GAME NOTES: The Marshall Thundering Herd have lost eight of their last nine games, and will hit the road Tuesday in search of a win as they take on the Akron Zips in a non-conference battle at James A. Rhodes Arena.

Marshall has dropped two consecutive games to Arkansas State (67-58) and Nevada (83-55) to drop to 4-8 on the season. The Herd are 0-3 on the road so far, and are playing in their third leg of a four-game stint away from home.

Akron put a stop to a two-game skid last time out with a convincing 92-53 victory over Bluffton. The Zips enter the contest sporting a 7-4 record this season, with a 5-1 mark at home.

This meeting between the former Mid-American Conference rivals will be the 23rd all-time in the series history. Each side has taken 11 games in the series, although Akron owns a 7-4 record at home against the Thundering Herd.

Marshall struggled to get anything going offensively against Nevada in the team's 28-point loss to the Wolf Pack last Monday. The Herd connected on just 25.8 percent shooting from the floor in the loss, which included a 5-of-28 mark from 3-point range. Austin Loop netted 11 points to pace Marshall in the defeat, while Justin Edmonds collected 10 points, with four of them coming from the free-throw line. Ryan Taylor netted seven points, and pulled down a team-best seven boards.

Taylor had a sub-par game against Nevada, something to which he isn't very accustomed. Taylor enters leading the Thundering Herd in the scoring department with 14.0 ppg, adding in a team-best 8.9 rpg mark and 40 assists as well. Shawn Smith, who has only played in five games this season thanks to a shoulder injury, is the only other Marshall player to average a double-digit scoring total at 12.0 ppg. The Herd are netting 68.2 ppg this season as a unit, but are surrendering 70.2 ppg to opponents on a very poor defensive effort.

Akron absolutely dominated in its last game against Bluffton. The Zips went into the locker room at halftime leading the visitors, 48-27, and then proceeded to score 44 points in the second half to further bury the Beavers. Akron connected on 56.1 percent of its shots from the floor in the near 40- point win, and was led in scoring by center Pat Forsythe's 14-point outing. Nyles Evans and B.J. Gladden each chipped in with 11 points in the victory, as Akron's bench accounted for a whopping 48 points against the Division III school.

Akron has been getting by this season without Demetrius "Tree" Treadwell, who has been out since the first game due to legal/disciplinary complications. Last season's leading scorer and rebounder has been missed, but Forsythe has taken on a much larger role offensively for the Zips. The big man averages 10.7 ppg and a team-best 5.0 rpg, while Kwan Cheatham Jr. nets 10.2 ppg this season for the Zips. Deji Ibitayo (9.6 ppg) and freshman Noah Robotham (9.5 ppg, 3.2 apg) are close to the double-digit scoring mark.

Marshall has been in a free-fall since winning its first three games of the new season. The Thundering Herd are clearly missing 2013-14 leading scorer Kareem Canty, and haven't been able to find any stability otherwise. Akron has made due without Treadwell thanks to a strong contingent of role players.