Three Second Violation: The Moonshine Throwdown is back
MBB: Western Kentucky and Marshall will reportedly reignite their rivalry on the hardwood with a home-and-home.
Last week, Mr. “THIS IS MARCH” himself, Jon Rothstein, reported the rivalry between Western Kentucky and Marshall was getting renewed, with a two-year home and home series set to begin this coming season.
It’s a series a lot of fans of both programs (whether Marshall fans want to openly admit it or not) have wanted to see revived since the Thundering Herd left Conference USA for the Sun Belt. And now, at least for two years, it is.
The hardwood editions of the Moonshine Throwdown were very kind to the Hilltoppers, with one rather obvious exception: The 2018 Conference USA men’s basketball tournament title game.
While it was the rivalry on the football field that got a lot of the attention (and rightly so), the basketball edition was a worthwhile affair.
From Josh Anderson’s loud debut in Huntington to Lamonte Bearden’s missed floater in Frisco to, finally, an active seven-game winning streak for the Red and White, it was the competitive nature of both the football and basketball series that saw Marshall overtake MTSU (in my mind, at least, and I know I’m not alone) as WKU’s biggest rival for nearly a decade.
One: It’s About Bloody Time
Two: Rivalry Expansion?
Three: A Good Schedule Stays Being Good
Free Throws
It’s About Bloody Time
This is a serious that is long overdue in getting scheduled. There’s a clear desire from enough of both fan bases to make it happen, and a two-year test run home-and-home is the perfect way to return to the Throwdown’s waters and see if the flame still burns as bright as a non-conference rivalry than it did as a league series.
It’ll also be a matchup of two teams in new regimes, though in very different styles: Hank Plona is setting up to be an extension of the Steve Lutz year while 2024/25 will be the first time in 10 years the Herd will have someone not named Dan D’Antoni at the end of the bench.
How fast can Marshall rebound from a 13-win season last year to be competitive under Cornelius Jackson? Can WKU’s minimally-changed roster be just as competitive in late November as they were in Huntsville in the middle of March? It’ll be a great baptism by fire for both programs, on multiple fronts.
If there’s one downside to the matchup, it’s that it comes the Saturday after Thanksgiving, on Nov. 30, an issue the football rivalry also ran up against. But I’ll take a bad day for the matchup than no matchup at all.
Rivalry Expansion?
Let’s do some head canon: This home-and-home is a test case to see if there’s an appetite for a football series.
I’d be shocked if that isn’t the end result, at least from the fan perspective. A taste of the rematch on the hardwood, a renewed desire for some sort of football series and a reminder as to what made this rivalry so exciting and intense in the first place.
Having said that, I continue to not hold my breath regarding a WKU/Marshall series. Herd AD Christian Spears is on record as saying the program’s non-conference priorities are playing good teams in memorable destinations.
As much as I hate to give Marshall credit, they’re very much a G5 program that can go to a power program and not only collect a paycheck, but win. Sure, WKU smacked a poor Arkansas team in the mouth, but don’t have a shock win the size of Marshall’s win at Notre Dame a few years ago.
It’s precisely because of that history that I get Spears’ point: WKU doesn’t have the prominence other programs - and feasible programs for MU - have and isn’t worth the squeeze.
But, the 2025 Marshall non-con slate has Middle Tennessee and Missouri State. You’re gonna tell me the Herd couldn’t have called Todd Stewart to work something out?
I’ll let The ThunderCast - probably the best Marshall podcast in the universe - close out this section for me.
Thanks for being in our corner, ThunderCast. Hopefully we’ll meet again on the gridiron soon.
A Good Schedule Stays Being Good
Our first Three Second Violation column focused on just how darn good this year’s non-conference slate is shaping up to be. The addition of the Thundering Herd only increases how good a schedule the Hilltoppers have this year, especially compared to last year.
A quick recap: The Tops welcome Wichita State in November and Murray State in mid-December. In between that, they go to Grand Canyon as part of the CUSA/WAC Challenge, take on Michigan in the final days of the calendar year and will play Kentucky and Marshall in the same week.
No, not every game is going to be a banger: Lipscomb is…fine? Seattle comes to Diddle. Yay? But compared to Lutz’s non-conference schedule last year, this year’s is a welcome breath of fresh air and will hopefully be the first of many attractive schedules in the future.
Before we go, some random thoughts since we last spoke on Thursday.
Have a great start to your week!
What is your favorite memory against Marshall? Mine is easy.
Onto other things: The WKU season, unofficially, starts today! The Tops take on Chattanooga in an exhibition at 1 p.m. If you’re on campus, why don’t you go swing by.
We’ve had MLB draft on the brain around these parts lately. If you haven’t please do check out the Q&A we did with experts from the Pirates, Cardinals and Astros organizations on Jacob Bimbi, Mason Burns and Grant Burleson’s outlook as the all signed with their respective clubs.
I’d like to give a big thank you to Charles Loring, who noted that a WKU baseball recruit was drafted by the Pirates in the last round. Fortunately for Marc Rardin and the Hilltoppers, he seems set for the Hill, as he was one of two members of the Pirates draft class that didn’t get signed.
As a 20th-round draft selection, Penn was valued as a $150,000 pick. As one astute Pirates fan on the internet noted, only $20K in bonuses could have been given given to him, which would have been the lowest of the draft class, according to Bucs on Deck. Can’t wait to see him on the Hill next year.
Recruiting coverage has never been our strongest are of expertise here at The Towel Rack, and that goes especially true for baseball. If you see any baseball recruiting news, do drop us a line on Twitter so we can be all over it.
How have you been enjoying the Olympics? What as been your favorite thing you’ve seen so far? My favorite storyline has been in men’s team handball: The reigning gold medalists and host nation lost their first two matches, drew against Egypt and won their last two to cement their spot in the knockout stage. I, however, will be pulling for my adoptive handballing nation of Denmark.
The Olympics always reminds me of my longest-held belief: If I could waive a magic wand and make Western Kentucky have a sport, it would be gymnastics. While unlikely, could you imagine the free exposure WKU would get if they were to have a world class gymnast commit, enroll and compete even for a year before going onto the Olympics? Truly an ad money couldn’t buy (you know, outside of the money it would take to run the program).
How about some football ProTops nuggets to end our time together: Austin Reed was the third quarterback to see time in Thursday’s Hall of Fame Game, completing each of his two pass attempts for 10 total yards. He, unfortunately, got his time cut short due to the game getting called off in the third quarter. We’ll have a full rundown of what to watch for in the first full week of the preseason later this week.
In hoops ProTops news, Jamarion Sharp has reportedly reached a one-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks. Between him and Charles Bassey re-signing in San Antonio, it’s true what they say - everything really is bigger in Texas.
If I can shamelessly close with a request for some feedback - how have you enjoyed our new column layouts? As we get ever closer to the start of the season getting underway we’re working to fine tune everything as we prepare for the season.
Great post, can’t wait for football szn