# 2018–19 Marshall Thundering Herd men's basketball team

The 2018–19 Marshall Thundering Herd men's basketball team represented Marshall University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Thundering Herd, led by fifth-year head coach Dan D'Antoni, played their home games at the Cam Henderson Center as members of Conference USA. They finished the season 23–14, 11–7 in C-USA play to finish in sixth place. They defeated Rice before losing to Southern Miss in the quarterfinals of the C-USA tournament. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they defeated IUPUI, Presbyterian, Hampton and Green Bay to become CIT champions.

## Previous season

The Thundering Herd finished the 2017–18 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 No. 4 seed Wichita State 81–75 in the first round before losing to No. 5 seed and rival West Virginia in the second round.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Phil Bledsoe | 32 | G/F | 6'6" | 220 | Sophomore | Wheeling, West Virginia | Transferred to Glenville State |
| Ot Elmore | 12 | G | 6'2" | 197 | RS Senior | Charleston, West Virginia | Graduated |
| Will Fenton | 24 | G | 6'6" | 205 | Freshman | Fayetteville, West Virginia | Walk-on; did not return |
| Dani Koljanin | 1 | F | 6'8" | 220 | Junior | Pula, Croatia | Transferred to Little Rock |
| Milan Mijović | 50 | F | 6'9" | 255 | Senior | Belgrade, Serbia | Graduated |
| Ajdin Penava | 11 | F | 6'9" | 220 | Junior | Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina | Declared for 2018 NBA draft |
| Marcus Reed | 5 | G | 6'0" | 175 | Senior | Charleston, West Virginia | Graduated |
| Christian Villers | 4 | G | 6'3" | 180 | Freshman | Ashland, Kentucky | Walk-on; did not return |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Ante Šustić | 12 | F | 6'10" | 230 | Junior | Split, Croatia | Junior college transferred from Highland Community College |
| Mikel Beyers | 31 | F | 6'8" | 215 | Sophomore | Houston, Texas | Junior college transferred from Mesa Community College |

### 2018 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jeremy Dillon SG | Matewan, West Virginia | Mingo Central High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 198 lb (90 kg) | Sep 14, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Cameron Brooks-Harris SF | Zanesville, Ohio | Zanesville High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Oct 13, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Taevion Kinsey SG | Columbus, Ohio | Eastmoor Academy | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | Apr 18, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| 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 June 4, 2018. "2018 Marshall Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved June 4, 2018. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 4, 2018. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved June 4, 2018. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 4, 2018. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Oct 28, 2018* 4:00 pm | | Glenville State | W 113–108 | | 25 – Burks | 8 – Elmore | 9 – Elmore | Cam Henderson Center (5,734) Huntington, WV |
| Nov 1, 2018* 7:00 pm | | West Virginia Wesleyan | W 83–65 | | 10 – Tied | 7 – Brooks-Harris | 7 – Elmore | Cam Henderson Center (5,721) Huntington, WV |
