Friday, Jan. 1
6:00 p.m. ET  – Kennesaw State (3-5, 0-0) vs Jacksonville (6-4, 0-0)
Links: ESPN+ | Live Stats

Saturday, Jan. 2
4:00 p.m. ET  – Kennesaw State (3-5, 0-0) vs Jacksonville (6-4, 0-0)
Links: ESPN+ | Live Stats

Location: Convocation Center | Kennesaw, Ga.
Game Notes: KSU | JU
Tickets | COVID Gameday Procedures

TOP STORYLINES
» The Kennesaw State men's basketball team opens ASUN play with back-to-back games against Jacksonville this Friday and Saturday. League play will look different this year as the conference will move to a single-site format with teams facing one another in a two-game series on back-to-back days in order to reduce the amount of contact among all ASUN teams and minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19. This will be the first time ever the Owls and Dolphins square off in their respective conference openers.

» The Owls head into conference play sporting a 3-5 record and one of the top defenses in the league despite dropping their last three games. KSU has held three of its last four opponents to 65 points or less. The Owl defense ranks third in the ASUN holding their opponents to an average shooting percentage of 41.4 percent. KSU also ranks third in the league for rebounds (38.3) and steals (6.4) per game while fourth for blocks (3.6). Beyond the arc, KSU is holding teams to an average of 5.5 three-pointers per game, a mark that's tied with Liberty for best in the ASUN.

» Junior transfer Spencer Rodgers has lit up the scoreboard this season netting double-figures in every game while recording 20 or more points in three of the last four games, four times overall on the year. He currently leads the team and ranks third in the ASUN averaging 16.5 points per game, one of five players in the league to average over 15 points per game. Rodgers currently ranks fifth in the league averaging 2.8 three-pointers per game. He also ranks second on the team with 16 assists.

» Freshman Chris Youngblood has lived up to the hype in his first games as an Owl, currently ranked second on the team and seventh in the ASUN averaging 14.3 points per game. He is the only true freshman to rank in the league's top-20 for scoring. Youngblood has netted double-digits in all but one game so far this season, recording a career-high 24 points against Dalton State.

» Fellow newcomer Brandon Stroud has been on a tear as of late, recording at least six rebounds and six points in the last four games. He netted KSU's first double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 boards against Samford. His recent play has made Stroud the team leader for rebounds (5.8) as well as steals (11), ranking fifth in the league for total swipes.

JOLLY RODGERS
Junior transfer Spencer Rodgers has been an offensive force for the Black and Gold, netting double-figures in every game so far while shooting a team-high 49.5 percent from the floor. The Lawrenceville, Ga., native ranks third in the league for scoring and is one of 13 players in the league to net over 100 points with at least one game in hand on the rest of the top-10. 

Rodgers is averaging 16.5 points per game, recording a season-high 21 points against Toccoa Falls and Dalton State. He finished 7-for-8 against Toccoa Falls, 6-for-7 from three-point range, while not missing a shot until two minutes into the second half. He has netted 20 or more points four times this season, including three of the last four games, and is one of five players in the league to average 15 or more points per game.

Rodgers' 22 made three-pointers currently puts him in a tie for fourth in the conference. He is one of 11 players in the conference to average at least two three-pointers per game.

Off the ball, Rodgers is just as productive, ranked third on the team averaging 4.5 rebounds per game. He tied his career-high with seven boards in back-to-back games against Dalton State and Belmont. Rodgers is also second on the team for total assists (16) and steals (8) while recording three blocks.

THE THREE MUSKETEERS
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 Stroud 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 and hasn't slowed down since. The Sharpsburg, Ga., native has hit double-figures in all but one game, recording a career-high 24 points against Dalton State.

Youngblood ranks seventh in the ASUN for scoring averaging 14.3 points per game. He is the only true freshman to rank among the league's top-20 scorers. He is also one of 13 players to record at least 100 points on the year (114), with at least one game in hand on the rest of the top-10. A sharpshooter from beyond the arc, Youngblood has netted 19 three-pointers on the year, ranking him ninth in the league.

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 has continued to up his game as of late recording at least six points and six rebounds in the last four games. Over the current stretch he is averaging 7.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

Stroud recorded the team's first double-double of the year against Samford with 11 points and 11 rebounds. His current play has made him the team leader in the paint averaging 5.8 rebounds per game, placing him in a tie for 12th in the league. He also leads the team and ranks tied for fifth in the ASUN with 11 steals, one of 10 players in the conference with double-digit swipes.

Crosstown rival turned teammate Jennings is second on the team with eight steals despite being sidelined for three games before returning to limited action against Mercer. 

Jennings has hit double-digits in two games this year to average 6.0 points per game while tallying 11 total assists. He pulled down a team and career-high seven rebounds at UAB and is one of four Owls to average at least four rebounds per game (4.0).

ON LOCK
The Owls have held three of their last four opponents to 65 points or less, including season-lows for Belmont and Samford. Both the Bruins and Bulldogs were averaging over 80 points per game before squaring off with KSU. The Owls have held five opponents to less than 70 points this season, compared to only six opponents in 2019-20.

As a team, the Owls are holding opponents to an average of 65.3 points per game, the fourth-lowest average in the ASUN. KSU also ranks third in the league holding opponents to a 41.4 shooting percentage. 

The Owls rank third in the league for both rebounds (38.3) and steals (6.4) per game. Five Owls have recorded at least five steals on the year with Brandon Stroud (T-5th), Kasen Jennings (T-14th) and Spencer Rodgers (T-14th) all ranked among the league's top-20 for total swipes.

After recording his third game with two or more blocks against Mercer, Cole LaRue ranks sixth in the conference for total blocks with eight. As a team, the Owls rank fourth overall in the ASUN averaging 3.6 stuffs per game.

SITTING IN THE SHADE
The KSU men's basketball team will look to silence the haters during the 2020-21 conference season as the Owls were picked to finish ninth in the ASUN Preseason Coaches Poll and eighth in the Preseason Media Poll.

Last year's ninth place finished snapped a five-year run of reaching the ASUN Tournament. 

The Owls' best finish came during the 2016-17 season when KSU went 7-7 to tie USC Upstate for fourth in the final conference standings. KSU went on to down the Spartans in the opening round of the tournament to reach the ASUN semifinals for just the second time in DI history. 

UP NEXT
Following this weekend's conference openers, KSU heads south for back-to-back games at North Florida Friday (Jan. 8) and Saturday (Jan. 9)

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