By: Mark Wasik
Thursday, March 12
CUSA Quarterfinals
9 p.m. (ET) – #6 seed Kennesaw St (18-13, 10-10 CUSA) vs #3 seed Western Kentucky (18-13, 11-9 CUSA)
Location: Huntsville, Ala. | VBC Propst Arena (9,000)
TV: ESPN+ (Matt Warner, Paul Nazigian, Lexi Bowden)
Radio: KSU Owl Network (Nolan Alexander/Brandon Johnson)
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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Kennesaw State men's basketball opens action in the 2026 Air National Guard CUSA Championships on Thursday night, as the sixth-seeded Owls will face third-seed Western Kentucky at 9 p.m. (ET) in Propst Arena on ESPN+. The winner will advance to Friday's semifinal round.
A FEW NOTES
♦ KSU swept the regular season series between the two teams, and have a three-game win streak against the Hilltoppers in the all-time series. The Owls are now looking to claim three wins over an opponent in the same season for the first time in school history (D1 era).
♦ 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.
♦ KSU ranks sixth in the nation in offensive rebounds at 14.1 ppg. Only one CUSA team has finished in the top six in offensive rebounds since 2013-14 (2022-23 UAB - 5th at 13.5 rpg).
♦ One sign of the Owls' improved defensive play has been inside the post, as KSU currently leads CUSA and is 12th in the nation in blocks per game at 5.4. Key to that has been Braedan Lue and Trey Simpson, one of just 22 duos in the nation with at least 38 total blocks each this season.
♦ This week's tournament is a homecoming for several Owls, as third-year head coach Antoine Pettway played the 2024-25 season in the NBA G League for the Huntsville Flight, while guard RJ Johnson is a native of Huntsville, and Kaden Rickard is from nearby Madison.
