Friday, December 4
5 p.m. ET  – Kennesaw State (2-1, 0-0) at No. 9 Creighton (2-0, 0-0)
Links: FS1 | Live Stats
Location: CHI Health Center | Omaha, Neb.
Game Notes: KSU | Creighton

TOP STORYLINES
» The Kennesaw State men's basketball team closes out the week at No. 9 Creighton Friday evening in a rematch of last year's season-opener. Friday's game marks KSU's first game against a top-10 opponent since squaring off with No. 8 Missouri in 2011.

» The Owls are coming off their first loss of the season at UAB on Wednesday. KSU fell victim to early turnovers and a hot-shooting UAB in the first half. After the Blazers opened the game 6-for-10, the Owls held UAB to 38 percent shooting the rest of the game, including 10-for-28 in the second period. Junior Spencer Rodgers led all shooters with 17 points.

» Throughout his first three games at KSU, junior transfer Spencer Rodgers has netted double-figures each time to lead the team averaging 17 points per game. He was 6-for-7 from three-point range against Toccoa Falls for a season-high 21 points. Rodgers currently ranks sixth in the ASUN for scoring and is one of seven players to average over 15 points in the early part of the season. He's also one of two players in the league to shoot 60 percent or better with more than 20 field goal attempts.

» Freshman Kasen Jennings continued to display his skills off the ball at UAB, leading the team with seven rebounds. He is currently second on the team for rebounds (5.0 rpg) and assists (11) while leading the team with seven steals. Jennings leads the ASUN for total steals and is one of seven players in the league to record double-digit assists so far on the year.

» With just three games under their belt, the Owls are the top defensive team in the ASUN and are currently ranked 28th in the NCAA. KSU is one of three teams in the league to average over 40 rebounds per game, ranked second averaging 31.7 defensive boards. Junior Alex Peterson ranks sixth in the ASUN with 18 total rebounds while freshman Cole LaRue is tied for second with five blocks, recording three alone at UAB. 

» KSU has gotten some major production from beyond the arc over its first three games of the season. The Owls' 30 made three-pointers is already more than the first eight games combined of the 2019-20 season. Five Owls have netted at least three treys on the year led by Spencer Rodgers with nine followed by Chris Youngblood with eight. Rodgers and Youngblood rank fifth and seventh respectively in the ASUN for made three-pointers.

ROGER RODGERS
Junior Transfer Spencer Rodgers has been deadly in his first three games wearing the Black and Gold, shooting 60 percent from the floor. The Lawrenceville, Ga., native ranks fifth in the ASUN for shooting percentage and is one of two players to shoot 60 percent or better with 20 or more field goal attempts.

Rodgers has hit double-figures in all three games, leading the Owls with 21 and 17 points, respectively, in the last two games. He finished 7-for-8 against Toccoa Falls, 6-for-7 from three-point range, not missing a shot until two minutes into the second half.

Rodgers' nine made three-pointers currently puts him at fifth in the conference.

THE THREE AMIGOS
The highly touted Georgia trio of Chris Youngblood, Brandon Stroud and Kasen Jennings have certainly lived up to the hype in the early part of the year. Youngblood and Jennings are second and third, respectively, on the team for scoring with the trio combining to record over a third of KSU's total points scored. 

Youngblood made a major impact in his debut almost instantly, draining three straight three-pointers in just over a minute and a half after hitting the floor. He led the team with 17 points in just 15 minutes of action against Carver. Youngblood ranks 14th in the ASUN for scoring, making him the sole freshmen to rank among the league's top-15.

He is also seventh in the league with eight made three-pointers on the year.

East Coweta teammate Stroud had a slow start in KSU's season-opener, netting just three points on 1-of-6 shooting, but was big off the ball with four rebounds, three steals and two assists. He upped his game against Toccoa Falls going 4-for-5 for 10 points while adding another four rebounds and two assists. He has logged four rebounds in every game so far and is second only to Jennings with six steals while adding five total assists.

