Do what we do. Those were words from Kareem Canty sizing up the Marshall Thundering Herd's appearance in the Conference USA men's basketball tournament.
"We've got to play our game," Canty said. "Do what we do."
Marshall has a 10-21 overall record and is the No. 14 seed out of 15 teams after finishing 4-12 in C-USA.
The Herd's tournament opener Tuesday at 8 p.m. is against 11th-seeded Florida Atlantic (10-21, 5-11) in the Don Haskins Center on UTEP's campus.
Marshall will need good shot selection, good ball handling, good defense and good rebounding to advance past the Owls into the next round against No. 6 Old Dominion (15-17, 9-7) that had a first-round bye.
"These kids have great confidence that we can beat anybody in the conference, but we have also proven we can lose to anybody," Marshall head coach Tom Herrion said.
Everything for Marshall begins with two freshmen -- the 6-foot-1 Canty from Harlem, N.Y., and 6-5 Ryan Taylor of Indianapolis, Ind.
Canty is ranked fifth in C-USA for scoring (16.4), third for assists (5.7) and second in average minutes played (26.6).
Taylor's 13.1 scoring norm is 14th in the conference and his 7.2 rebound average is ninth.
They're top contenders for positions on the C-USA All-Freshman Team that comes out Tuesday.
"It will be a travesty if they're not on it," Herrion said. "I think these two kids are as good as anybody in the country. Those two kids have had a huge impact."
Marshall also has 6-5 sophomore guard Chris Thomas scoring 12.7 points and getting 4.0 rebounds a game as an NCAA Division I rookie, 6-9 junior forward Cheikh Sane averaging 5.2 rebounds and 6-6 junior forward Shawn Smith at 7.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
Only three members of the Herd have played in the C-USA tournament.
Senior center Yous Mbao is the most experienced with 13 minutes of court time spread over four games in two tournaments. Sophomore guards DeVince Boykins and Tamron Manning both played last season when Marshall bowed out in the first round on a late banked 3-point shot by Tulane's Ricky Tarrant.
But, Marshall has played Florida Atlantic before and knows what to expect, Manning said.
The Owls played a zone defense and limited the Herd to 38.9 percent shooting in a Feb. 1 victory in Cam Henderson Center, 65-57. Marshall has faced plenty of zones since and should be better prepared.
Marshall didn't play well defensively, either.
Pablo Bertone of the Owls,a 6-4 senior guard leading the conference with an 18.9 scoring average, netted 20 in the first meeting while 6-9 junior forward Justin Raffington had 19 points and 10 rebounds. Bertone missed the final two games of the regular season because of a leg injury.
"I was really displeased with our overall effort," Herrion said.
Marshall closed the season with a 3-7 record in its final 10 games and Florida Atlantic lost its final six.
Herrion has a .500 record (66-66) in his fourth Marshall season. He also coached four seasons at College of Charleston (2003-06) and is 146-104 for his career.
Owls' head coach Mike Jarvis announced he will resign at the conclusion of the season to pursue other basketball opportunities.
Jarvis has a 76-111 record in six seasons and is 395-312 overall in a 25 seasons at Florida Atlantic, St. John's, George Washington and Boston University.
"We've got to play our game," Canty said. "Do what we do."
Marshall has a 10-21 overall record and is the No. 14 seed out of 15 teams after finishing 4-12 in C-USA.
The Herd's tournament opener Tuesday at 8 p.m. is against 11th-seeded Florida Atlantic (10-21, 5-11) in the Don Haskins Center on UTEP's campus.
Marshall will need good shot selection, good ball handling, good defense and good rebounding to advance past the Owls into the next round against No. 6 Old Dominion (15-17, 9-7) that had a first-round bye.
"These kids have great confidence that we can beat anybody in the conference, but we have also proven we can lose to anybody," Marshall head coach Tom Herrion said.
Everything for Marshall begins with two freshmen -- the 6-foot-1 Canty from Harlem, N.Y., and 6-5 Ryan Taylor of Indianapolis, Ind.
Canty is ranked fifth in C-USA for scoring (16.4), third for assists (5.7) and second in average minutes played (26.6).
Taylor's 13.1 scoring norm is 14th in the conference and his 7.2 rebound average is ninth.
They're top contenders for positions on the C-USA All-Freshman Team that comes out Tuesday.
"It will be a travesty if they're not on it," Herrion said. "I think these two kids are as good as anybody in the country. Those two kids have had a huge impact."
Marshall also has 6-5 sophomore guard Chris Thomas scoring 12.7 points and getting 4.0 rebounds a game as an NCAA Division I rookie, 6-9 junior forward Cheikh Sane averaging 5.2 rebounds and 6-6 junior forward Shawn Smith at 7.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
Only three members of the Herd have played in the C-USA tournament.
Senior center Yous Mbao is the most experienced with 13 minutes of court time spread over four games in two tournaments. Sophomore guards DeVince Boykins and Tamron Manning both played last season when Marshall bowed out in the first round on a late banked 3-point shot by Tulane's Ricky Tarrant.
But, Marshall has played Florida Atlantic before and knows what to expect, Manning said.
The Owls played a zone defense and limited the Herd to 38.9 percent shooting in a Feb. 1 victory in Cam Henderson Center, 65-57. Marshall has faced plenty of zones since and should be better prepared.
Marshall didn't play well defensively, either.
Pablo Bertone of the Owls,a 6-4 senior guard leading the conference with an 18.9 scoring average, netted 20 in the first meeting while 6-9 junior forward Justin Raffington had 19 points and 10 rebounds. Bertone missed the final two games of the regular season because of a leg injury.
"I was really displeased with our overall effort," Herrion said.
Marshall closed the season with a 3-7 record in its final 10 games and Florida Atlantic lost its final six.
Herrion has a .500 record (66-66) in his fourth Marshall season. He also coached four seasons at College of Charleston (2003-06) and is 146-104 for his career.
Owls' head coach Mike Jarvis announced he will resign at the conclusion of the season to pursue other basketball opportunities.
Jarvis has a 76-111 record in six seasons and is 395-312 overall in a 25 seasons at Florida Atlantic, St. John's, George Washington and Boston University.
