By: Mark Wasik
Wednesday, December 17
7:30 p.m. (ET) – Kennesaw State (8-2, 0-0 CUSA) vs Middle Tennessee (5-4, 0-0 CUSA)
Location: Murfreesboro, Tenn. | Murphy Center (11,520)
TV: ESPN+ (Jake Rose/Steve Prohm)
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KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State men's basketball will be playing its conference opener before Christmas for the first time in 14 years, as the Owls are on the road at Middle Tennessee on Wednesday night for a 7:30 pm (ET) contest in Murfreesboro. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
A FEW NOTES
♦ The last time KSU played a pre-Christmas conference game was at Lipscomb in the 2011-12 season when the Owls were in the Atlantic Sun. This is also the first conference game for the Owls in the month of December since a road game at North Florida on Dec. 30, 2013.
♦ Following the game at the Blue Raiders, KSU will close out non-conference play with a neutral contest in Huntsville, Ala., against 16th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. The game will be played at the VBC Prospt Arena, site of the CUSA Tournament.
♦ KSU's first two games after the Christmas break will also be on the road (at Liberty, at Delaware), meaning the Owls will open conference play with three straight road games for the first-time ever in school history.
♦ KSU has always been a fast-paced team under Pettway, and that's not changing in his third year at the helm of the Owls. KSU ranked in the top five in the nation in adjusted tempo in his first year, and currently is sixth at 74.7 (possessions per 40 minutes).
♦ The Owls are also scoring at high rate, currently second in the nation at 97.2 points per game, which easily leads Conference USA. Senior guard Simeon Cottle meanwhile paces the league in scoring at 20.0 points per game, 36th in the nation.
♦ KSU is having another strong year in the boards as well, ranking first in the nation in total rebounds per game (47.4 rpg) and sixth in rebound margin (+12.6) in the nation.
