After 31 years, Marshall's dancing shoes are shined and ready for action

Marshall will enter unfamiliar territory Thursday when it takes on Wichita State in the round of 64, but it's an opportunity that's been a long time coming.

The last time the Thundering Herd appeared in the NCAA tournament, the top song was "Faith" by George Michael, newspapers cost 25 cents, and an unknown animated short called "The Simpsons" made its debut on "The Tracey Ullman Show." Times have changed, but the dramatics of the tournament have remained the same, and Marshall may just be a team that could use that atmosphere to its advantage.

Best Win: Defeating Western Kentucky by a single point to claim the Conference USA championship is extremely hard to top in terms of fanfare and dramatics, but as far as meaning goes, Marshall's win over Middle Tennessee to close out the regular season is the pinnacle. The Thundering Herd already had a win over the Blue Raiders under their belt from earlier in the year, but Middle Tennessee was largely considered a favorite to win the conference, so a second win gave Marshall the legitimacy of a team that could not only make the NCAA tournament, but stick around for more than a single round.

Season Summary: Marshall has gained a reputation under head coach Dan D'Antoni as a run-and-gun team that will allow its fair share of points, but will put up just as many. The Thundering Herd lived up to that reputation this year, with most of the offense relying on guard-heavy production from Jon Elmore and C.J. Burks. The two combined to average over 43 points, and were aided on both ends by big man Ajdin Penava, who chipped in with 15.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, and a nation-leading 4.1 blocks.