CUSA Semifinal Preview: Owls vs Flames Round 3

By: Mark Wasik

Friday, March 14

Convention USA Semifinals

12:30 p.m. (ET) – #4 seed Kennesaw State (19-13, 10-8 CUSA) vs #1 seed Liberty (26-6, 13-5 CUSA)

Location: Huntsville, Ala. | Propst Enviornment (9,000)

TV: CBS Sports activities Community (John Sadak, Michael O’Donnell, Tiffany Blackmon)

Radio: KSU Owl Community (Nolan Alexander, Brandon Johnson)

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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Kennesaw State is about for its first look within the Convention USA semifinals, because the fourth-seeded Owls face top-seed Liberty on Friday. This 12 months’s match is being hosted in Propst Enviornment in Huntsville, Ala., and Friday’s contest will tip off on the CBS Sports activities Community at 12:30 p.m. (ET).

A FEW NOTES

KSU has simply 16 hours inbetween Thursday evening’s thrilling 80-77 victory over fifth-seed New Mexico State earlier than dealing with the Flames.

The groups cut up the common season, and each video games have been additionally televised on CBS Sports activities Community, with every workforce successful on the opposite’s residence court docket.

That is the third assembly in convention match play between the 2 groups. KSU fell to top-seed Liberty within the 2021 Atlantic Solar Event in Jacksonville, and two years later topped the Flames 67-66 to win its first-ever convention match title in Ken

An enormous distinction for Kennesaw State this 12 months is its work on the defensive facet. A 12 months in the past, the Owls ranked 186th in subject aim proportion protection and 263rd in three-point proportion protection. KSU has made a whole turnaround in 2024-25, rating forty ninth within the nation in subject aim protection at 41.2%, which can also be fifth in Convention USA.

KSU has been pounding the boards this season, because the Owls presently rank ninth within the nation in rebounding at 40.6 per recreation, which paces Convention USA. They’re additionally twentieth in rebound margin at +6.5, additionally the highest mark within the league.

This week’s match is a homecoming for second-year head coach Antoine Pettway, who after his profession at Alabama performed the 2004-05 season within the NBA G League for the Huntsville Flight.