opening victory against Bluefield on Tuesday night.

    December 1, 2010