PREMIUM
GAME OF THE WEEK (Rogers' 10* NCAAB) >> SWEET 28-18-1 NCAAB Run!
(NCAAB) Marshall vs. Western Kentucky,
Point Spread: -6.00 | -110.00 Western Kentucky (Home)
Result: Loss
Point Spread: -6.00 | -110.00 Western Kentucky (Home)
Result: Loss
The set-up: The C-USA Tourney was left wide-open after regular season champ MTSU was upset on Thursday. The 24-9 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (at 14-2 are the 3rd seed) take the floor tonight in Frisco, Texas to take on the 23-10 Marshall Thundering Herd (at 12-6 are the 4th seed) in the C-USA championship game. Western Ky. advanced with a 57-49 win versus Old Dominion on Friday and Marshall advanced to the title game by upending a stubborn Southern Miss team, 85-75 (Southern Miss had upset MTSU 71-68 in OT on Thursday).
Marshall: The Thundering Herd took a 20 point lead into the break vs. Southern Miss and won by 10. PG Jon Elmore (22.6-6.1-7.0) led Marshall with 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists against Southern Miss. 6-9 freshman Jannson Williams (5.3 & 3.1) followed with 17 points and five rebounds, while Marshall's two other double digit scorers on the season, guard CJ Burks (21.0-4.2-3.1) and the 6-9 Penava (15.5 & 8.5), added 13 and 12 points, respectively. Led by the high-scoring trio of Elmore, Burks and Penava (see above), Marshall averages 84.8 PPG (8th) but the Thundering Herd allow 79.2 PPG, which ranks 325th of 351 Division I teams.
Western Kentucky: The 6-7 Justin Johnson carried the Hilltoppers with 19 points and 13 rebounds on 7-12 shooting in the win over Old Dominion, the league's No. 2 seed. Western Ky. owns great balance, as all five starters average in double digits. Johnson leads in scoring (15.2) and rebounding (9.5), followed by guards Thompson (14.1-4.4-4.8), Hollingsworth(13.5) and Bearden (11.6 & 3.5 APG) plus the 6-9 Coleby (11.2 & 7.8). Marshall shoots very well as a team, connecting on 49.8% from the floor (9th in the nation)..
The pick: Western Kentucky routed UAB by scoring 98 points, then beat C-USA's second seed (ODU) by holding the Monarchs to 49 points on 36.5 percent shooting. During the regular sesson. Western Ky's balanced attack handled Marshall's "three-man gang," with a 112-87 win on the road and an 85-74 win at home. The neutral-site location will not change the result, here. Make Western Kentucky a 10* play.
Marshall: The Thundering Herd took a 20 point lead into the break vs. Southern Miss and won by 10. PG Jon Elmore (22.6-6.1-7.0) led Marshall with 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists against Southern Miss. 6-9 freshman Jannson Williams (5.3 & 3.1) followed with 17 points and five rebounds, while Marshall's two other double digit scorers on the season, guard CJ Burks (21.0-4.2-3.1) and the 6-9 Penava (15.5 & 8.5), added 13 and 12 points, respectively. Led by the high-scoring trio of Elmore, Burks and Penava (see above), Marshall averages 84.8 PPG (8th) but the Thundering Herd allow 79.2 PPG, which ranks 325th of 351 Division I teams.
Western Kentucky: The 6-7 Justin Johnson carried the Hilltoppers with 19 points and 13 rebounds on 7-12 shooting in the win over Old Dominion, the league's No. 2 seed. Western Ky. owns great balance, as all five starters average in double digits. Johnson leads in scoring (15.2) and rebounding (9.5), followed by guards Thompson (14.1-4.4-4.8), Hollingsworth(13.5) and Bearden (11.6 & 3.5 APG) plus the 6-9 Coleby (11.2 & 7.8). Marshall shoots very well as a team, connecting on 49.8% from the floor (9th in the nation)..
The pick: Western Kentucky routed UAB by scoring 98 points, then beat C-USA's second seed (ODU) by holding the Monarchs to 49 points on 36.5 percent shooting. During the regular sesson. Western Ky's balanced attack handled Marshall's "three-man gang," with a 112-87 win on the road and an 85-74 win at home. The neutral-site location will not change the result, here. Make Western Kentucky a 10* play.
