Friday, Jan. 8
6:00 p.m. ET  – Kennesaw State (3-7, 0-2) at Liberty (9-4, 1-1)
Links: ESPN+ | Live Stats

Saturday, Jan. 9
5:00 p.m. ET  – Kennesaw State (3-7, 0-2) at Liberty (9-4, 1-1)
Links: ESPN+ | Live Stats

Location: Vines Center | Lynchburg, Va.
Game Notes: KSU | Liberty

TOP STORYLINES
» The Kennesaw State men's basketball team continues league play this Friday and Saturday, switching sights from its originally scheduled opponent of North Florida to Liberty after the league announced the schedule change earlier this week. The Owls look rebound and upset the Flames after seeing a pair of close battles with Jacksonville slip away late this past weekend. 

» Junior transfer Spencer Rodgers led the scoring for KSU in both games to bring his season average up to 16.3 points per game, a mark good enough for third in the ASUN. Rodgers has netted double-figures in every game this season and is one of five players in the conference to average over 15 points per game. He also logged three assists in each game giving him 22 total dimes on the year to rank 10th in the conference.

» Freshman Brandon Stroud had his five-game streak of at least six points and six rebounds snapped in game two against Jacksonville after being held scoreless and recording five rebounds. Despite that, Stroud has come into his own as of late averaging 6.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game over the last six games, including the Owls only double-double of the year with 11 points and 11 rebounds against Samford. Stroud leads the team averaging 5.8 boards per game while also ranked fifth in the conference with 13 steals.

» Fellow newcomer Chris Youngblood has lived up to the hype in his first games as an Owl, currently ranked second on the team and ninth in the ASUN averaging 13.4 points per game. He is the only true freshman to rank in the league's top-20 for scoring. A sharpshooter from range, he has netted three or more three-pointers in six games this year, including the last two straight, to rank sixth in the ASUN averaging 2.5 treys per game.

» Terrell Burden tallied eight total assists over the two games against Jacksonville. He leads the team with 29 assists placing him seventh in the ASUN for total dimes. He is already one assist shy of his 2019-20 season total with four games in hand. Burden is one of eight players in the league with at least 25 assists. He has also done his fair share of scoring, netting double-figures in two of the last three games to average 6.7 points per game.

» Alex Peterson had a breakout game against Jacksonville this past Saturday, recording a season-high 15 points and nearly earning a double-double with seven rebounds. The junior transfer currently ranks second on the team for rebounds (5.2) and third for scoring (7.2). 

RODGER THAT
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 48.3 percent from the floor. The Lawrenceville, Ga., native ranks third in the league for scoring and is one of 14 players in the league to net over 100 points. 

Rodgers is averaging 16.3 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, not missing a shot until two minutes into the second half. He has netted 20 or more points four times this season and is one of five players in the league to average 15 or more points per game.

Rodgers' 26 made three-pointers currently puts him in 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 4.2 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 (9) 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 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 and hasn't slowed down since. The Sharpsburg, Ga., native has hit double-figures in all but two games, recording a career-high 24 points against Dalton State.

Youngblood ranks ninth in the ASUN for scoring averaging 13.4 points per game. He is the only true freshman to rank among the league's top-20 scorers. He is also one of 14 players to record at least 100 points on the year (134). A sharpshooter from beyond the arc, Youngblood has netted 25 three-pointers on the year, ranking him fifth in the league. He has netted three or more treys in six games, averaging 2.5 per game. Youngblood also ranks second on the team for steals (9) and blocks (4) while logging 12 assists.

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 five of the last six games, snapping that streak in KSU's most recent game against Jacksonville. Despite that, he is still averaging 6.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game over the last six games.

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 5.8 rebounds per game, placing him 12th in the league. He also leads the team and ranks tied for fifth in the ASUN with 13 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 nine steals while dishing out 13 assists. 

Jennings has hit double-digits in two games this year and is averaging 4.6 points per game. He pulled down a team and career-high seven rebounds at UAB.

ON LOCK
The Owls have held six opponents to 65 points or less 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 65.6 points per game, the fifth-lowest average in the ASUN.

The Owls rank fourth in the league for rebounds (36.5) per game and fifth for steals (6.3) per game. Six Owls have recorded at least five steals on the year with Brandon Stroud (T-5th), Kasen Jennings (T-15th), Spencer Rodgers (T-15th), Chris Youngblood (T-15th) and Terrell Burden (T-20th) 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 fifth overall in the ASUN averaging 3.2 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
After the weekend slate KSU is scheduled to return to the Convocation Center to host North Alabama Friday (Jan. 15) and Saturday (Jan. 16).
 

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