By: Mark Wasik
Saturday, March 7
4 p.m. (ET) – Kennesaw State (18-12, 10-9 CUSA) at New Mexico State (14-15, 7-12 CUSA)
Location: Las Cruces, N.M. | Pan American Center (12,572)
TV: ESPN+ (Adam Young, Rus Bradburd)
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KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State men's basketball ends the regular season on Saturday afternoon with a 4 p.m. (ET) contest at New Mexico State in Las Cruces. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
A FEW NOTES
♦ Both Kennesaw State and New Mexico State have a lot on the line when the teams face off in what will be the last game of the day on the final day of the Conference USA regular season. A win for KSU would clinch a first-round bye in next week's CUSA Tournament, though either a Jax State or a Middle Tennessee loss on Saturday would also seal a top-six seed for the Owls. A win would also keep alive KSU's hopes for a third seed. NM State meanwhile is in a three-way tie for the final tournament spot, and needs a win to clinch their berth.
♦ 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 14.2 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).
♦ It's also been a strong year defensively for the Owls as well, currently 34th in the nation in field goal defense at 40.9%. 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 12th in the nation in blocks per game at 5.4. Key to that has been Braedan Lue and Trey Simpson, one of just 20 duos in the nation with at least 38 total blocks each this season.
