Marshall vs. Rio Grande?

That game scheduled smack-dab amidst Marshall's Conference USA slate didn't thrill the Herd faithful.

And that's understandable.

Sandwiched between five league games followed by another seven, the RedStorm stuck out like a ... well, like a nickname needing a space.

But there's one thing Herd fans need to remember about Marshall's 115-73 win over their NAIA neighbor Tuesday night in front of 4,179 fans at the Henderson Center.

It was better than nothing.

You see, Conference USA schedules every member for an open week. And this was Marshall's. Unless MU head coach Donnie Jones could find someone, anyone to play the Herd, Marshall would have gone one full week between games.

At this late point in the season, that wasn't an option.

"I'll never go a week without a game," said Jones. "This late in the season the guys get tired of practicing against each other. We want to keep our game edge."

The same goes for every other team in C-USA. That's why Rice played NCAA Division II opponent Texas A&M International Monday night.

Now, if a team has a higher profile like, say, Memphis or Tulsa, they can book a television game. The Tigers played Gonzaga on ESPN2 and the Golden Hurricane play Duke on Feb. 25, also on ESPN2.

"We would have done that," said Jones. "We would have played Duke. But it's hard to get those big-name teams at this point of the season."

So, the Herd settled for Rio Grande. Considering the alternative, it wasn't a bad choice.

"You can get some rest with a week off," said Marshall senior guard Chris Lutz, after scoring 16 points, "but I think it hurts a team mentally.

"It's about focus. It keeps us in that game mentality. It keeps us in that East Carolina frame of mind. When you play hard, it just keeps you sharp."

Which is precisely what Marshall wants to be heading into a big game against UAB at 8 p.m. Saturday in Birmingham, Ala.

"We want to stay in rhythm," said junior forward Antonio Haymon, after totaling 13 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots in his first career start. "We had a few new strategies we wanted to implement.

"And we wanted to get crisp with our sets. We could get rusty, otherwise."

Instead, the Herd turned in an entire reel of highlights.

There was Hassan Whiteside's flat-footed blocked shot. There was Dago Pena blocking a layup on one end of the floor and, then, swishing a 3-pointer from the left wing on the other end.

There was a gorgeous over-the-shoulder pass from a posted-up Tirrell Baines to Pena who was slicing down the weak-side baseline for a slam dunk. There was Haymon's thunderous one-handed tomahawk slam that was the best dunk of the season. And there was fan-favorite, walk-on Bobby Horodyski, hitting a 3-pointer for his first points since nailing a three against North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C.

So, yes indeed, Rio Grande was better than the alternative.

"We didn't need to get stale," said Pena, after scoring a career-high 18 points. "We needed to keep our rhythm going. Our five losses we kind of lost our rhythm.

"Now, we've got our rhythm back."

The Herd has the RedStorm to thank for that.

Space or no space.

Chuck Landon is a sports columnist for The Herald-Dispatch. Call him at 304-526-2827. E-mail him at clandon@herald-dispatch.com.

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