KENNESAW'S NEW NORMAL

Let's make a promise that we won't think about Rutgers in 2040.

We reminisced about the home upset over Georgia Tech for more than a decade while we waited on Kennesaw’s next high-major moment. I don’t think we’ll talk about this win for nearly as long.

That’s not meant to downplay knocking off Rutgers, a Top 25 Big Ten team featuring a couple lottery picks. A special upset earned the new-look Owls deserved national headlines, a rowdy locker room celebration, and a few more Conference USA weekly honors. It’s more of a compliment to Antoine Pettway and the trajectory of Kennesaw State that nothing on the court seemed out of the ordinary.

If you look past the game’s novelty - media spotlight, sellout crowd, the idea of a power conference team visiting the Convocation Center in the first place - the only shocking part was how routine the game felt.

Kennesaw led for 33 minutes and pushed the advantage as high as 21 points, despite an offensive performance that didn’t come close to their ceiling. Nothing fluky was required to take down the Scarlet Knights, starring hyped freshmen Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, even with multiple 10-0 second-half runs for the visitors and complete chaos down the stretch. Pettway’s own heralded newcomers, freshmen and transfers alike, passed the test against the high-major competition.

“People may have been looking over us,” Jamil Miller said after his team-high 16 points and 10 boards. “We’ve been waiting for that.”

We didn’t walk out of the Convocation Center wondering what just happened or trying to figure out how the Owls pulled off a miracle. We started thinking about what comes next for a program on the rise.

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KEY MOMENT: Rongie Gordon knocked down both free throws to push the lead to four with :27 to play. They don’t make many guys like Rongie, and you can tell how much he means to this team just by listening to Pettway talk about his “junkyard dog.”

Narrowly finishing second: Rutgers guard PJ Hayes attempting to shush the student section after hitting a massive three that … sorry, checking my notes here … cut Kennesaw’s lead to 14. A live action Chris Paul meme on display.

PETTWAY SAYS: “These are the moments you pray for. These are the moments you work for. Why would you be afraid? … Let’s kick their tails. We’re going to have fun doing it.”

Pettway’s postgame interviews are so refreshing after this football season. We’re not complaining about resources, talking about five-year plans, or treating CUSA’s weird scheduling quirks like a prison sentence.

One of my favorite words of wisdom from Pettway (working title: PettSmarts) shows up when he really gets going in these pressers. In his view, there are two levels of trying to stop your opponent: Regular ol’ defense, and then there’s guarding. Preferably said with as heavy a southwest Alabama accent as possible.

Pettway’s main objective: “We gotta be nasty on the defensive end.” Mission accomplished, for the most part. There was a whole lot of guarding on Sunday while the Owls held Rutgers to 39% from the field and a season-low in points per possession. KSU’s 7 blocked shots were also the most by a Rutgers opponent so far this season.

Take a look at the shot chart for the Scarlet Knights: 45.5 effective FG%, 32% from deep, and 3-17 on two-point FGs away from the rim. You love to see all those blue dots where Kennesaw prevented dribble penetration and forced a season high in mid-range jumper attempts (11).

Shot charts via CBB Analytics.

A rotating cast of Owls defenders matched up against the 6’10” Bailey, who needed 17 shots and a couple FTs for his 17 points. Wooley, Lue, Sherman, and Miller all started multiple possessions as Bailey’s primary defender, throwing a ton of different looks his way. Basically everyone except Cottle and Weir took a turn, with Wooley drawing the assignment most often before his foul trouble played a factor.

You saw flashes of the superstar freshman’s quality, but even the routine stuff didn’t come easy in the McEachern grad’s Cobb County homecoming. One shining example from a sequence midway through the first half: Bailey couldn’t get past Miller, tried to step back and lost the ball in the process, with the Owls wing diving on the floor for the steal. Chaos at the other end resulted in a 3-on-1 Rutgers break coming back, but Wooley got there in time to take the charge from Bailey. Two possessions, two turnovers, and a whistle that forced the Rutgers star to the bench with two early fouls.

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One aspect of the reloaded Owls that still feels a little weird: Someone other than Terrell Burden runs the show on offense now. With RJ Johnson sidelined for the year, Wooley slotted right into the starting lineup from Day 1, taking over as the primary point guard paired with Simeon Cottle in the backcourt.

