Not one is more obvious than Tom Herrion and the quarter.

“There’s history, there’s tradition and obviously you have somewhat of a split fan base,” he said. “You’re going to have green and white or blue and gold.”

And even before Herrion could coach in this game, a little spice was added. In his last visit for Pitt-WVU in Morgantown last Feb. 3, Herrion was pelted in his cheek with a quarter thrown from the stands.

It elevated the Backyard Brawl instantly, but then two months later Herrion had accepted the head coaching position at Marshall.

“I’m trying to get this win for him,” Herd guard Shaquille Johnson said. “I know it would mean a lot to him.

“Coach Herrion, that’s my man. If that happened when I was on the court the emotions would have been flying.”

I don’t think anything happens tonight beyond some cupronickel-plated taunts and chants and maybe even a few people who brazenly brandish quarters. Actually, I pretty much expect that, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it escalated.

Like, what if something gets thrown on the court tonight? It happens at games and the officiating, which usually triggers such a thing, is routinely bad for this game. But what if someone throws something? Not necessarily a quarter and not necessarily at Herrion. Just something at someone. Yikes. And I joked (kind of ) about this last year — and only after other people … and some WVU people .. brought it to my attention — but what was stopping a fan of the other team from throwing something on the Coliseum floor last year after the initial  incident? Nothing. Tonight? Nothing. And, right away, what would  people think? Who would they blame? Yikes.

The tension inside that gym is really something else and there are occasions where it wouldn’t take much to set off one nucklehead, which might then set off others. Not since J.R. VanHoose threw bows has there been a real incident at this game, something I’ve always admired given the competitiveness and the emotion, but I don’t think there’s been a stage quite like this.

Surely the players and coaches — Aside: Herrion has handled this exceptionally well all the way through — will do all they can to control themselves, but those guys in black and white always interject themselves in this game. So it’s more than the players. And the officials. The crowd is wild and who knows what else. It may be something. It may be nothing.  Hopefully we get a nice little game.