2017–18 Marshall Thundering Herd men's basketball team

2017–18 Marshall Thundering Herd men's basketball
C-USA tournament champions
NCAA tournament, Second Round
Conference	Conference USA
Record	25–11 (12–6 C-USA)
Head coach	Dan D'Antoni (4th season)
Assistant coaches	Mark Cline Scott Rigot Cornelius Jackson
Home arena	Cam Henderson Center

2017–18 Conference USA men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Middle Tennessee	16	–	2		.889			25	–	8		.758
Old Dominion	15	–	3		.833			25	–	7		.781
Western Kentucky	14	–	4		.778			27	–	11		.711
Marshall †	12	–	6		.667			25	–	11		.694
UTSA	11	–	7		.611			20	–	15		.571
UAB	10	–	8		.556			20	–	13		.606
North Texas	8	–	10		.444			20	–	18		.526
FIU	8	–	10		.444			14	–	18		.438
Southern Miss	7	–	11		.389			16	–	18		.471
Louisiana Tech	7	–	11		.389			17	–	16		.515
Florida Atlantic	6	–	12		.333			12	–	19		.387
UTEP	6	–	12		.333			11	–	20		.355
Rice	4	–	14		.222			7	–	24		.226
Charlotte	2	–	16		.111			6	–	23		.207
† 2018 C-USA Tournament winner

The 2017–18 Marshall Thundering Herd men's basketball team represented the Marshall University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Thundering Herd, led by fourth-year head coach Dan D'Antoni, played their home games at the Cam Henderson Center as members of Conference USA. They finished the season 25–11, 12–6 in C-USA play to finish in fourth place. They defeated UTSA, Southern Miss, and Western Kentucky to become champions of the C-USA tournament. They received C-USA's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where, as a No. 13 seed, they upset Wichita State in the first round before losing to West Virginia in the second round.

Previous season

The Thundering Herd finished the 2016–17 season 20–15, 10–8 in C-USA play to finish in sixth place. They defeated Florida Atlantic, Old Dominion, and Louisiana Tech to advance to the championship game of the C-USA tournament. There they lost to top-seeded Middle Tennessee. Despite finishing with 20 wins, they did not participate in a postseason tournament.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Ky're Allison	5	G	6'2"	181	Freshman	Portsmouth, Ohio	Transferred to Sinclair Community College
Stevie Browning	2	G	6'3"	188	RS Senior	Logan, West Virginia	Graduated
Jacob Kilgore	4	F	6'5"	191	Sophomore	Huntington, West Virginia	Walk-on; did not return
Austin Loop	35	G	6'4"	210	RS Senior	South Webster, Ohio	Graduated
Aleksa Nikolić	21	G	6'6.5"	221	RS Sophomore	Pančevo, Serbia	Graduated; did not return
Ryan Taylor	25	F	6'5"	249	RS Senior	Indianapolis, Indiana	Graduated
Terrence Thompson	1	F	6'7"	217	Junior	Durham, North Carolina	Graduate transferred to Wake Forest

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Dani Koljanin	1	F	6'8"	219	Junior	Pula, Croatia	Junior college transferred from Monroe College

2017 recruiting class

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Jarrod West PG	Clarksburg, West Virginia	Notre Dame High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	179 lb (81 kg)	Sep 15, 2016
	Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Darius George SF	Staunton, Virginia	Robert E. Lee High School	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Sep 19, 2016
	Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Tanner Robinette PF	Honaker, Virginia	Hargrave Military Academy	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Sep 26, 2016
	Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:
Iran Bennett C	North Carolina	Hargrave Military Academy	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	Oct 17, 2016
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: NR   Rivals: NR  ESPN: NR
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Marshall Basketball Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 4, 2017. "2017 Marshall Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved August 4, 2017. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 4, 2017. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 4, 2017. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 4, 2017.

