Thompson back at right time for Herd

Marshall's Terrence Thompson throws down a dunk in a game against Morehead State inside the Cam Henderson Center.

Tomorrow when the Thundering Herd steps on the floor in Murfreesboro, Tennessee to take on the Blue Raiders in a battle for sole possession of first place in Conference USA, it will have been 48 days and 12 games since Terrence Thompson last played. 

The 6-7, junior from North Carolina, was one of the key cogs to Marshall's 4-0 start in which the forward averaged 14.5 points and 7.2 rebounds along the way. Thompson did play in an ugly loss to Ohio State and posted 10 rebounds in a ball game where the Herd was severely outmanned inside without the services of Ryan Taylor. But, as Taylor came back from a one-game suspension an abdominal injury sidelined Thompson and Marshall struggled in the post in many of its losses going just 2-6 without Thompson for the remainder of its out-of-conference schedule. 

But, through that struggle, Taylor has taken his game to another level, who was announced Wednesday as the first Marshall player to ever be named the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week, and sophomore Ajdin Penava has emerged as a reliable inside option helping the Herd get off to a 4-0 start in league play. 

Now, it's been reported by the Charleston Gazette-Mail writer Doug Smock, that Thompson will return to action this week as the Herd makes road trips to both Middle Tennessee and UAB. The timing couldn't be better, as the Blue Raiders and the Blazers are last season's conference tournament and regular season champions, and two of Marshall's biggest obstacles in trying to claim its own CUSA title. 

While it's unclear exactly how much Thompson will play in either contest, his availability provides instant depth to the Herd interior, a point that by many is still considered the team's biggest weakness despite improved play over recent weeks.