Sports
Related Photos
-
Photo courtesy
Marshall visits Heels
Thundering Herd takes on 10th-ranked North Carolina tonight
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
- Sports
-
-
Luck named WVU athletic director
Oliver Luck, former West Virginia University and NFL quarterback and Academic All-American, this morning was named the school's new director of intercollegiate athletics, effective July 1.
-
Reports: Marshall’s Jones heading to UCF
HUNTINGTON - Marshall men’s basketball coach Donnie Jones has accepted Central Florida’s offer to become its new head coach, multiple national media outlets are reporting.
-
Flying Eagles rebound
Coaches often remark that they don’t want a tough loss to beat their teams twice.
-
Hounds do enough to eliminate Fayetteville
SMITHERS — It wasn’t quite a gold-medal performance, but Valley coach Marshall Murray will settle for it. For now.
-
Huggs ejected late in WVU loss to UConn
HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun opened the game with a technical foul and West Virginia’s Bob Huggins ended it with two.
-
No. 2 Red Devils rout Bluefield
OAK HILL — A little high-low was a little too much for Bluefield.
-
Local Roundup: MSU loses for first time
Lee 92, Mountain State 89
-
Locals set to compete in Class AAA states
This area will be well represented in the Class AAA portion of this week’s state wrestling tournament.
-
Season ticket success could lead to more seats
Prospective fans of the West Virginia Miners have a say in the growth of Linda K. Epling Stadium.
-
Shuffle on down to the state tournament this weekend
With the 63rd annual West Virginia state wrestling tournament beginning Thursday, there are a lot of reasons to liken this competition to a poker match.
- More Sports Headlines
-
Luck named WVU athletic director
