One of the biggest games in the history of Kennesaw State Men’s Basketball will tip off Thursday evening.
When: Thursday, February 16
Time: 7 p.m. (ET) – Kennesaw State (20-7, 12-2 ASUN) vs. Liberty (21-6, 12-2 ASUN)
Location: Kennesaw, Ga. | Convocation Center (4,600)
Kennesaw State and Liberty finally meet for the first time this season as the top men’s basketball teams in the ASUN battle for sole possession of first place on Thursday night at 7 p.m. in the Convocation Center.
It’s a Gold Rush night for KSU, as all Owl fans are encouraged to wear Gold to the game while the first 1,000 fans will receive a free KSU Gold Rush T-shirt.
From Coach Amir-Abdur-Rahim:
“Anytime as a coach you have an opportunity to win 20 games, it’s special. The regular season is unbelievably hard, it tests you, it challenges you. To be able to sit here and be able to say we won 20 games for the first time in school history, it’s special. Really excited for President Schwaig and our administration, because these are people that have poured their heart and soul into this university and to be to give back means the world to me.”
Coach also explained after last Saturday’s victory, that “We are a year ahead of where I thought we would be.”
Notes:
– In what is the first meeting in the regular season between 20-win teams in the ASUN since 2019, KSU (20-7 overall) and Liberty (21-6) both come into the contest with 12-2 records in league play.
– Thursday’s winner will have the inside track on the No. 1 seed in the ASUN Tournament, as they will have a two-game lead with just three games to go in the regular season thanks to the tiebreaker with this being the only regular season matchup for the two front-runners.
– The Owls are one of 16 teams in the nation that are undefeated at home this season, while KSU’s 13-game home win streak is currently tied for the 10th-longest in the nation. Liberty meanwhile is just 4-4 on the road this year, and is looking for its first road win at a top-200 NET team.
– This is the first meeting between the two since a 100-93 overtime loss for KSU to end the 2021-22 regular season in Lynchburg.
– KSU is showing it’s learned how to finish games this season, as the Owls are 5-3 in one-possession games after having gone 1-10 in the previous three years combined.
– Through the first 12 games of the ASUN schedule, the Owls have been one of the top offensive teams in the conference. In ASUN games only, KSU currently ranks second in field goal percentage (47.5%), scoring (78.4 ppg), assists (15.1 apg) and scoring margin (+7.4).
If coming out to Kennesaw, get there early.