Liberty (14-7, 5-1) vs. Kennesaw State (9-11, 4-3)
Kennesaw, Georgia – KSU Convocation Center (Capacity: 4,600)
Monday, Jan. 31, 7:00 p.m.
ESPN+
Last Meeting: Liberty won all three games last season, including a 69-59 win in ASUN Quarterfinals
Series History: Liberty leads 7-0
Projected LU Starters:
2 Darius McGhee (Sr., 5-9, 150) – 22.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.0 apg
23 Joseph Venzant (Fr., 6-3, 170) – 4.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 0.6 apg
20 Keegan McDowell (R-Sr., 6-6, 180) – 10.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.9 apg
22 Kyle Rode (Jr., 6-7, 220) – 6.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 4.1 apg
33 Shiloh Robinson (R-Jr., 6-7, 200) – 10.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.0 apg
Projected Kennesaw State Starters:
1 Terrell Burden (Jr., 5-10, 170) – 12.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 4.5 apg
22 Spencer Rodgers (Sr., 6-4, 188) – 10.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.5 apg
3 Chris Youngblood (So., 6-4, 218) – 13.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.2 apg
5 Brandon Stroud (So., 6-6, 200) – 5.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.4 apg
0 Demond Robinson (Jr., 6-8, 260) – 8.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 0.6 apg
PREVIEW
Hopefully the third time is a charm as the Flames and Owls have been scheduled to play each other for the first time this season on two previous occasions but each was wiped out due to COVID protocols. Now, Liberty and Kennesaw State will meet in Georgia on Monday night.
After opening ASUN play with three straight wins, blowing out FGCU (77-53) and Stetson (77-49) before narrowly escaping at North Florida, 62-60, the Owls have hit a rough patch over the past couple of weeks. KSU has dropped three out of four games, losing at Lipscomb and at home to Jacksonville State and North Alabama. Their lone win during this stretch was at home against Jacksonville.
Behind third year head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, the Owls have begun to make progress from being one of the worst Division I programs in the country. They lost all 16 ASUN games during his first year as head coach and picked up two conference wins a season ago. This year, KSU was picked to finish 11th in the 12-team ASUN in the preseason Coaches Poll.
Abdur-Rahim brought in a very talented recruiting class his first year at Kennesaw, a class that was ranked in the top 70 nationally and as the best in the conference. Chris Youngblood and Brandon Stroud highlighted the class and are now helping to lead the team as sophomores. Spencer Rodgers, a JUCO transfer, also joined the team as part of that class and provides a talented wing scorer.
“Impressive, but we knew it,” Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay said of the Owls. “We knew it last year. We played them twice (at Liberty Arena). Both were tough games. We played them in the tournament, it was a tough game. They’ve gotten experienced, confident, tough from the last time we played them. High level respect for what (head coach) Amir (Abdur-Rahim) and his staff are doing. That is going to be a huge challenge.”
KENPOM PREDICTION
Liberty 71, Kennesaw State 67
