Friday, Jan. 15
6:00 p.m. ET  – Kennesaw State (3-9, 0-4) vs North Alabama (5-3, 1-1)
Links: ESPN+ | Live Stats

Saturday, Jan. 16
4:00 p.m. ET  – Kennesaw State (3-9, 0-4) vs North Alabama (5-3, 1-1)
Links: ESPN+ | Live Stats

Location: Convocation Center | Kennesaw, Ga.
Game Notes: KSU | North Alabama

TOP STORYLINES
» The Kennesaw State men's basketball team returns to the Convocation Center looking for its first conference win hosting North Alabama this Friday and Saturday. The Lions have won the last four straight meetings against KSU, hitting the road for just the second time this season. UNA split its first ASUN weekend, coming off a 73-66 overtime victory over Stetson heading into Friday's game.

» Junior transfer Spencer Rodgers extended his double-digit scoring streak to 12 games over the past weekend, netting a career-high 31 points against Liberty. That mark set the record for most points scored by a player in the new Liberty Arena while falling five points shy of tying the KSU DI single-game record. On the year, Rodgers is averaging 17.2 points per game to rank second in the ASUN. He is one of just four players in the league to average over 15 points per game. An all-around performer, Rodgers is also second on the team for assists (22) and steals (11) while ranked third for rebounds (4.1).

» Freshman Chris Youngblood has lived up to the hype in his first season as an Owl, currently ranked second on the team and 10th in the ASUN averaging 13.3 points per game. He is the only true freshman to rank in the league's top-20 for scoring and is one of eight players in the league to net over 150 points on the year. Youngblood has netted three or more three-pointers in seven games this year, including three of the last four games, to rank eighth in the ASUN averaging 2.3 treys per game.

» Brandon Stroud has come to be one of the Owls most effective players off the ball this season. Over the last seven games he is averaging 7.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He currently leads the team in steals with 14 total, placing him ninth in the ASUN, and rebounds averaging 5.9 boards per game. Stroud does his fair share of scoring too, ranked fourth on the team averaging 5.8 points per game having hit double-figures three times.

» The Owls record this season does not reflect how close each game has been with KSU dropping five of their last six games by 10 points or less. For comparison, the Owls had only three games decided by 10 points or less during the 2019-20 season. The scoring margin between KSU and its opponents this season is less than one point (0.8). Only three of KSU's losses have been decided by more than 15 points, No. 9 Creighton, 9-1 UAB and league-leading Liberty. Defensively, the Owls rank fifth in the league for points allowed (66.8), fourth for three-point defense (31.8%) and fifth for blocks per game (3.1).

RODGER THAT
Junior transfer Spencer Rodgers has been an offensive force for the Black and Gold, netting double-figures in every game so far, including a career-high 31 points in KSU's most recent road trip to Liberty. The Lawrenceville, Ga., native ranks second in the league for scoring and is one of three players to record over 200 points on the year.

Rodgers is currently averaging 17.2 points per game, netting 20 or more points five times this season. He is one of four players in the league to average 15 or more points per game. At his current clip, Rodgers is just outside the top-10 KSU single-season points per game record list with Herman Smith's (89-90) 17.6 ppg ranked 10th in program history.

Deadly from range, Rodgers' 32 made three-pointers currently puts him in fourth in the conference, averaging 2.7 per game. He is one of six players in the conference to average at least 2.5 three-pointers per game.

Off the ball, Rodgers is just as productive, ranked third on the team averaging 4.1 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 (22) and steals (11).

THE THREE MUSKETEERS
The highly touted Georgia trio of Chris Youngblood, Brandon Stroud and Kasen Jennings have certainly lived up to the hype this year. Youngblood and Stroud are two of the top scorers on the team 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, recording five total three-pointers. Youngblood has netted three or more treys in seven games this season, averaging 2.3 per game to rank eighth in the ASUN.

The Sharpsburg, Ga., native has hit double-figures in all but three games, recording a career-high 24 points against Dalton State. He ranks 10th in the ASUN for scoring averaging 13.3 points per game. Youngblood is the only true freshman to rank among the league's top-20 scorers. He is also one of eight players to record at least 150 points on the year (159).

Youngblood is one of four players on the team to record double-digit steals (10), ranked second for blocks (7) and third for assists (19).

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 seven rebounds in five of the last seven games. Over the last seven games he is averaging 7.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

During the current stretch, 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 5.9 rebounds per game, placing him 12th in the league. He also leads the team and ranks eighth in the ASUN with 14 steals, one of 14 players in the conference with double-digit swipes.

After a stellar start to his freshman season, crosstown rival turned teammate Jennings has slowly worked his way back into the lineup after being sidelined for three games due to concussion protocols. Despite that gap, he is still second on the team with 11 steals while dishing out 15 assists.

Jennings has hit double-digits three times this year and is averaging 5.0 points per game. He pulled down a team and career-high seven rebounds at UAB.

ON LOCK
The Owls have held seven opponents to less than 70 points so far this season, including season-lows for Belmont and Samford. Both the Bruins and Bulldogs were averaging over 80 points per game before squaring off with KSU. Comparatively, the Owls held only six opponents to less than 70 points in 2019-20.

As a team, the Owls are holding opponents to an average of 66.8 points per game, the fifth-lowest average in the ASUN. If maintained, KSU's current -0.8 scoring margin would set the DI single-season program record.

The Owls rank fifth in the league for rebounding offense (35.9) and third for rebounding defense (34.2), one of five teams in the league with a positive rebound margin.

Four Owls have recorded at least 10 steals on the year with Kasen Jennings (11th) and Brandon Stroud (12th) ranked among the top-15 in the league for steals per game.

After recording his third game with two or more blocks against Mercer, Cole LaRue ranks eighth in the conference for total blocks with eight. As a team, the Owls rank fifth overall in the ASUN averaging 3.1 stuffs per game.

SITTING IN THE SHADE
The KSU men's basketball team looks to silence the doubters 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
With the Liberty games, originally scheduled for next weekend (Jan. 22-23), moved to this past weekend, the Owls are currently scheduled to host Bellarmine in two weeks time (Jan. 29-20), if no games are added.
 

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