The college basketball offseason is here, and we decided to have some fun over the next few months, ranking ALL 364 teams in D1. Number 134 is Marshall basketball.
Before you say we’re crazy – or that all of this is up for debate, let’s go over the very intricate process of how we came to this conclusion. We took a very statistical approach – with the help of Chat GPT – taking into consideration everything from March Madness wins and finishes, to AP Poll appearances, to conference players of the year. And then, a good friend of ours, Scott Blanchard, took our approach to the MAX.
Click here to visit the FIRST article, which explains how the formula works!
Here’s the breakdown of Marshall basketball!
NCAA Tournament Success
- Championships: 0
- Finals appearances: 0
- Final Fours: 0
- Elite Eights: 0
- Sweet 16s: 0
- NCAA wins: 1
- Bids: 6
Consistency Over Time
- Wins per season: 15.0
- Bids per season: 0.06
- AP Polls: 14
Player Quality & Talent
- All-Americans: 1
- NBA players drafted & played: 8
- Conference Players of the Year: 4
Conference & Other Success
- Conference regular season titles: 6
- Conference tournament titles: 4
- NIT titles: 0
- Other tournament titles: 1
Overall scoop on Marshall basketball
Marshall basketball is another one of those programs that surprises you a bit, because historically, they’ve always been solid, with over 1,600 wins all-time. But it has only led to six NCAA Tournament bids, a few fewer than you’d expect.
All of their March Madness appearances have also been very spread out: 1956, 1972, 1984, 1985, 1987, and 2018. Obviously, the run in the 80s was their best era, with head coach Rick Huckaby leading them to the big dance all three times. Marshall dominated the SoCon in that period, but unfortunately, never turned any of those seasons into wins in the tourney.
The Thundering Herd did win one March Madness game in 2018, taking down 4-seed Wichita State in a first round upset. Head coach Dan D’Antoni went 177-148 in 10 seasons with the program, with that season standing out as the most memorable one. However, the next season was also memorable in a different way, as they won four postseason games to take the CIT, the only title Marshall basketball recognizes.
But the biggest claims Marshall has are the coaches and players who have made up the program. From 1935 to 1955, Cam Henderson won over 350 games, leading them to a 1947 NAIA Championship. He also coached the school’s football team for a handful of seasons and the baseball team for one season. Right after Henderson left, Hal Greer came to town and dominated, and later became a top player in NBA history. Greer is in the Basketball Hall of Fame. And one of his teammates, Leo Byrd, was a Consensus All-American in 1959. But they aren’t the only notable players to suit up for Marshall. Future coach Mike D’Antoni played there in the 70s, while Hassan Whiteside starred for the Herd in recent years.
Marshall may have missed out on some March Madness appearances to really complete what has been a great history. But they have had two straight winning seasons under Cornelius Jackson, so we’ll see if the trajectory continues to rise!