By: Mark Wasik
Saturday, December 2
1 p.m. – Kennesaw State (4-3) vs Georgia State (3-3)
Location: Kennesaw, Ga. | Convocation Center (3,805)
TV: ESPN+ (Nolan Alexander, Jordan Griffitt, Natalie Bode)
Live Stats: Statbroadcast.com
Game Notes: Kennesaw State | Georgia State
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KENNESAW, Ga. – For the first time since the 1988-89 season, Kennesaw State men's basketball will face off against the Georgia State Panthers, as the two metro-Atlanta squads will tip off on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Convocation Center. The game will also be streamed live on ESPN+.
Saturday is also a Gold Rush, as fans will receive free Gold KSU T-shirts. Single-game tickets are available at KSUOwls.com.
A FEW NOTES
♦ This will be the fourth-ever meeting between the two schools, and the first time as a Division I program for KSU. The Owls were a NAIA school in each of the previous three meetings.
♦ Both teams are coming off losses on the road. Following a 4-1 start, KSU was stunned in a half-court buzzer-beater at East Carolina (Nov. 21) and most recently dropped a 91-84 contest at future Conference USA rival FIU on Sunday in Miami. GSU meanwhile suffered a road loss at Charlotte this past Saturday.
♦ 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.
♦ Under first-year head coach
Antoine Pettway, the Owls are playing at the fastest pace in the nation (according to KenPom). In addition, KSU also ranks third in the NCAA in fast break points (21.7 ppg), second in three-point attempts per game (32.7 per game), and fifth in offensive rebounds per game (16.3 rpg). Individually,
Demond Robinson is fifth in the nation in offensive rebounds per contest at 4.43 rpg.
♦ The Owls are riding a five-game home win streak, dating back to the 2022-23 season when it swept all three games in the Atlantic Sun Tournament, as well as a 2-0 start to this season. KSU is 19-1 over its past 20 games in the Convocation Center.