| Non-Conference Regular season |||||||||
| Nov 7, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Eastern Kentucky | W 105–77 | 1–0 | 30 – Burks | 10 – Watson | 6 – Elmore | McBrayer Arena (5,189) Richmond, KY |
| Nov 11, 2018* 2:30 pm, ESPN+ | | Hofstra | W 76–72 | 2–0 | 30 – Elmore | 8 – Elmore | 6 – Burks | Cam Henderson Center (7,854) Huntington, WV |
| Nov 14, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Mount St. Mary's | W 98–75 | 3–0 | 24 – Elmore | 8 – Watson | 10 – Watson | Cam Henderson Center (6,050) Huntington, WV |
| Nov 19, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | North Carolina A&T | W 95–71 | 4–0 | 18 – Elmore | 7 – Watson | 5 – Tied | Cam Henderson Center (6,162) Huntington, WV |
| Nov 23, 2018* 6:00 pm, BTN | | at Maryland | L 67–104 | 4–1 | 21 – Williams | 5 – Williams | 3 – Tied | Xfinity Center (11,711) College Park, MD |
| Nov 28, 2018* 7:00 pm, WVAH 11.2 | | William & Mary | W 84–64 | 5–1 | 26 – Elmore | 7 – Watson | 5 – Elmore | Cam Henderson Center (6,187) Huntington, WV |
| Dec 1, 2018* 3:30 pm, ESPN+ | | at Ohio | L 84–101 | 5–2 | 26 – Elmore | 4 – 5 Tied | 5 – Elmore | Convocation Center (6,301) Athens, OH |
| Dec 5, 2018* 7:00 pm, ATTSNP | | at Duquesne | L 82–93 | 5–3 | 26 – Burks | 7 – George | 5 – Burks | Palumbo Center (1,689) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Dec 8, 2018* 2:30 pm, WVAH 11.2 | | Toledo | L 74–75 $^{OT}$ | 5–4 | 21 – Elmore | 10 – Watson | 5 – Elmore | Cam Henderson Center (6,232) Huntington, WV |
| Dec 10, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Morehead State | W 76–64 | 6–4 | 27 – Elmore | 8 – Williams | 4 – 3 Tied | Cam Henderson Center (6,253) Huntington, WV |
| Dec 15, 2018* 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Akron | W 75–74 | 7–4 | 19 – Elmore | 8 – Elmore | 6 – Elmore | James A. Rhodes Arena (2,748) Akron, OH |
| Dec 22, 2018* 2:00 pm, SECN+ | | at Texas A&M | L 68–92 | 7–5 | 19 – Watson | 8 – Williams | 4 – Elmore | Reed Arena (7,894) College Station, TX |
| Dec 31, 2018* 1:00 pm, ACCRSN | | at No. 4 Virginia | L 64–100 | 7–6 | 14 – Elmore | 5 – Beyers | 3 – Elmore | John Paul Jones Arena (14,623) Charlottesville, VA |
| Conference USA regular season |||||||||
| Jan 3, 2019 7:00 pm, Stadium | | at Old Dominion | W 70–67 | 8–6 (1–0) | 20 – Elmore | 7 – Kinsey | 10 – Elmore | Ted Constant Convocation Center (6,153) Norfolk, VA |
| Jan 5, 2019 4:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Charlotte | W 85–84 | 9–6 (2–0) | 25 – Burks | 6 – Williams | 5 – Elmore | Dale F. Halton Arena (4,014) Charlotte, NC |
| Jan 12, 2019 7:00 pm, Facebook | | Western Kentucky | W 70–69 | 10–6 (3–0) | 23 – Kinsey | 7 – Kinsey | 5 – Elmore | Cam Henderson Center (7,687) Huntington, WV |
| Jan 17, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Florida Atlantic | W 96–84 | 11–6 (4–0) | 30 – Burks | 6 – Kinsey | 7 – Elmore | Cam Henderson Center (6,196) Huntington, WV |
| Jan 19, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | FIU | W 105–97 | 12–6 (5–0) | 30 – Burks | 9 – Kinsey | 6 – Elmore | Cam Henderson Center (7,330) Huntington, WV |
