By: Mark Wasik
Thursday, March 13
Conference USA Quarterfinals
6:30 p.m. (ET) – #4 seed Kennesaw State (18-13, 10-8 CUSA) vs #5 seed New Mexico State (17-14, 10-8 CUSA)
Location: Huntsville, Ala. | Propst Arena (9,000)
TV: ESPN+ (Matt Warner, Paul Nazigian, Annie Cory)
Radio: KSU Owl Network (Nolan Alexander, Brandon Johnson)
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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Kennesaw State opens play in its first-ever Conference USA Men's Basketball Tournament appearance with a quarterfinal matchup on Thursday night, as the fourth-seeded Owls will face off against fifth-seed New Mexico State. This year's tournament is being hosted in Propst Arena in Huntsville, Ala., and Thursday's contest will tip off at 6:30 p.m. (ET). It will be streamed live on ESPN+.
A FEW NOTES
♦ The Owls are one of the hottest teams in the league, coming off back-to-back road victories at a pair of first-place teams in Liberty (March 2) and Jacksonville State (March 8).
♦ KSU split the two meetings during the season with their quarterfinal opponent, rallying for a win on the road before dropping a Senior Day contest on Feb. 22. The 49 points the Owls scored in that loss marked the only time the Owls have been held under 50 points in the past two years.
♦ A huge difference for Kennesaw State this year is its work on the defensive side. A year ago, the Owls ranked 186th in field goal percentage defense and 263rd in three-point percentage defense. KSU has made a complete turnaround in 2024-25, ranking 44th in the nation in field goal defense at 41.1%, which is also fourth in Conference USA.
♦ KSU has been pounding the boards this season, as the Owls currently rank eighth in the nation in rebounding at 40.7 per game, which paces Conference USA. They are also 18th in rebound margin at +6.5, also the top mark in the league.
♦ This week's tournament is a homecoming for second-year head coach Antoine Pettway, who after his career at Alabama played the 2004-05 season in the NBA G League for the Huntsville Flight.
