Tale of the Tape: Virginia vs. Marshall

The Virginia men’s basketball team closes out the 2018 calendar year Monday with a New Year’s Eve matinee against Marshall, the final non-conference tuneup prior to ACC play.

The fourth-ranked Cavaliers (11-0) are one of just four undefeated teams remaining in the country. UVA is No. 1 in the country in the latest USA Today Coaches’ Poll, No. 2 in the KenPom ratings (5th AdjD, 9th AdjO), and No. 2 nationally in the NET rankings.

Marshall (7-5) is ranked No. 130 overall by KenPom (120th AdjO, 137th AdjD) and 135th in the national NET rankings.

The Thundering Herd features an up-tempo offense that ranks fifth nationally in possessions per game at 80.4, and checks in at No. 9 in the country according to the KenPom Adjusted Tempo ratings.

Virginia, conversely, is 352nd out of 353 Division I squads in possessions per game and dead last (353rd) in Adjusted Tempo.

Marshall coach Dan D’Antoni leans on veteran leader Jon Elmore, a 6-foot-3 senior guard who averages 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5 assists per game. Another 6-3 senior guard, C.J. Burks, pours in 18 a night.

Marshall has lost four of its last six, and doesn’t own a real quality win aside from the season-opening 105-77 win at Eastern Kentucky, with blowout losses at Maryland, Ohio and Texas A&M.

The Herd will need to pick its poison when defending UVA’s three-headed scoring monster of De’Andre Hunter, Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy, who are all averaging 14 points a contest.