Roster

2017–18 Marshall Thundering Herd men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown F 0 Christian Thieneman 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS So Trinity Louisville, Kentucky F 1 Dani Koljanin 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Monroe Pula, Croatia F 3 Jannson Williams 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Fr Newnan Newnan, Georgia G 4 Christian Villers (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Ashland Ashland, Kentucky G 5 Marcus Reed (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr Riverside Charleston, West Virginia F 11 Ajdin Penava 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Fifth High School Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina G 12 Ot Elmore 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 197 lb (89 kg) RS Sr Texas–Rio Grande Valley Charleston, West Virginia G 13 Jarrod West 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 179 lb (81 kg) Fr Notre Dame HS Clarksburg, West Virginia G 14 C.J. Burks 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Jr Hedgesville Martinsburg, West Virginia F 21 Darius George 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Robert E. Lee Staunton, Virginia G 23 Rondale Watson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS Jr Wake Forest Lewisburg, West Virginia G 24 Will Fenton (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Fayetteville Fayetteville, West Virginia G/F 32 Phil Bledsoe 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Wheeling Park Wheeling, West Virginia G 33 Jon Elmore 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr VMI Charleston, West Virginia F 50 Milan Mijović 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Sr Secondary Vocational School Belgrade, Serbia	Head coach Dan D'Antoni (Marshall) Assistant coach(es) Mark Cline (Wake Forest) Scott Rigot (Buffalo) Cornelius Jackson (Marshall) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: 11/11/2017

