Mid-Major Madness Player of the Week (Feb. 6-12): Marshall’s Andrew Taylor

For the week of Feb. 6-12, Mid-Major Madness has selected Marshall guard Andrew Taylor as the Mid-Major Player of the Week. The redshirt senior led the Thundering Herd to back-to-back wins behind a pair of career-high performances.

While fellow backcourt mate Taevion Kinsey has been the big story for Marshall this season, Taylor has been right behind him averaging 19.6 points per game, 4.8 rebounds per contest and 4.8 assists a night.

The Corbin, Ky., native opened on Thursday by producing a career-high 33-points, to go with 10 rebounds, six assists and three steals while shooting 52% from the field. Taylor’s 30+ point effort and second double-double of the season led Marshall to a 92-74 road win at Coastal Carolina.

Over the weekend, Taylor put together another headlining presentation while managing 26 points, five rebounds, five assists and three more steals to earn an 88-77 win over Georgia State on Saturday afternoon.

Taylor’s team-leading five 3-pointers and five assists while shooting 53% from the field were all crucial to the Thundering Herd in taking down the Panthers and regaining sole possession of second place in the Sun Belt.

Additionally, with the Thundering Herd now sitting 21-6 behind the success of Taylor and Kinsey, head coach Dan D’Antoni has tied the most regular-season wins of his nine-year tenure which was set in 2017-18.

With four matchups left on the schedule for Marshall this season, they’ll have a chance to beat that mark and return to the NCAA Tournament. Albeit, in the program’s first season under Sun Belt leadership.

Honorable Mentions:

Cam Shelton (Loyola Marymount) - Shelton dropped a career-high 31 points on Thursday night as the Lions upset No. 15 Saint Mary’s in overtime before shattering that with a new career-high of 36 points in Saturday’s tightly contested loss to Santa Clara. For his multiple 30+ point efforts, Shelton was honored with his second WCC Player of the Week award this season.

Max Abmas (Oral Roberts) - With 27 points and seven rebounds on Thursday followed by 29 points and four rebounds on Saturday, Abmas helped the Golden Eagles to pick up wins over St. Thomas and Western Illinois, respectively. With Oral Roberts now 14-0 in conference play, Abmas was awarded the Summit League’s Peak Performer of the Week.

Tre Jackson (Western Carolina) - On Wednesday, Jackson managed a career-high and program-record 47 points while shooting 53% from deep to lead the Catamounts to an overtime win versus Wofford. In a loss to Furman on Saturday, Jackson contributed another team-leading 27 points and four rebounds, which helped earn him the SoCon Player of the Week for the first time in 2023.