How’s the new tag team looking so far? Much, much better than you could reasonably expect after losing an all-time great and handing the keys to a true freshman. Here are the numbers with both Cottle and Wooley on the court together:

• 181 offensive possessions, 95 minutes

• +22 Net Rating - 127.4 offense, 105.4 defense

• 58.3 eFG%, 44.7% opponents eFG%

• 54.1 FTA rate

• 46.6 three-point attempt rate

• True Shooting: 65%

Against D1 competition, the Owls have only played 3 minutes all season without at least one of them on the floor. Kennesaw’s Net Rating dips to +1.7 when it’s just Cottle, and down to -17.4 when it’s Wooley. Hey moron, of course the team plays better when its two best guards share the court. Excellent point, except that’s not what the numbers showed last year.

• Cottle/Terrell Burden together: -4.2 Net Rating

• Burden on, Cottle off: +0.6

• Cottle on, Burden off: +0.3

In context: the Cottle/Wooley pairing has been 26 points per 100 possessions better than Cottle/Burden during last season. That improvement is fueled by double digit jumps on both sides of the court and cutting 12% off the opponents’ eFG percentage. Burden’s status as a future Kennesaw Hall of Famer is unimpeachable, but Wooley - with his size, ability to play either guard spot, and defensive versatility - fits much better as Cottle’s backcourt partner. It shouldn’t be this simple to replace the greatest player in school history, even with heavy asterisks on the limited sample size.

Wooley found himself in foul trouble against Rutgers that limited his second-half playing time after he picked up his fourth with 16:40 to play, in the backcourt following an Owls turnover. “I was begging the ref, like change the foul to somebody else,” Pettway joked postgame. Nobody else was around, he admitted, but it was worth a shot. Wooley finished with 10 points, 7 assist, and 3 steals, one of which sealed the game when he picked off Bailey’s cross-court pass on the final possession.

A few other thoughts from the notebook:

• Could Wooley or Miller come close to triple-double territory this season? It doesn’t get much more efficient than Miller’s Sunday afternoon: 6 of 7 from the field for 16 points, 10 boards, and no fouls. Watching his NFL punter hangtime on threes is almost as enjoyable as the highlight reel dunks.

• That’s the version of Andre Weir the Owls need to see this season. Five offensive boards for the FGCU transfer, all of which turned into second-chance points. 4 of Weir’s points and all 3 of his assists came on possessions that he extended with a rebound. Big test to come for him against UC Irvine this week.

• Pettway likes to mix in that 1-3-1 zone, and he brought it out for a few second-half possessions with Lue (and then Sherman) at the top of the zone, and Miller on the baseline. They forced a rushed shot on one trip, and a throwaway from Bailey on another, though Rutgers managed to solve it for a couple baskets. Pettway’s personnel could make the zone a nice change-of-pace, especially in conference play.

• A brave take here: Kennesaw’s results might not be sustainable if they continue to rank outside the top 350 in both turnover and steal percentage (23.2% and 15%, respectively). That’s the clear stat drop-off from last season, but we’re in the early, early days of a rebuilt roster with a true freshman point guard. No need for the panic button just yet.

UP NEXT - THE WORLD FAMOUS WESTERN SLAM

Does Visit Lethbridge dot com know ball? Sure seems that way. For some unknown reason, the tourism board of the fourth-biggest city in Alberta decided to host a multi-team event of American colleges, give it a pro wrestling PPV name, and invite a mid-major field that could be a hidden gem of Feast Week. The four participants bring a combined record of 18-4 and every team is ranked in KenPom’s top 160.

(please don’t ask which team is lowest)

UC Irvine - Thursday, 11/28

What to know: The Big West preseason favorites return four starters from an NIT team and feature a top 50 defense. Anteaters center Bent Leuchten hails from Germany, is listed at 7’1” and has a Zach Edey-esque 30% usage rate. Most power ratings would rank them as the best opponent on the Owls’ schedule, even ahead of Rutgers.

KenPom pick: UCI 83, Owls 74

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Towson - Friday, 11/29

What to know: Another team picked to win their league, Towson ranks 7th in the nation in roster continuity, bringing back 68.8% of minutes after reaching the CAA semis in the program’s third-straight 20-win season. Not good on offense, play at a painfully slow tempo, and have given up 70 points once all season. Fun times.

KenPom pick: Towson 75, Owls 74

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Kent State - Saturday, 11/30

What to know: Hard to overstate how unwatchable the finale could be. You’re looking at the third game in as many days, both teams foul - and get to the line - a ton, and the Golden Flashes barely play faster than Towson. A small team that uses a couple guards around 6’0, a couple 6’5” wings including leading scorer VonCameron Davis, and their center Cli’Ron Hornbeak. Love the matchup here, if we’re being honest.

KenPom pick: Other KSU 77, Owls 75