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
Oct 29, 2017* 4:00 pm		West Virginia Tech	W 99–81		Cam Henderson Center (4,820) Huntington, WV
Nov 5, 2017* 7:00 pm		West Virginia Wesleyan	W 95–76		Cam Henderson Center (4,559) Huntington, WV
Non-conference regular season
Nov 10, 2017* 8:00 pm		UT Martin Global Sports Invitational	W 102–91 ^OT	1–0	Cam Henderson Center (5,754) Huntington, WV
Nov 13, 2017* 7:00 pm		Southern Global Sports Invitational	W 83–74	2–0	Cam Henderson Center (4,674) Huntington, WV
Nov 16, 2017* 7:00 pm		at Morehead State	L 83–86	2–1	Ellis Johnson Arena (3,857) Morehead, KY
Nov 19, 2017* 5:00 pm, BTN+		at Illinois Global Sports Invitational	L 74–91	2–2	State Farm Center (10,022) Champaign, IL
Nov 22, 2017* 8:00 pm		North Carolina Central Global Sports Invitational	W 92–84	3–2	Cam Henderson Center (4,572) Huntington, WV
Nov 26, 2017* 4:00 pm		Concord	W 106–70	4–2	Cam Henderson Center (4,654) Huntington, WV
Nov 29, 2017* 7:00 pm		at William & Mary	L 104–114	4–3	Kaplan Arena (1,727) Williamsburg, VA
Dec 2, 2017* 7:00 pm		Akron	W 86–64	5–3	Cam Henderson Center (5,104) Huntington, WV
Dec 5, 2017* 7:00 pm		Chattanooga	W 70–66	6–3	Cam Henderson Center (4,811) Huntington, WV
Dec 9, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3		at Toledo	W 93–87	7–3	Savage Arena (4,369) Toledo, OH
Dec 16, 2017* 8:00 pm		Ohio	W 99–96 ^OT	8–3	Cam Henderson Center (5,117) Huntington, WV
Dec 19, 2017* 6:30 pm, FS1		at No. 9 Xavier	L 77–81	8–4	Cintas Center (10,431) Cincinnati, OH
Dec 22, 2017* 7:00 pm		Eastern Kentucky	W 91–71	9–4	Cam Henderson Center (5,218) Huntington, WV
Conference USA regular season
Dec 28, 2017 7:00 pm		Southern Miss	W 85–66	10–4 (1–0)	Cam Henderson Center (5,537) Huntington, WV
Dec 30, 2017 7:00 pm, ESPN3		Louisiana Tech	W 78–65	11–4 (2–0)	Cam Henderson Center (5,683) Huntington, WV
Jan 6, 2018 7:00 pm, STADIUM		Western Kentucky	L 87–112	11–5 (2–1)	Cam Henderson Center (6,826) Huntington, WV
Jan 11, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3		at Charlotte	W 91–83	12–5 (3–1)	Dale F. Halton Arena (4,640) Charlotte, NC
Jan 13, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3		at Old Dominion	L 76–82	12–6 (3–2)	Ted Constant Convocation Center (6,287) Norfolk, VA
Jan 18, 2018 8:00 pm, beIN		Middle Tennessee	W 73–63	13–6 (4–2)	Cam Henderson Center (5,320) Huntington, WV
Jan 20, 2018 7:00 pm		UAB	W 86–78 ^OT	14–6 (5–2)	Cam Henderson Center (6,740) Huntington, WV
Jan 27, 2018 7:00 pm, STADIUM		at Western Kentucky	L 74–85	14–7 (5–3)	E. A. Diddle Arena (7,362) Bowling Green, KY
Feb 1, 2018 8:00 pm, beIN		at UTSA	L 77–81	14–8 (5–4)	Convocation Center (1,042) San Antonio, TX
Feb 3, 2018 9:00 pm		at UTEP	W 74–65	15–8 (6–4)	Don Haskins Center (6,061) El Paso, TX
Feb 8, 2018 8:00 pm		FIU	W 76–66	16–8 (7–4)	Cam Henderson Center (5,078) Huntington, WV
Feb 10, 2018 7:00 pm		Florida Atlantic	W 79–68	17–8 (8–4)	Cam Henderson Center (5,761) Huntington, WV
Feb 15, 2018 8:00 pm		at Rice	W 93–80	18–8 (9–4)	Tudor Fieldhouse (1,694) Houston, TX
Feb 17, 2018 6:00 pm		at North Texas	W 74–72	19–8 (10–4)	The Super Pit (4,115) Denton, TX
Feb 22, 2018 7:00 pm, STADIUM		Old Dominion	L 79–84	19–9 (10–5)	Cam Henderson Center (5,829) Huntington, WV
Feb 24, 2018 7:00 pm		Charlotte	W 103–75	20–9 (11–5)	Cam Henderson Center (6,575) Huntington, WV
Mar 1, 2018 8:00 pm, beIN		at UAB	L 77–91	20–10 (11–6)	Bartow Arena (3,156) Birmingham, AL
Mar 3, 2018 7:00 pm, STADIUM		at No. 24 Middle Tennessee	W 76–67	21–10 (12–6)	Murphy Center (10,050) Murfreesboro, TN
Conference USA tournament
Mar 8, 2018 7:30 pm, STADIUM	(4)	vs. (5) UTSA Quarterfinals	W 95–81	22–10	Ford Center at The Star (2,531) Frisco, TX
Mar 9, 2018 1:30 pm, CBSSN	(4)	vs. (9) Southern Miss Semifinals	W 85–75	23–10	Ford Center at The Star  Frisco, TX
Mar 10, 2018 8:30 pm, CBSSN	(4)	vs. (3) Western Kentucky Championship	W 67–66	24–10	Ford Center at The Star  Frisco, TX
NCAA tournament
Mar 16, 2018* 1:30 pm, TNT	(13 E)	vs. (4 E) No. 16 Wichita State First Round	W 81–75	25–10	Viejas Arena (10,892) San Diego, CA
Mar 18, 2018* 9:40 pm, TBS	(13 E)	vs. (5 E) No. 15 West Virginia Second Round/Rivalry	L 71–94	25–11	Viejas Arena (11,628) San Diego, CA
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. All times are in Eastern Time.

Source[1][2]

References

1. "Marshall Thundering Herd Basketball 2017–18 Schedule – Thundering Herd Home and Away – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
2. "HERDZONE.COM :: Marshall Thundering Herd Official Athletic Site :: Men's Basketball". www.herdzone.com. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2017.