To open their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament, Kennesaw State Men’s Basketball will travel to Greensboro, North Carolina to face the Xavier Musketeers of the Big East conference.
The Musketeers come in as a third seed and boast a proud basketball tradition, having qualified for 29 NCAA Tournaments that have included eight sweet 16 appearances.
The Musketeers are coached by the highly touted Sean Miller, who is in the first season of his second stint as the Xavier head Men’s Basketball coach. In 18 years of coaching at Xavier and Arizona, Miller holds an impressive winning percentage of .730.
The Owls will have to contain Musketeers Senior Guard Souley Boum who leads the team averaging 16.5 points per game on 45% shooting from the field. Guards Adam Kunkel and Colby Jones also have the ability to heat up, averaging double figures for Xavier.
With the Owls’ lack of size, a point of emphasis will certainly be Musketeers’ big man, Jack Nunge, who has been a force in the paint and from beyond the 3-point line all season. Nunge towers over the entire Kennesaw State Roster at 6’11.
Both Kennesaw State and Xavier rank within the top 80 teams in the country in field goal percentage, so it is safe to say that a high-scoring game is to be expected.
Both squads are also lights out from beyond the arc, with the Owls ranking 52nd in the nation in 3-point percentage and the Musketeers sitting at a staggering second.
By playing on Friday rather than Thursday, both teams will benefit from having an extra day of practice in preparation for what is expected to be a physical matchup.
“You get two real prep days before you get on that bus Wednesday,” Head Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim said regarding the extra day of preparation. “When you get there, things are moving really fast, and you get a chance to prep. But to have their minds focused for two days at home will make a world of a difference.”
Like the Owls, Miller’s Musketeers hang their hats on their discipline and consistency. “His teams are well coached and disciplined, they aren’t gonna beat themselves,” Abdur-Rahim remarked. “The best part about us is that we’ve created that discipline within our program to where we won’t beat ourselves, we’ll take care of the ball and make our free throws, especially when they count.”
Regardless of the outcome, the 2022-23 KSU Men’s basketball team will be one that won’t soon be forgotten. The Owls have shattered nearly every possible school record this season and gained more national notoriety than any group that has come before them.
The Owls will look to extend their historic season by pulling the monumental upset on Friday, March 17 at 12:40 pm in the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina. The game will also be broadcasted on TruTv for Owls students and fans alike who are unable to attend in person.
Owls also have the option of attending the Watch Party that will be held at the KSU Convocation Center from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. KSU will be having giveaways for the first 200 students attending the Watch Party.
