By: Mark Wasik
Friday, November 10
6 p.m. – Kennesaw State (1-0) at Florida State (0-0)
Location: Tallahassee, Fla. | Tucker Center (11,500)
TV: ESPN+ (Ariya Maddoudi, Jack Kavovit, Alexandra Decapua)
Live Stats: Statbroadcast.com
Game Notes: KSU (PDF) | FSU (PDF)
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KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State men's basketball looks to keep the momentum rolling from its season-opener victory, as the Owls will be on the road for a matchup at ACC member Florida State on Friday at 6 p.m. in the Tucker Center in Tallahassee. This will be the second all-time meeting between the two schools, and will be streamed live on the ACC Digital Network, which is also available through ESPN+.
A FEW NOTES
♦ It was a successful debut for the Antonie Pettway era at Kennesaw State, as under their first-year head coach, the Owls showed they are ready to play at last year's championship level as they raced out to a 20-4 lead less than six minutes into the opener on the way to a 47-point win over Oakland on Tuesday night.
♦ For the first time in school history, the Owls enter the season with a target on their backs, coming off the first-ever winning season in the school's Division I history. KSU finished off 2022-23 with a 26-9 overall mark, shattering the previous record for most wins in a season by 12 (14). The Owls also won the first-ever Atlantic Sun Conference regular season and tournament titles in school history, while reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time at the Division I level as well.
♦ Pettway took over as the Owls coach in April of this year, and is in his first year as a head coach after spending the past 15 years on the Alabama coaching staff. He quickly got the Owls ready for a title defense after bringing in a four-member freshmen class that ranked in the top 65 in the nation and easily was the top in the ASUN. Highlighting the class was four-star recruit
RJ Johnson.
♦ In addition, Pettway brought in four Division I transfers in
Rongie Gordon (UAB),
Jamel King (West Virginia),
Delaney Heard (Alabama) and
Jusaun Holt (Georgia).
♦ KSU is looking for its first win over a Power 5 team in 13 years, and its second-ever when it takes on the Seminoles on Friday night. Though the Owls are 1-10 all-time against the ACC, they posted a school record 10 road victories a season ago, and held leads late in the second half at both Indiana and VCU. The Owls' last Power 5 win was 80-63 at home over Georgia Tech on Nov. 15, 2010.
