MOBILE, Ala. – South Alabama men's basketball is set to square off with the Marshall Thundering Herd in a key conference battle on Thursday, Feb.13 at 7 p.m. CT in the Mitchell Center.
Game Information
South Alabama (16-9, 8-4) vs. Marshall (15-10, 8-4)
Tip-off: Thursday, Feb. 13, 7 p.m. CT
Site: Mobile, Ala. | Mitchell Center
ESPN+ Live Stats
Last Time Out
Despite a 22-point and 12-rebound performance from Barry Dunning Jr. South Alabama fell 80-67 to Akron in the MAC-SBC Challenge. The Jags battled throughout this matchup, shooting 45.3 percent from the field to only trail 36-30 at halftime. The Zips were red hot offensively, hitting 19 three-pointers, including 11 in the second half to pull away in the final 10 minutes.
Notes
- South has won four Sun Belt Conference games this season by 25 points or more. This marks the most 25-point victories by a USA squad in a season since 1998-99. That team made a run to the NCAA Tournament.
- The Jags have had their best start to Sun Belt play since 2008, having secured six double-figure conference victories. In conference play, South ranks first in field goal percentage defense (35.9), third in three-point percentage defense (29.7), second in assists (14.6), and second in scoring margin (+8.9).
- South Alabama ranks first in the Sun Belt and 15th in the country in steals per game with 9.5. Four Jaguars rank in the top 15 in the SBC in steals per game (John Broom 1.8, JJ Wheat 1.6, Myles Corey 1.3, and Dylan Fasoyiro 1.2). The Jags have totaled 235 steals this season and will surpass the single-season program record for steals (296) if they continue their current pace.
- Elijah Ormiston has been a spark plug for the Jags in the last three contests. Ormiston, who has started in the previous three contests, is averaging 13.3 points and 2.7 rebounds in that stretch and shot 6-for-8 from the field in the last matchup against Akron.
-Barry Dunning Jr. has been the go-to guy since the beginning of conference play. The leading scorer for USA in Sun Belt play is averaging 12.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest. He currently ranks eighth in rebounding (6.8) and field goal percentage (43.4) in the Sun Belt and has registered a double-double in two of the last three games. He's contributing 18.3 points and 11 rebounds per contest in that stretch and matched his career-high in scoring with 22 points while also grabbing 12 rebounds against Akron.
- The Jags have committed to their zone defense this season and have eliminated any chance of driving in the lane for open shots. They have forced 60 percent of their opponents' shots to come from three-point range this season. The all-time NCAA record is 52 percent (per Kenpom).
- USA leads the Sun Belt in assists per game, contributing 15.16 per contest. Four players average two or more assists per game -- Myles Corey (4.2), Randy Brady (2.5), JJ Wheat (2.4), and Barry Dunning Jr. (2.2).
Series History
South Alabama leads the series 2-1. These teams met for the first time in Sun Belt play last season as the Jags won a 91-85 battle in Huntington, WV. Before last year's game, the Jags split two games with the Herd in the 1988-89 seasons.
- 11/30/88: at Marshall - L 110-111
- 12/29/88: Marshall - W 78-75
- 1/13/24: at Marshall - W 91-85
About Marshall
- Marshall is led by first-year head coach and Thundering Herd alum Corny Jackson.
- The Herd defeated the SBC-leading Arkansas State Red Wolves in the team's contest last Wednesday.
- Marshall ranks 30th nationally in blocks per game at 4.9, with Obinna Anochili-Killen's 65 rejections sitting third in the country.
- At 5.1 assists per game, Dezayne Mingo ranks second in the Sun Belt Conference.
- Nate Martin pulls down 8.2 rebounds per contest, which ranks fourth in the conference.
FOLLOW THE JAGS
For complete coverage of South Alabama men's basketball, follow the Jags on social media @SouthAlabamaMBB (Twitter), /SouthAlabamaJaguars (Facebook), @southalabamambb (Instagram), or visit the official home of South Alabama athletics at usajaguars.com