| Jan 21, 2019 9:00 pm, CBSSN | | at Western Kentucky | L 59–68 | 12–7 (5–1) | 17 – Elmore | 8 – Burks | 4 – Kinsey | E. A. Diddle Arena (6,369) Bowling Green, KY |
| Jan 24, 2019 9:00 pm, CBSSN | | at Louisiana Tech | L 80–89 $^{OT}$ | 12–8 (5–2) | 29 – Burks | 12 – Burks | 8 – Elmore | Thomas Assembly Center (3,745) Ruston, LA |
| Jan 26, 2019 5:00 pm, Stadium | | at Southern Miss | L 51–101 | 12–9 (5–3) | 11 – Tied | 4 – Tied | 2 – Elmore | Reed Green Coliseum (3,316) Hattiesburg, MS |
| Jan 31, 2019 7:30 pm, beIN | | UTEP | W 91–86 | 13–9 (6–3) | 44 – Elmore | 7 – Elmore | 5 – Burks | Cam Henderson Center (5,765) Huntington, WV |
| Feb 2, 2019 7:00 pm, Facebook | | UTSA | L 106–116 $^{OT}$ | 13–10 (6–4) | 31 – Burks | 7 – West | 8 – Elmore | Cam Henderson Center (7,182) Huntington, WV |
| Feb 7, 2019 8:00 pm, beIN | | at North Texas | L 51–78 | 13–11 (6–5) | 18 – Kinsey | 6 – Williams | 2 – Burks | The Super Pit (3,484) Denton, TX |
| Feb 9, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Rice | L 69–74 | 13–12 (6–6) | 24 – Burks | 12 – Williams | 7 – Elmore | Tudor Fieldhouse (2,910) Houston, TX |
| Feb 14, 2019 8:00 pm, CBSSN | | UAB | L 68–77 | 13–13 (6–7) | 20 – Elmore | 8 – Elmore | 5 – Elmore | Cam Henderson Center (5,521) Huntington, WV |
| Feb 16, 2019 2:00 pm, Facebook | | Middle Tennessee | W 98–93 | 14–13 (7–7) | 20 – Burks | 7 – George | 3 – Burks | Cam Henderson Center (6,927) Huntington, WV |
| Feb 28, 2019 7:30 pm, CUSA-TV | | at Louisiana Tech | W 90–79 | 15–13 (8–7) | 34 – Elmore | 10 – Williams | 7 – Elmore | Thomas Assembly Center (3,217) Ruston, LA |
| Mar 3, 2019 4:00 pm, Stadium | | at North Texas | W 85–82 | 16–13 (9–7) | 21 – Burks | 6 – Elmore | 4 – Burks | The Super Pit (3,108) Denton, TX |
| Mar 6, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | FIU | W 94–78 | 17–13 (10–7) | 21 – Burks | 8 – 3 Tied | 7 – Burks | Cam Henderson Center (5,822) Huntington, WV |
| Mar 9, 2019 12:00 pm, Stadium | | Florida Atlantic | W 76–61 | 18–13 (11–7) | 17 – West | 10 – Elmore | 4 – Elmore | Cam Henderson Center (7,097) Huntington, WV |
| Conference USA tournament |||||||||
| Mar 13, 2019 10:00 pm, ESPN+ | (6) | vs. (11) Rice First round | W 82–65 | 19–13 | 32 – Elmore | 6 – Elmore | 6 – Elmore | Ford Center at The Star (2,704) Frisco, TX |
| Mar 14, 2019 10:00 pm, Facebook | (6) | vs. (3) Southern Miss Quarterfinals | L 73–82 | 19–14 | 22 – Williams | 8 – Elmore | 11 – Elmore | Ford Center at The Star (4,024) Frisco, TX |
| CollegeInsider.com Postseason tournament |||||||||
| Mar 19, 2019* 7:00 pm | | IUPUI First round – Jim Phelan Classic | W 78–73 | 20–14 | 25 – Burks | 10 – Elmore | 7 – Elmore | Cam Henderson Center (3,725) Huntington, WV |
| Mar 26, 2019* 7:00 pm | | Presbyterian Quarterfinals | W 83–66 | 21–14 | 20 – Burks | 7 – Tied | 8 – Burks | Cam Henderson Center (3,383) Huntington, WV |
| Apr 2, 2019* 7:00 pm | | Hampton Semifinals | W 80–78 | 22–14 | 28 – Elmore | 9 – Tied | 5 – Elmore | Cam Henderson Center (4,122) Huntington, WV |
| Apr 4, 2019* 7:00 pm, CBSSN | | Green Bay Championship | W 90–70 | 23–14 | 28 – Burks | 11 – Kinsey | 6 – Burks | Cam Henderson Center (5,748) Huntington, WV |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||