2015-16 REGULAR SEASON
North Carolina Central (3-5, 1-1 MEAC, 0-4 Home)
vs.
Marshall (2-6, 0-0 C-USA, 2-2 Home)
Monday, Dec. 14, 2015 – 7:00 p.m.
Cam Henderson Center (9,048) – Huntington, W. Va.
Audio: NCCUEaglePride.com
Video: HerdZone.com
 
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
 
THE GAME: NCCU begins its run through the Global Sports Classic with an opening round matchup with Marshall.  NCCU is placed in the Visitors' Bracket of the tournament along with Eastern Illinois, Nebraska-Omaha and Southern.  After the Eagles' second round game at Houston they will play the final two rounds in Las Vegas, Nevada.
 
SCOUTING THE THUNDERING HERD:
-Marshall went 11-21 last season and finished with a 7-11 record within Conference USA.  The Thundering Herd finished 12th in the conference, and were defeated by Western Kentucky in the first round of the C-USA Basketball Championships.
-The Thundering Herd are led by James Kelly (Ann Arbor, Mich.) who leads C-USA in rebounding at 9.5 boards per game and is also the team's leading scorer with 17.3 points per game.  Ryan Taylor (Indianapolis, Ind.) contributes 14.9 and 7.3 rebounds, and Stevie Browning (Logan, W. Va.) leads with 4.9 assists per contest, along with 12.8 points and 6.0 boards per game.
-Marshall has won back-to-back games at home after starting the season 0-6.  The Thundering Herd most recently hosted Eastern Kentucky and won 96-72.  Austin Loop (South Webster, Ohio) hit a career-high eight three-pointers for 26 points, and Kelly had a career-high 27 points of his own.
 
SERIES: This is the first meeting between NCCU and Marshall.
 
NCCU vs. C-USA: Conference USA contains 14 member institutions, and NCCU has faced five.  NCCU faced former C-USA member Tulsa back in 2008, and Charlotte in 2011 before they joined the conference.  The Eagles most recently played Louisiana Tech on Nov. 27.  NCCU's lone win against a C-USA opponent was a 76-69 overtime triumph at Old Dominion in 2013, the Monarchs' first year in the conference.  Here's a look at NCCU's record against the league.
                 Charlotte............ 0-1
                 FIU..................... 0-1
                 Florida Atlantic.... 0-0
                 Louisiana Tech..... 0-1
                 Marshall.............. 0-0
                 Middle Tennessee 0-0
                 North Texas........ 0-0
                 Old Dominion...... 1-1
                 Rice.................... 0-0
                 Southern Mississippi 0-0
                 UAB.................... 0-0
                 UTEP................... 0-0
                 UT-San Antonio... 0-0
                 Western Kentucky 0-1