Game Day Essentials:
Kennesaw St. (8-4) at No. 18 Indiana (9-3)
- Tip Time: 7:00 p.m. Eastern
- Location: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222), Bloomington, Indiana
- Television: BTN (Matt Schumacker, Jess Settles)
- Stream: Fox Sports
- IU Radio Network: IU Radio Network
- Point Spread: Indiana is a 20-point favorite
- KenPom Projected Score: No. 18 Indiana 81 No. 214 Kennesaw St. 62
- Series: Indiana leads 2-0. IU won the last meeting 99-72 on Dec. 22, 2015
Kennesaw State’s Amir Abdur-Rahim:
Amir Abdur-Rahim is in his fourth season as the head coach at Kennesaw State and signed a contract extension following the 2021-22 season that will keep him through the 2026-27 campaign.
Abdur-Rahim received the extension after leading the Owls to a 13-18 overall record this past season. The 13 victories more than doubled the total number of wins from the previous two seasons combined, while the team’s 7-9 conference mark was also more than double the Owls’ ASUN win total in that two-year period as well.
The Owls finished one game behind the all-time season win record at the Division I level and had their highest-ever finish in both the KenPom (223) and NET (224) rankings.
Prior to arriving at Kennesaw State, Abdur-Rahim was an assistant at four different colleges; Murray State, College of Charleston, Texas A&M and Georgia. He was also a director of player development at Georgia Tech for one season.
His older brother Shareef was a 13-year NBA veteran and is now the President of the NBA’s G-League.
Kennesaw State’s results and roster:
Kennesaw State is off to an 8-4 start this season. They have played two teams in the top 51 on KenPom, No. 51 Florida and No. 26 San Diego State.
They lost 88-78 at Florida and 88-54 at San Diego State.
The Owls also played KenPom No. 106 VCU, falling 64-61 on the road. Their lone win over a KenPom top-100 team came against No. 166 Mercer on the road.
The Owls have already set numerous program firsts this season including:
– Most non-conference road wins (three).
– First-ever non-conference winning season (currently 8-4).
– Most wins as a Division I program before January 1 (eight, old record was five).
– Most wins over DI teams before January 1 (currently at five, old record was four).
No. 214 Kennesaw State’s 2022-23 KenPom Highlights:
Tempo – No. 192 (Offense No. 147 / Defense No. 177)
Offensive Efficiency – No. 215
- Kennesaw State’s effective field goal percentage of 50.3 percent is No. 163 nationally. They are No. 317 nationally in two-point percentage (44.7) and rank No. 14 in three-point percentage (39.5).
- The Owls get to the foul line at a decent rate, with free throws accounting for 36.3 percent of field goal attempts (No. 63). However, they aren’t the best at cashing in, making just 62.4 percent of free throws (No. 342).
- Although Kennesaw State is a good three-point shooting team, they don’t shoot a ton of them. Three-point attempts account for just 38.8 percent of their field goal attempts, No. 159.
- The Owls turn it over a lot. Their 20.7 percent turnover rate comes in at No. 274, and their 10.9 percent steals allowed rate is No. 296.
Defensive Efficiency – No. 208
- Kennesaw State ranks No. 301 in overall opponent effective field goal percentage (53.9), including No. 282 in three-point percentage (36.2) and No. 291 in two-point percentage (53.7).
- The Owls are active defensively, turning opponents over on 21.1 percent of possessions (No. 70).
- Defensive rebounding is a strength, as they allow teams to get offensive rebounds on just 24.3 percent of possessions, No. 40.
- Teams get to the free throw line a lot against Kennesaw State, with free throw attempts at 42.4 percent of opposing field goal attempts — No. 338.
Note: Kennesaw State has the highest minutes continuity in the country, year-over-year.
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