Wednesday, December 16
7:00 p.m. – Kennesaw State at Louisville (ESPNU)
Links: Live Stats | ESPN3 | Game Notes | Tickets
Social Media: Twitter | Facebook
 
Friday, December 18
7:00 p.m. – Kennesaw State at Chattanooga (SoCon Digital Network)
Links: Live Stats | VIDEO | Tickets
Social Media: Twitter | Facebook
 
SCOUTING LOUISVILLE                           
Louisville has had another strong start this season going 7-1 through the first eight games with the one loss to current No. 1 Michigan State in East Lansing, Michigan.
 
The Cardinals have enjoyed a heavy home schedule early with only two games on the road so far against Michigan State and St. Louis on a neutral court. They have already played one A-Sun team this season beating North Florida 89-61.
 
Louisville is led by fifth year senior Damion Lee averaging 18.8 points per game.
 
The Cardinals are coached by Rick Pitino. He is the first head coach ever to win two national championships at two different schools. In 30 seasons at five different schools, he has a .740 winning percentage which is 13th among active coaches.
 
THE ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS LOUISVILLE  
This is the first meeting against Louisville.
 
SCOUTING CHATTANOOGA                   
Chattanooga currently sits 16^th in the current NCAA RPI after defeating Georgia, Illinois and Dayton and are off to a 7-2 start to the season.
 
Leading scorer Casey Jones is out, but the Mocs have a balanced scoring attack as eight other players have scored in double-figures at least once. One of those players is Justin Tuoyo, who is 15^th in the country in blocks averaging 2.7 per game.
 
Chattanooga is led by first year head coach Matt McCall. He came from Florida, where he was an assistant under Billy Donovan.
 
THE ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS CHATTANOOGA      
Kennesaw State is 3-4 against Chattanooga, but the Owls have won three of the last four and the last two games in Chattanooga.
 
Tough Schedule Early
KSU has already played two teams that have been ranked at some point this season in LSU and West Virginia. The Owls have two more games against opponents that have been in the AP Top 25 poll at some point when they take on No. 19 Louisville and Indiana.
 
After playing Thomas on Monday, December 7, it will cap 11 games since November 13. Kennesaw State will take a break for final exams before playing Louisville on December 16.
 
Coaching Ties
Coach Skinner and Coach Pitino played together for four years at UMass.
 
Both remain as two of the most decorated Minutemen of all time as Skinner concluded his career with 1,235 points, 749 rebounds and 320 assists in 79 games. Pitino had 329 career assists ranking eighth all-time at UMass and his 168 assists as a senior is the sixth-best single season total ever there.
 
They were both freshmen when NBA legend Julius Erving was a senior.
 
Dynamic Duo
Kennesaw State is one of two teams in the Atlantic Sun to have two players averaging at least 16 points as Kendrick Ray is averaging 16.1 points per game and Yonel Brown is averaging 16.0. The other team is reining A-Sun Champion North Florida.
 
They are currently fifth and sixth with their scoring averages. One of them has led the team in scoring in every game except for at Arizona State, and they have combined to have seven 20-point games this season.
 
Ray's Insurgence
Kendrick Ray keeps getting better and better as the season has gone on. He leads the team averaging 16.1 points per game after scoring in double-figures the last five games and he has had three 20 point outings out of those five.
 
He has also been big on the glass for the Owls. He has picked up three double-doubles in three of the past four games. After the first two double-doubles, Ray was named Atlantic Sun Newcomer of the Week.
 
Energy off the Bench
Aubrey Williams hasn't recorded a start yet this season, but he's averaging 24.5 minutes per game and making an impact on the boards. He ranks third in the A-Sun averaging 7.5 rebounds per game.
 
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.
 
This season, fans should purchase their tickets in advance of games, as they are only $10 ahead of time and $12 at the door.
 
Season tickets are currently available for all the home court action for the Owls and can be purchased by following the link here.