Kennesaw State draws Xavier in tourney debut
KENNESAW — Now, it seems real. It had been a full week since Kennesaw State defeated Liberty to win the ASUN Conference tournament title and earned a spot in this year’s NCAA Tournament
On Sunday, the wait came to an end. The Owls (26-8) earned the No. 14 seed of the Midwest Region and will face third-seeded Xavier on Friday in Greensboro, North Carolina. Tipoff is set for 12:40 p.m. on TRUTV.
The winner will advance to play either sixth-seeded Iowa State or the No. 11 seed — the winner of a First Four game between Mississippi State and Pittsburgh.
“It hasn’t felt real until now,” said Kennesaw State point guard Terrell Burden, a former Campbell High School star, “but being here, watching our name up on the board made it real.”
Xavier (25-9), which lost to Marquette in the Big East Conference title game, is one of the highest-scoring teams in college basketball, averaging 84.1 points per game, but Kennesaw State coach Amir Abdur-rahim said he knows exactly what to expect in the matchup.
“If you know Sean Miller’s teams, you know they are physical and they are going to guard you,” Abdur-rahim said. “His teams are always at the top of the country in defense, and always on top of the country in rebounding.”
Abdur-rahim said he has seen Miller’s teams up close before. Twice as an assistant at Texas A&M, he coached against Miller’s then-arizona teams in early-season showcase tournaments. In 2016 the Aggies played the Wildcats and fell 67-63. A year later, Texas A&M got a point closer but lost 67-64.
While the history with Miller may not have played in Abdur-rahim’s favor, he is still happy about who and where the Owls will be playing as they make their first NCAA Tournament appearance. Greensboro is only 5½ hours from Kennesaw.
“I’m really pleased with a 14-seed, and I like our draw,” Abdur-rahim said. “I’m elated for our university and to now have that visibility on a national stage from now up until Friday and beyond that — now, they’ll know Kennesaw State University.
“We’ll have to be at our best, but we’re excited for the opportunity.”
Higher seeds have had good success recently in the NCAA Tournament.
Just 15th seeded Saint Peter’s made it to the Elite Eight with victories over Kentucky, Murray State and Purdue. In 2021, Abilene Christian, as a 14 seed, knocked off Texas, and in 2019, 13th-seeded UC Irvine beat Kansas State.
Burden, though, said there is another team he is hoping the Owls can follow in the footsteps of.
In 2013, ASUN rival Florida Gulf Coast opened the tournament with a 78-68 win over Georgetown, then followed with an 81-71 victory over San Diego State to become the first No. 15 seed to advance to the Sweet 16.
“They were in a situation like us (making their first trip to the NCAA Tournament),” Burden said. “I feel like history can be rolled again.”
For fans interested in purchasing tickets can visit the NCAA’S official ticketing site at www.ncaatickets.com.