The Marshall men’s basketball team is scheduled to travel to Texas for a two-game series against the Rice Owls Saturday and Sunday.

Originally scheduled for Friday and Saturday, the two-game series was pushed back a day due to inclement weather, head coach Dan D’Antoni announced Wednesday.

Marshall is currently on a three-game winning streak and is coming off a two-game series sweep of Middle Tennessee. The Herd’s record is 12-5 overall and 6-4 in Conference USA play.

Senior guard Jarrod West is coming off a career-high 29 points in a 96-85 win over the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders on Saturday.

Junior guard Taevion Kinsey said that he always has loved the way that West has played the game.

“To be honest, sometimes I just get stuck watching him play,” Kinsey said. “The way he just manipulates the game, (West is a) true point guard.”

Rice is coming off a two-game series, of which the Owls were swept by the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, dropping to 12-10 overall and 6-8 in C-USA play.

Two sophomore guards lead the Owls: Quincy Olivari, who averages 15.9 points, and 4.8 rebounds, and Travis Evee, who averages 15 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists.

Marshall is led by its three guards: Taevion Kinsey, Jarrod West and redshirt sophomore Andrew Taylor.

Kinsey is tied wih UTSA senior guard Jhivvan Jackson for the C-USA lead in points per game at 20.4. 

Andrew Taylor averages 10.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. The assist total is the third most of any player in C-USA, and the total rebounds per game is tied for first in terms of rebounds by a guard (Kinsey also averages 6.2 a game).

Jarrod West leads all of C-USA in assists and steals, averaging 6.4 assists and 2.6 steals a game, respectively. He averages 13.6 points and 3.7 rebounds to go along with it.

West said that the Marshall basketball team can compete with anybody and can win in a various ways.

“I really think we got a versatile team as far as how we can play,” West said. “I feel like we can win a grind out game if need be.”

All of Marshall’s wins this season have come by a margin of seven or more points, and the Herd has not lost by double digits this season.

The two-game series against Rice will take place at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston, Texas.

Both games are scheduled to air on ESPN+ this weekend; the times are not yet confirmed because of the shift from Friday-Saturday to Saturday-Sunday.

Noah Hickman can be contacted at [email protected].