Marshall (+4.5) at Evansville - 5:00pm Pacific - Game #729-730

The Thundering Herd welcome an infusion of JC talent this year.  Three JC transfers have earned starting roles and appear to be a major upgrade in talent from last years 6-22 squad.  Heady point guard Chris Ross, late signee off guard Mark Dorris, and strong swingman Travis Aikens all played well in the teams two exhibition games.  6-9 senior center Mark Patton (11.0ppg, 8.1rpg last year) and 6-3 junior wing Tre Whitted (7.9ppg), both returning starters, round out the lineup.  The bench is very deep with a mixture of returnees, more JC transfers, and a couple of freshman.  Twelve players saw double digit minutes in final exhibition game and at least 10 should play tonight. 

Evansville lost its starting backcourt who also happened to be their top two scorers to graduation.  Junior Kyle Anslinger is the only returning guard with experience.  Unlike Marshall, the Purple Aces did not go for a quick fix and only one JC transfer guard was brought in to help.  Two freshman, 5-11 point guard Jason Holsinger and 6-4 wing Shy Ely started the final exhibition game.  The JC transfer point guard Maurice Blakey is also getting lots of minutes.  The Aces were really tested in both of their exhibition games and all first hand accounts report a very "ugly" performance in 6 point win over Oakland City U six days ago.  The team only shot a combined 39% in their two exhibitions.  Four of Evansville's most experienced players have been banged up in the preseason.  Starting guard Anslinger (leg), key reserve/starting forward Webster (foot, concussion), starting forward Justin Petty (broken nose) and reserve forward Eric Ottens (pelvic) are all expected to be available Friday but their injuries have hurt the team's cohesiveness.  Ottens is the lone senior on the Evansville roster. 

Marshall was fortunate to begin practice in August and play exhibition games in the Bahamas in September.  That allowed the team extra time to mesh with so many key newcomers coming in.  They should be closer to mid-season form than most teams at this stage.  Marshall's new JC transfer backcourt comes well touted and they should have an edge over the starting freshman at Evansville.  Meanwhile, Evansville starting center Brad Strickland who led the team in scoring in the two exhibitions, will be giving up 35 pounds to Marshall starting center Patton.  Good spot for a mild upset.  Take the points. 

RAS Official Play: Marshall +4.5  1 UNIT 

San Francisco at UCSB (-4.5, play to -6) - 7:00pm Pacific

No team in the country was hurt by injuries more than the Gauchos last year.  They literally played through most of the conference season with only 7 healthy bodies.  Four of the five best players missed the majority of the season.  It was amazing that they were able to stay competitive most of the time and even win their share of games.  This year almost everyone is back and almost everyone is healthy.  Well touted sophomore forward Chris Devine is finally ready to go after missing the last two years with injury.  Junior guard Cecil Brown missed all of last year but has the potential to lead the team in scoring.  6-9 senior forward Cameron Goettsche missed the last 11 games last season but is a force inside when healthy.  He has been limited in the preseason with an unrelated ankle injury but is expected to start tonight.  Senior G/F Josh Davis was the only player to start every game last year and averaged double figures.  Sophomore Alex Harris is a talented "big" point guard at 6-6 and got plenty of experience last year.  JC transfer forward Chidi Ajufo and freshman F/C Tom Garlepp both showed promise in the exhibition games and will provide depth inside while reserve F/C Glenn Turner recovers from injury (expected to miss another 10 days).  Senior Joe See is a seasoned point guard with great range off the bench. 

USF lost its top two scorers, both point guards, and 5 of their top 9 players overall to graduation.  They bring in talented guard Armando Surratt, a transfer from Miami, Fla.  Surratt can be a big time scorer at this level but he will have the ball in his hands a lot and his ability to play point guard remains a question mark.  In last exhibition game shot selection appeared to be a team wide issue which does not bode well when playing your first road game against an opponent known for tough halfcourt defense.  Defense is another issue for USF.  The Dons allowed Sonoma State to hit 55.2% of their shots in final exhibition and were last in the WCC in rebounding margin last year. 

Even with last years team being decimated with injuries, UCSB still went 8-4 at home and they are 38-10 at home over the past 4 seasons.  USF was just 4-9 on the road last year.  UCSB starters Cecil Brown, Josh Davis, Alex Harris, and Cameron Goettsche are all superb defenders.  Head coach Bob Williams says this team has a chance to be exceptional defensively.  This is UCSB's most meaningful non-conference home game with students in session in a long time.  A good turnout is expected.  After the disappointment of last year, fans and players are both hungry for the season to start.  Look for a good showing from the Gauchos.