It’s that time again…time for the only two Division I programs in the great state of West Virginia to square off. The West Virginia Mountaineers take on the Marshall Thundering Herd at the Charleston Civic Center tonight with the women tipping off at 5:30pm and the men will battle at approximately 8:00pm. The women’s matchup will be televised on West Virginia Public Television and nationwide on CSTV. The men’s showcase will be televised statewide by the West Virginia Media Network (WBOY, WOWK, WTRF, WVNS).

To first breakdown the women’s matchup.

• The Eers and the Lady Herd have faced each other every season since the Mountaineer women’s program began in the 1973-74 season.
• The Eers lead the series 30-16 and this week they moved up two spots to number 12 in the women’s AP poll with a solid RPI rating of 20.
• The Lady Herd sports a record of 11-7 with a 3-2 Conference USA record. They have played 11 times away from home with a record of 6-5. They are also 0-3 vs. the RPI 50 with losses to Virginia, SMU, and lowly Pitt by just four points.
• WVU women’s head coach Mike Carey has a 5-1 career record against Marshall. As with any rival game Coach Carey expects a battle but with the senior-laden talent the Eers have they should have no trouble against the Lady Herd.

Now to examine the nightcap.

• The West Virginia Mountaineers men’s team failed once again to crack the Top 25 but potential wins over the Herd and G’Town coming up Saturday will make certain the voters will take care of them. The 14-4 team has an RPI ranking of 27 and must avoid the trap the Herd has set to keep the rating steady.
• The two teams have faced each other every year since the 1977-78 season with WVU owning a 25-10 advantage.
• The 26th win in the series may be difficult as Joe Alexander is once again not likely to play tonight and the Eers will have the daunting task of facing a three-guard lineup plus having to defend 7-footer Robbie Jackson.
• Marshall has a record of 10-6 and are led by first-year head Donnie Jones. Jones is a Point Pleasant native who was previsously a top assistant to Florida’s head coach Billy Donovan. Donovan formerly coached Marshall for two seasons in the mid 90s which includes a win over the Eers back in 1996. His decent success there brought him to bigger and better things.
• The Herd has injury-related issues of their own as top scorer Markel Humphrey was unable to play in the Herd’s previous game. His playing status will be a game-time decision but I have a hunch he’ll play. Another player who’s certain to be a thorn in the side of the Eers is senior Mark Dorris. Dorris, in last year’s meeting, scored 14 points and is certain to be the X-factor if the Herd has any chance of shocking the Eers.

The key to winning this matchup may be the three-point shot. In WVU’s two previous defeats to the Herd they were a combined 8 of 48 for an atrocious 16.6 percent while the Herd shot a fire-torching 20 for 49. In last year’s meeting WVU shot 7 of 18 from three while the Herd shot a dismal 3 of 19. We all know how notorious those rims can be at the Civic Center. Case in point, in WVU’s earlier visit to Charleston, in late December, they shot 5 of 24 from the three-point line. If they shoot like that tonight expect this to be a close game perhaps a Marshall upset. Mountaineer Nation sure doesn’t want that to happen when we are so close to the top 25!

Alright Eers lets sweep this doubleheader and make sure the colors of West Virginia run wild with Old Gold and Blue. Save the Green and White garbage for Huntington. Good luck and LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MOUNTAINEERS!