ABILENE, Texas — ACU will hit the road for the first time this season on Wednesday as they head to Kennesaw, Georgia for a game against the Kennesaw State Owls.
This game marks the first two times that the Wildcats and the Owls will face off in both program's history. Both teams are hoping to extend their 3-1 record to 4-1. The Owls are also a top mid-major opponent for ACU, hailing from Conference USA. A win would mark the second time ACU defeated a team from Conference USA in two seasons, with the first win coming against UTEP last season.
The game on Wednesday, November 20 is set to begin at 6 p.m., with the game also airing on ESPN+ and 101.7 FM, The Patriot. If fans can't watch the game in person or stream it, fans can follow the game on X, Facebook, Instagram or acusports.com.
ACU STORYLINES:
LAST GAME: The Wildcats earned their first win against a Group of Five school on Saturday in a 72-60 win over Texas State. ACU went on several runs and held the seventh preseason-ranked Sun Belt Conference team to 0-7 shooting to end the game. The 'Cats finished the game shooting 49 percent from the field and shot a season-best 61.5 from the 3-point line to get the 12-point win.
ROAD WARRIORS: The Wildcats will hit the road for six straight games, with the team not returning to play inside Moody Coliseum until December 14. The road trip will include the game against Kennesaw State, and five other games including Southern Mississippi and Montana State at the Basketball Travelers Invitational, Omaha, New Mexico State and the No. 13 team in the nation, Baylor.
MASTERS OF BOARDS: ACU sits among the best of the best in terms of rebounding this season. The Wildcats are eleventh in the nation averaging 46.3 rebounds per game. To step up a notch, ACU currently has the third-best rebounding margin in all of Div. I, having a +18.0 rebounding margin this season.
POWER FIVE IMPACT: Junior guard and Oklahoma State transfer Quion Williams has crashed onto the scene and has made a huge impact for the Wildcats. Williams currently leads the team with 13.8 points per game while shooting 55.6 percent from the field. He also averages a second-best 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
MADDEN FOR THREE: After struggling in shooting at the start of the season, senior guard Hunter Jack Madden found his stride on Saturday against Texas State. Hunter Jack Madden finished the game with a game-high and personal season-high 23 points while shooting 64 percent from the field and 75 percent from the 3-point line. Madden also added four assists, four rebounds and one steal.
History with Kennesaw State
- This game is the first matchup in series history
Scouting the Owls
- Kennesaw State is 3-1 so far this season, with three home wins against Toccoa Falls, Bryan College and Presbyterian. The only loss of the season for the Owls came on Nov. 9 when they went on the road to play California Baptist, where they fell 84-88.
- Head coach Antoine Pettway is in his second season as head coach of Kennesaw State. Before coaching at KSU, Pettway was a longtime assistant at Alabama.
- The Owls are one of the top rebounding teams in the country alongside ACU. The Owls are third in the nation averaging 50.5 rebounds per game and are 12th in the nation with a +14.5 rebounding margin.
- Junior guard Simeon Cottle leads the team averaging 18 points, four assists and 2.5 rebounds per game.
- Two other members of the Kennesaw State roster average in double digits. Freshman guard Adrian Wooley averages 14.8 points per game while freshman forward Braedan Lue averages 13.5 points and a team-best 8.3 rebounds per game.
#BeDifferent #GoWildcats
