The unique setup for the Sun Belt conference tournament means that its March 3 start date is much earlier than most other tourneys. It also rewards seeding more than all other formats.
With today being the final day of the regular season for the Sun Belt, the final standings and the seeding for the conference tournament will be ironed out. Marshall is still vying for a top-four seed, which means it wouldn’t have to play until the semifinals on March 7.
The Thundering Herd (19-11, 11-6) have won three of the last four, but fell to Coastal Carolina on Saturday for the second time this year. The Chanticleers sit right behind the Herd in the league standings. This will be Marshall’s sixth game in 14 days.
Georgia Southern (15-15, 7-10) currently sits in 10th place and is trying to avoid finishing in the bottom four. The four lowest seeds have to play in the first round and need to win seven games in seven days to win the conference tournament.
The Eagles have only won one game in February — a 101-87 defeat over Marshall on Valentine’s Day.
Georgia Southern at Marshall Odds
As of this writing, Marshall is a 7.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite on BetMGM against Georgia Southern, while the Over/Under is at 166.5 points.
The Moneyline for Marshall is -325 and +260 for GSU.
Georgia Southern at Marshall on TV
The matchup between Georgia Southern and Marshall will be televised on ESPN2.
Tonight’s game tips off at 9 p.m. ET.
Georgia Southern at Marshall Prediction
I predict Marshall covers the 7.5-point spread. I also predict this game goes over 166.5 points.
Both of these teams like to get shots up quickly and shoot a lot of 3-pointers. Marshall has attempted the most shots in the conference and is averaging 81.5 points per game in league games. The Thundering Herd have an effective field-goal percentage of 55.4% and an adjusted offensive efficiency of 116.7. Both rank first in the conference.
Marshall likes to spread the floor, dribble-drive, and kick to shooters, especially with the absence of 7-foot-4 Matt Van Komen, who has been sidelined since the start of February. They have a handful of guys that can knock down shots and are shooting a league-best 37.8% from deep.
Seniors Jalen Speer and Wyatt Fricks play a lot of two-man game and are the leaders offensively. The 6-foot-1 Speer averages 16 points and 5.1 assists per game while Fricks, who is 6-foot-10, scores 15.3 PPG and grabs 5.3 rebounds per game.
Georgia Southern is very active defensively and isn’t afraid to overplay and try to create turnovers. However, its adjusted defensive efficiency of 112.5 and its 80.6 points allowed per game both rank near the bottom of the Sun Belt.
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Like Marshall, the Eagles get up a ton of shots and lead the league in 3-point attempts (503), where they’re shooting a modest 30.4%. Not a great percentage, but the volume makes up for it.
The Eagles utilize a ton of different types of screens to try and get their shooters open, especially senior guard Tyren Moore, who is averaging 15 PPG and shooting 36.6% from 3. Spudd Webb leads the team with 15.6 PPG, while Alden Applewhite chips in with 13 PPG and 5.9 RPG. GASO is averaging 77.6 PPG and shooting 41% from the field.
I don’t expect the Eagles to face much resistance from Marshall’s defense, which is surrendering 77.8 PPG and allowing conference opponents to shoot 43.7% from the field.
I think both offenses get into a rhythm and there are a lot of points scored, but I think the Thundering Herd close out the regular season with a comfortable win on their home court.