Crosstown rival turned teammate Jennings holds the team and ASUN lead for steals with seven. Jennings has hit double-digits in two games this year to average 8.5 points per game. He is one of two Owls, trailing only Terrell Burden, with at least 10 assists (11) on the season to put him at fifth in the league. He pulled down a team and career-high seven rebounds at UAB to make him second on the squad with 15 total boards.

RETURN OF THE MACKS
The 2020-21 season-opener marked the return of breakout players Terrell Burden and Armani Harris after suffering season-ending injuries in 2019-20 and so far, the duo has not missed a beat.

Burden is averaging 4.7 points per game, shooting 6-for-8 from the floor. Off the ball he leads the Owls with 13 assists, recording a career-high eight against Toccoa Falls. He is one of seven players in the ASUN, including teammate Kasen Jennings, with double-digit assists on the year. A tremendous ball handler, Burden has committed only two turnovers so far this season, ranking him 19th in the country for his assist-turnover ratio.

Despite averaging less than 15 minutes per game, Harris has netted 19 points across the three games while pulling down 11 rebounds.

Both Burden (14) and Harris (8) appeared in less than 15 games their freshmen seasons but remained some of the top Owls in multiple categories.

Burden was one of the Owl's top scorers a year ago, averaging 9.5 points per game while netting double-digits seven times. He was the Owls' leading scorer in five games, including a career-high 21-point performance against Wofford. Despite playing in half the games, Burden still finished last season ranked third on the team for total assists, dishing out 30 dimes. 

Harris saw his freshman season cut short after just eight games, appearing in all eight games to open the 2019-20 slate. In that short span, Harris was a force in the paint averaging 7.5 rebounds per game. He recorded seven or more boards in five of his eight games, including a season-high 15 against FIU. Harris also averaged 7.1 points per game, hitting double-figures in three games. He recorded his first career double-double in his final appearance against FIU, netting 10 points and 15 rebounds.

NEW YEAR, NEW TEAM
It is a completely revamped Owl squad hitting the floor in 2020-21 as KSU returns only five players from last season, with only one seeing action in at least 20 games a year ago. KSU welcomes 10 newcomers to the Nest this year, seven freshmen and three transfers.

Only redshirt junior Antonio Spencer and redshirt sophomore Jamie Lewis appeared in more than 15 games last season. Spencer saw action in 23 games, earning 18 starts, while Lewis appeared in all 18 games after becoming eligible midway through the season.

Lewis has started all three games so far this year while Spencer has started two.

The Owls are one of 20 teams in the country that has to replace over 70 percent of its scoring from 2019-20, losing 73.3 percent from last season.

BRING YOUR UMBRELLAS
The Owls have made it rain in the Convocation Center, shooting over 50 percent in their first two games of the season while netting 27 three-pointers. KSU's 55.6 shooting percentage against Toccoa Falls is the Owls' best shooting performance since shooting 56.9 percent at Lipscomb in February of 2018.

Apart from the season-opener, the Owls have only shot over 50 percent one other time over the previous two seasons.

KSU drained a Division I program record 18 three-pointers in its win over Toccoa Falls with six Owls netting two or more treys. Spencer Rodgers led the way going 6-for-7 from beyond the arc, 5-for-5 in the first half alone, putting him one triple shy of tying the single-game record. 

The Owls' 30 three-pointers over the first three games is already more than the first eight games combined of the 2019-20 season. Both Rodgers and Chris Youngblood rank fifth and seventh in the ASUN with nine and eight made three-pointers on the year.

The game against Toccoa Falls also set DI records for points scored (106) and winning margin (62). The Owls' 106 points scored marked only the fourth time since moving to Division I that KSU has hit the century mark and the first time since the 2016 season.

Rodgers and Youngblood are two of 17 players in the ASUN to shoot 50 percent or better so far this season. 

UP NEXT
KSU returns to the Convocation Center next Saturday (Dec. 12) to host Thomas at 2 p.m. ET.

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