By: Mark Wasik
Thursday, February 12
6:30 p.m. – Kennesaw State (14-9, 6-6 CUSA) vs Middle Tennessee 11-12, 5-7 CUSA)
Location: Kennesaw, Ga. | VyStar Arena (3,805)
TV: CBS Sports Network (Chris Lewis, John Henson)
Radio: KSU Owl Network Nolan Alexander, Brandon Johnson
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KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State men's basketball hosts Middle Tennessee on national TV on Thursday night, as the Owls will tip off at 6:30 p.m. on the CBS Sports Network against the Blue Raiders in VyStar Arena. All fans are being encouraged to wear white to the game, and the first 500 KSU students will receive a free KSU white T-Shirt.
A FEW NOTES
♦ This is also the fourth-ever nationally televised game from VyStar Arena, all of which have come in the past four seasons.
♦ The Owls are looking for their first-ever win over Middle Tennessee, but it's been a tight series since KSU joined Conference USA a season ago. The past three games have been decided by just seven points total, including a pair of one-point contests, as MTSU escaped with a 68-67 win in Murfreesboro in the league opener for both teams in December.
♦ The current Kennesaw State starting lineup is an oddity in today's college basketball world, as there is not a single senior or transfer player in the starting five, the only team in CUSA with such a lineup. KSU will start a pair of first-year players, two sophomores, and a junior, all recruited to the Black and Gold as freshmen.
♦ It's also been a strong year defensively for the Owls as well, currently 20th in the nation in field goal defense at 39.6%. The school record for best field goal defense in a season was set a year ago, as the 2024-25 squad limited teams to 41.4% from the floor.
♦ One sign of the Owls' improved defensive play has been inside the post, as KSU currently leads CUSA and is 10th in the nation in blocks per game at 5.7. Key to that has been Braedan Lue and Trey Simpson, one of just 15 duos in the nation with at least 31 total blocks each this season.
