KENNESAW STATE AT NO. 23 SYRACUSE
GAME 1 | NOVEMBER 14 | 7 P.M. ET
SYRACUSE, N.Y. | CARRIER DOME

GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS | ESPN3 | TICKETS

THE GAME:
The Kennesaw State men's basketball team hits the hardwood for the first time in 2014-15 on Friday, heading to No. 23 Syracuse in the opening game of the 2K Classic at 7 p.m. ET.
 
KSU will be taking on the Orange for the first time in program history, playing in the historic Carrier Dome on ESPN3.

THE COVERAGE:
LIVE STATS: Statistical updates will be available from KSUOwls.com at the start of the game.
ESPN3: ESPN3 will have the live broadcast of Friday's game.
TWITTER: Follow the Kennesaw State men's basketball team on Twitter @KSUOwlsMBB to receive updates throughout the game.

THE OPPONENT:
SYRACUSE
The Orange return to the court under seasoned coach Jim Boeheim as the No. 23 team in the country after going 28-6 in 2013-14 with a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Syracuse won its opening round game before losing to Dayton in the round of 32.
 
All-Time Record: Series Tied, 0-0
Last Meeting: First Meeting
 
LAST OUTING
Even with a season-high 26 points from guard Delbert Love, the Kennesaw State men's basketball team couldn't close the gap on North Florida, falling in the 2013-14 season finale 87-77 on Saturday, March 1, 2014 in the KSU Convocation Center.

NEXT UP:
Following the Friday night contest at Syracuse, the Owls will fly cross-country, heading to Cal on Saturday morning to prep for a Sunday afternoon contest with the Bears.

NEWS AND NOTES:
Coaching Clinic
The contest will pit the longest tenured NCAA basketball head coach in Jim Boeheim (39 seasons) against the shortest, Jimmy Lallathin (first season).

Owls on the Road
KSU will travel over 10,000 miles in its first five games, taking to three states and three time zones.

New Faces
KSU added on a total of six players this past off-season including two true freshman and four transfers. Rookie Nick Masterson is expected to make an immediate impact as is junior Memphis transfer Damien Wilson.
 
Coaching Staff
Along with the new players, first-year head coach also added on an associate head coach in David Rivers, assistants Jon Cremins and Paul O'Connor and director of operations Drew McGhee.
 
All-A-Sun
Love was named an All-Atlantic Sun Conference Preseason after leading KSU in scoring in 2013-14 with 291 points. Love also led the team in three-pointers with 65 and in assists 78. Along with Love, Willy Kouassi was named the A-Sun's Fan Voted Preseason Defensive Player of the Year after leading the Owls in blocks in 2013-14 with 35 and in field goal percentage at .538.

Team Captains
This year's team captains were named in a ceremony over the summer and will be Love along with teammates Nigel Pruitt, Yonel Brown and Orlando Coleman.

To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State men's basketball news follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsMBB or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.