Today, history was altered in the NCAA tournament, and the Wichita State Shockers got shocked! The 13th-seeded Marshall Thundering Herd beat No. 4 Wichita State in a thriller, 81-75 Marshall. This was the programs first win in NCAA tournament history. Being that the Herd was 0-5 in tournament play before today, and have actually not participated in the tournament since 1987, their triumph will be memorable.
While the win for the Herd was a total upset, the game itself truly represented the influence that style of play has on a basketball game. The Marshall Thundering Herd play fast, according to Alex Kirshner article for SB Nation they are amongst the fastest teams in the college basketball.
“They entered the tournament ranked No. 6 in Division I in opponent-adjusted possessions per 40 minutes,
which is another way of saying “Marshall goes fast.” The average Marshall possession this season lasted 14
seconds, less than half the shot clock.”
This adjusted speed helped junior guard Jon Elmore thrive! He scored 27 points, had 4 rebounds and 4 assists, and
shot 50 % (4/8) from the 3 point line. Including this deep three, it looked like he shot from the scores table…
JON ELMORE FROM OUTER SPACE 👀🔥 pic.twitter.com/39IOHFTLS3
— Barstool Marshall (@BarstoolMU) March 16, 2018
The most unusual storyline about the victory, was how pace complimented the Herd defensively. Alex Kirshner explains how Wichita State was forced out of their comfort zone.
“Marshall’s fast pace doesn’t usually come with rampant turnover-forcing on defense. But Wichita State looked
disheveled for much of the afternoon. The usually sure-handed Shockers coughed up 15 turnovers and gave up 27
points off of them. The Herd were much more comfortable and only surrendered nine points on seven giveaways.
Flip the page to see how Marshall closed the game with a filthy inbound play for a dunk.