What is going to transpire, is our mostly harmless and sentimental recipient of our non-Blue affections, neighbor across the Big Sandy, Marshall, are coming to Rupp on that date.
It has nothing to do with an apocalyptic stone calender at all, but if say that Herd would thunder into Lexington and pull off the biggest win in the history of Marshall University, life here in out neck of the Big Blue Nation would be forever changed.
Those folks in Huntington, who already think of themselves as some sort of pulse of the nation metropolis anyways, would never let us forget such an event. Randy Moss, Chad Pennington, and Byron Leftwich be damned.
Now, do I think that The Herd will pull off the upset? No. I like Tom Herroin. Not heroin, but Tom Herroin. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't pull for the Herd, when it doesn't conflict with my morals and obligations to the Commonwealth. The crash translates to everything about the school. They are in my backyard. Why not?
Marshall has blown one opportunity after another to get back to the Dance, a party they have not even sniffed being on the invite list since 1987. I pull for them though.They had a great run from 84-88 in the Southern Conference. Donovan got them noticed. Greg White blew the programs chances to dominate the MAC when they were there. They don't recruit well enough to be a top squad in even Conference USA. Donnie Jones got close, but bolted. With Hassan Whiteside. Tommy Boy got close last year, but the wheels feel off. That was evident in the collapse against Southern Miss, with our boy Darnell Dodson getting a second chance for the Eagles. Deandre Kane is an undiscovered country in D1. They got some upside, and they rebound like no other. Leaps and bounds,no pun intended, above what we do with 2 towers in the lane. But, like us, the PG position is an Achilles heel. We should beat them by at least 14, even with our diagnosis: mystery at the PG role and our lack of heart, hustle, effort, etc,.
But will we?
Look, I know this is coming off slightly less than optimistic. I promise, I am nothing but optimistic with the Cats. We are going to take our bruises, and if you had any sense at all you knew that coming in to this season. All I am trying to translate to you is this, with this team and our obvious growing pains, Marshall is exactly the type of team who could come in and go Gardner Webb and walk out of Rupp with the single biggest event to ever happen to anything associated with Huntington, West By Gawd. (Aside of course to the cancellation of Mr. Cartoon and his sidekick pedo-bear Beeper.)(I can't actually confirm the aforementioned comment in regards to Beeper is factual.)
So, Skip Henderson, Cam Henderson, Hal Greer, Rick Huckabay, Mike D'Antoni, Keith Veney, Billy Donovan, Bob Zuffelato (Z-Camp, bitches),Jason Williams, John Taft, Tamar Slay, nor Frank Lee are coming through that door, with a bag of Mister Bee's, that night. So, to really HONESTLY expect an upset is absurd, even for the most bandwagon Facebook BBN members.(and ultra-delusional citizens of Huntington.)
But maybe, just maybe, The Mayans have pulled up a chair somewhere and are sitting alongside Jule Huffman. Kelly Green blazer an all.
Marshall however does square off against those Neanders from Morgantown on Wednesday, in one of the only D1 Rivalries that I used to look forward to watching on PBS. It was just surreal seeing Bob Ross paint happy trees, then programing switched to college basketball. Almost heaven indeed, West Virginia.
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