Marshall meets Southern Miss in CUSA quarters
No. 6 seed Marshall (19-13, 12-7) vs. No. 3 seed Southern Miss (19-11, 11-7)
Conference USA Conference Tourney Quarterfinals, Ford Center at The Star, Frisco, Texas; Thursday, 9 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: A spot in the CUSA semifinals is on the line as Marshall and Southern Miss prepare to meet. The only meeting between the teams this season came on Jan. 26, when the Golden Eagles outshot Marshall 64.6 percent to 25 percent and hit six more 3-pointers en route to a 101-51 victory.
SAVVY SENIORS: Marshall's Jon Elmore, C.J. Burks and Rondale Watson have collectively accounted for 56 percent of the team's scoring this season, including 52 percent of all Thundering Herd points over the last five games.
OFFENSIVE THREAT: Tyree Griffin has either made or assisted on 59 percent of all Southern Miss field goals over the last three games. Griffin has accounted for 20 field goals and 28 assists in those games.
WINLESS WHEN: Marshall is 0-8 when scoring fewer than 69 points and 19-5 when scoring at least 69.
PASSING FOR POINTS: The Golden Eagles have recently used assists to create baskets more often than the Thundering Herd. Southern Miss has 45 assists on 81 field goals (55.6 percent) over its previous three outings while Marshall has assists on 48 of 89 field goals (53.9 percent) during its past three games.
PACE OF PLAY: The upbeat Marshall offense has averaged 76 possessions per game, the fifth-most in Division I. Southern Miss has not been as uptempo as the Thundering Herd and is averaging only 67.1 possessions per game (ranked 277th, nationally).
