By: Mark Wasik
Wednesday, February 18
8 p.m. (ET) – Kennesaw State (14-11, 6-8 CUSA) at Missouri State (13-12, 7-7 CUSA)
Location: Springfield, Mo. | Great Southern Bank Arena (11,000)
TV: ESPN+ (Tom Ladd, Tom Mast)
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KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State men's basketball is on the road for a Wednesday night contest at Missouri State in Springfield, in a game set for an 8 p.m. (ET) tip on ESPN+.
A FEW NOTES
♦ Wednesday's contest at Missouri State is a key one for the Owls for several reasons, with Kennesaw State first looking to break a three-game losing streak, the last two losses coming in the final minute.
♦ A win over the Bears would also not only put the two teams in a tie in the conference standings, it would also give the Owls a season sweep and a tiebreaker at the end of the season, after KSU claimed a 90-80 home win in Kennesaw last month.
♦ The shorthanded Owls have seen a pair of players step up recently. RJ Johnson is averaging 19.9 points per game over the past 10 games, while Jaden Harris entered the regular-game rotation on Jan. 17, and is posting 7.8 points per game in conference action. Freshman Amir Taylor meanwhile come off the bench to score a career-high 21 points in the contest against Sam Houston.
♦ The Owls are scoring at high rate this season, currently 23rd in the nation at 85.1 points per game, which easily leads Conference USA.
♦ KSU is having another strong year in the boards as well, ranking sixth in the nation in total rebounds per game (42.1 rpg) and 26th in rebound margin (+6.4) in the nation.
♦ One sign of the Owls' improved defensive play has been inside the post, as KSU currently leads CUSA and is 13th in the nation in blocks per game at 5.4. Key to that has been Braedan Lue and Trey Simpson, one of just 17 duos in the nation with at least 32 total blocks each this season.
