HUNTINGTON Ƶ The biggest takeaway from Marshall UniversityƵs 81-69 rout of Georgia Southern is that it is fewer than five points from having an undefeated record in the Sun Belt Conference.
A one-point loss to Troy at the Cam Henderson Center and a two-point road setback to Southern Miss are the blemishes to a 3-2 start.
The Thundering Herd (10-8) went 3-1 at home to begin 2025, trailing for fewer than eight minutes since the new year.
Now the task is a road win. Marshall is 0-6 and begins the hunt with a matchup at James Madison at 7 p.m. Thursday.
ƵI feel like weƵre playing pretty well,Ƶ Marshall coach Corny Jackson said. ƵWe have to go on the road. We have to take that show on the road. I know James Madison will be ready. They lost a tough one here, and they lost again (Saturday).
ƵThey need to get a win. TheyƵre a good program, and they will come out hungry. We just have to make sure that weƵre ready for the challenge. I think we will be.Ƶ
MarshallƵs biggest advantage is its recent shooting success.
Against JMU, the Herd had its best 3-point effort of the season at 54% and tied its season-best of 13 made 3Ƶs. The Herd then outshot Georgia Southern, which entered averaging 28 3-point attempts, by making 10.
ƵIƵll always have confidence in these guys, even when theyƵre struggling a little bit,Ƶ Jackson said. ƵWe recruited them, and we believe in them. When other people donƵt have confidence in them, they know that we do. They know that we have their backs.Ƶ
Marshall is now ranked second in the conference in 3-point percentage, and it is a top-3 team in the SBC in overall offensive efficiency at 111.4, more than five points above the national average.
You can thank the Golden State Warriors.
ƵOur emphasis was getting out and running in transition,Ƶ Jackson said. ƵKick the ball ahead. WeƵve been spending time on that in practice the last few weeks.
ƵWhen you hit a couple of 3Ƶs in a row, it can be a huge game changer. Steph Curry and Klay made it look really good when they had their run. They bang a couple of 3Ƶs and now the whole momentum Ƶ the crowd and everyone is into it. ItƵs pretty basketball.Ƶ
Mikal Dawson was part of that splash, making five 3-pointers for the sixth time this season in the win over GSU.
ƵHeƵs a guy that when he struggled, he didnƵt really believe what everyone was saying about him,Ƶ Jackson said. ƵHe didnƵt believe that. He stayed in the gym, blocked out the noise and worked on his shot. We want these guys to be consistent. We want them to be confident.Ƶ
But defense may be the brightest light. While the Herd was without Obinna Anochili-Killen, dealing with an ankle injury, Marshall still put up six blocks.
The Herd is the 69th-best team nationally in team block rate, how often a shot attempt is blocked, at 12%. It jumps to 16.2% in conference play.
The Herd also sees more non-steal turnovers from its opponents than any team in the Sun Belt and is a top-15 team nationally in defensive assist rate at 41.4. It means that nearly 60% of all shots made against Marshall are unassisted, a sign of physicality and disruption.
ƵThe whole conference is super physical from top to bottom,Ƶ Nate Martin said. ƵI think these first four or five games has really showed it on a magnified level. ItƵs been great for us. I think weƵve done a great job of handling it and asserting our dominance. We can bang and be physical.Ƶ
In comparison, Marshall now has a positive assist-turnover ratio in all but four games. Jackson, a former assist leader in the Mid-American Conference, puts heavy emphasis on working into the best chances for his offense.
ƵThatƵs always a good number,Ƶ Jackson said. ƵBeing a former point guard myself, I always look at that number. I look at that when IƵm recruiting guys and when IƵm studying other teams. One of the things that makes you a good player is your decision making. It happens fast.
ƵYou have to adjust. Today they were switching the ball screen and hedging it Ƶ jumping over to stop Dezayne on his drives. They switched up a lot of defenses, so you have to make decisions on the fly. IƵm not happy with the 17 turnovers, but I am happy with the 19 assists.Ƶ
Marshall will be on the road until Jan. 30 when it will play host to Georgia State for the first conference game with students back on campus.
