HUNTINGTON — Prior to arrival in Frisco, Texas, on Monday, Marshall’s men’s basketball did not know who it would be playing in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament on Wednesday.
That’s just fine for Marshall head coach Dan D’Antoni, whose philosophy is to worry about his own team’s play rather than the opponent.
For Marshall, the focus is on winning a Conference USA championship, no matter who the opponent may be.
“We spend most of our time focusing on doing what we do well and achieving our game plan,” D’Antoni said. “The opponent is not so much an issue because we want to be the ones to dictate play. For us to win this thing, we have to be focused forward and win the race.”
No matter what, D’Antoni and the Herd knew they would face an opponent they had yet to see this season — Southern Miss was not on their schedule, and a series with Rice was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.
Those two teams met in Tuesday evening’s play-in game for the right to face Marshall at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
Instead of trying to dive into its opponent too much, D’Antoni and the Herd continued to focus on fine-tuning their own play, which has been solid over the last few weeks.
Coming into the Conference USA Tournament, Marshall has won six of seven games.
Marshall did so while withstanding some nagging injuries down the stretch — most notably, point guard Jarrod West, who missed a win over North Texas and was limited in last week’s series against Charlotte.
West, who has been rehabbing his foot daily, said that he was glad he was able to get on the court against Charlotte, which he credited in helping to strengthen his foot.
West said the difference from Friday’s game to Saturday’s was a big improvement.
“That was huge mentally because I didn’t really know what to expect Friday night,” West said. “I was kind of maybe expecting a little bit of swelling, maybe it being sore, but I think it loosened it up a little bit and really got me, kind of like a workout, to get the blood flow and get a little bit stronger in there. I definitely felt a lot better Saturday.”
West said he still wasn’t at the level he wanted on Saturday, but with treatment, he expects to be a full go this week.
With West being a senior and the win-or-go-home scenario, he knows there’s no turning back now.
All season, West and leading scorer Taevion Kinsey have been the leaders for the team, but the difference in the team’s late surge has been the increased production of its supporting cast.
Last weekend, Marshall forward Jannson Williams came up big on both ends with double-digit scoring games and seven blocks in the two wins over Charlotte.
However, the biggest key for the recent success has been the play of sophomore guard Andrew Taylor, who has continued to improve each week.
Taylor, who ranks in the top 20 in Conference USA in four major categories, has seen his production increase during the Herd’s successful seven-game stretch to end the season.
Over the last seven games, Taylor has averaged 16.7 points and 5.9 assists while continuing to add nearly five rebounds per outing.
Taylor scored 21 points in Saturday’s win over Charlotte while getting to the rim for tough finishes off the glass.
With Marshall having to play four games in four days to earn a Conference USA title, the Herd will need all pieces playing consistently well to achieve its goals of making the NCAA Tournament.
“We can’t get caught looking backward or to the sides on what others are doing,” D’Antoni said. “We have to run to the tape and finish the race.”
Should the Herd win Wednesday’s first-round game, the Herd would take on UAB, the West’s No. 2 seed, at 7 p.m. on Thursday in the quarterfinal.
