By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Opportunity awaits Marshall on Saturday.
In the second part of the Mid-American Conference/Sun Belt Challenge, the Thundering Herd are set to welcome unbeaten and 23rd-ranked Miami Ohio to the Cam Henderson Center for a 4 p.m. tip that will be shown on ESPN+.
Marshall (15-8, 7-4) picked up a hard-fought 81-77 Sun Belt Conference victory against Southern Miss on Wednesday behind a strong second half and four players in double figures, led by 25 points from Wyatt Fricks.
One night earlier, Miami survived with a 73-71 Mid-American Conference win at Buffalo.
Along with No. 1 Arizona, the RedHawks (23-0, 11-0 MAC) are one of two remaining unbeaten teams in Division I.
Marshall head coach Cornelius Jackson was pleased with the atmosphere inside the Henderson Center against the Golden Eagles and is hopeful a sellout crowd can make it even tougher on Miami and other future opponents.
“Be loud,” Jackson said. “We have a job to do and we understand that, but be the sixth man. After that game, sell out the next one. Let’s not just do it when Miami comes to town.
“We’re the show. Let’s do it for us. We’re looking forward to it and it’s a huge opportunity.”
Travis Steele is in his fourth season as RedHawks’ head coach and has a 75-46 record with the program. Steele previously was head coach at Xavier.
The Redhawks have made their mark this season as one of the nation’s top offensive squads. Miami averages nearly 93 points, shoots a blistering 53.6 percent overall, nearly 40 percent on three-pointers and just south of 77 percent on free throws.
Sophomore wing Brant Byers leads a balanced and prolific scoring attack at 15.2 points per game. There are five other RedHawks averaging double-figure scoring — senior guard Peter Suder (14.1), junior guard Evan Ipsaro (13.9), junior wing Eian Elmer (11.5), junior forward Almar Atlason (10.6) and senior forward Antwone Woolfolk (10.2). Elmer and Woolfolk are the Redhawks top rebounders.
Fricks (14.6 ppg), Jalen Speer (14.3) and Noah Otshudi (14.1) lead Herd scoring, while Matt Van Komen is tops in rebounding at 7.6. Van Komen did not play against Southern Miss.
Speer is leading the Sun Belt and is 29th in the nation in assists with an average of 5.8, and he’s had back-to-back games with eight.
Marshall and Miami have a long history on the hardwood based on common MAC membership through the years, and the RedHawks lead the all-time series, 48-29.
Saturday’s game marks Marshall’s first time welcoming a ranked foe since facing then-No. 25 Old Dominion in January 2015.
Marshall’s last win over a Top 25 team came when the Herd knocked off Wichita State in a first round NCAA Tournament matchup in 2018.