Welcome back to the Morning Hootaround, a gameday newsletter about Kennesaw State Owls basketball. Today, we’re taking another look at the action from Ft. Myers, where sources deep inside Alico Arena tell me you can still hear the echos of Antoine Pettway yelling “GET YOUR ASS BACK.”
Only posting this graphic because the logo rules.
Player of the game: Braedan Lue
Sort of by default, thanks to some other performances, but we saw a much-needed bump in production from the sophomore on Tuesday. Lue scored 17 points after only racking up 18 total in KSU’s first three D1 matchups. That came on 60% from the field and 5/6 from the FT line. Nine boards and a couple assists filled out his box score.
Key moment:
Oral Roberts went on an 11-0 run with about 5 minutes to play, starting with this three ball from Connor Dow - one of four that the Oklahoma State transfer hit in the second half. Turner knocked one down over Washington in the corner on the next trip down the court, giving ORU the lead for good. KSU trailed 78-74 at the final media timeout and couldn't come any closer than that during the final stretch, which also included some live-action mopping.
That moment was a great reminder to not overreact to anything that happens at Coconut Hoops. Oh, you’re mad the Owls took a 30-spot free fall in KenPom after losing to the 9th place Summit League team? Brother, Oral Roberts shot 150% from three and a guy was out there setting ball screens with a mop. Turnovers and overcooked layups bothered you? Players for the night games are entering through the crowd like The Shield. Let’s see what happens against FGCU and in the next homestand before making any harsh judgements.
Pettway says: TBA, unfortunately.
Kennesaw did not release any postgame comments. One side effect of a completely dead MTE gym: You can hear exactly how pissed off Pettway is on the sideline. Will be very interesting to get Pettway’s take next week when the Owls are back in Kennesaw (Tuesday against Jackson State, Friday vs. Georgia State).
Three stats that matter:
Oral Roberts shot 61.9% from three. Any analytic reading of the game can probably start and end there. ORU doubled up Kennesaw from long-range and hit at a 66.7% clip in the second half. Non-Cottle guards went 1/9 from beyond the arc for the Owls. Killed by our own sword, sadly.
Shot chart via CBB Analytics
KSU: 25.9% assist rate. Only 7 assists on 27 made FGs for the Owls, which might be more of a shot-making problem than one about shot creation. Still, Pettway’s four guards combined for 4 on the night, and RJ Johnson not getting a single assist on a 28.7% usage rate seems a little problematic. I’m keeping an eye on Perry Smith and his 14.6% rate for the season, though — his previous career high is 4.5%. We’re seeing a little bit of a playmaking spark from NCCU transfer big so far this season. If that continues, it’s a welcome sight in replacing Rongie Gordon’s underrated ability as a secondary facilitator.
KSU’s two-foul participation on the season: 5.0%. That ranks 314th nationally, a massive dip from averages of 32.5% and 29.8% in Pettway’s first two seasons. Via KenPom, KSU has only used players with two 1H fouls for a total of 1:17 this season. Tuesday’s referees kept a pretty tight whistle, except on some comical uncalled moving screens from ORU’s Baron Smith. Cottle spent the final six minutes and change of the first half on the bench after picking his second, then sat for another chunk of the 2H with his third. Probably sample size related/playing in to pre-planned minute limits, but worth watching in coming weeks with how much this team has been fouling.
Up next: FGCU
7 PM ET | FloSports | Alico Arena (Ft. Myers, FL)
What are the two best words in sports? Game Three.
…of the Tarpon Bay Division at the GEICO Coconut Hoops. Kennesaw meets up with an old ASUN foe tonight in the closeout game of the event. Picked #4 in the ASUN’s preseason poll, Pat Chambers' squad started the season 5-2 and already took over the league’s top spot in most power ratings. Helps when EKU is free falling, I suppose. Last night, the Eagles didn’t lead once during regulation against Rice and still won the game by 15 in OT. Quite an unfortunate week for the other Owls. FGCU also played with their food a bit on Monday against Oral Roberts, but ended up with a four-point win on the home floor.
Let’s see how Rickard and Washington stack up against FGCU’s Jordan Ellerbee, another bigger freshman guard who’s averaging 13.9 points per game on 50/40/92 shooting splits. Ellerbee dropped 20 against Rice last night, including a mid-range jumper that sent it to OT.
Projections
KenPom: FGCU 85, KSU 80
Bart Torvik: FGCU 80, KSU 78
EvanMiya: FGCU 82.8, KSU 77.9
Vegas: FGCU -3 (this one might keep moving)
Player to watch: Notre Damę transfer JR Konieczny (wing, #20). After three seasons in South Bend, Konieczny joined the Eagles and has taken the bulk of the shooting volume. He’s averaging 17 points, plus posting some solid rebounding numbers on the defensive end (20.7 DR rate). Konieczny has scored at least 19 in all but two games this season. Rory Stewart gives FGCU another capable 3P option (38.2%) at forward and can give FGCU some minutes at 4 or 5.
Key stat: FGCU opponents are getting 82.4% of FGA via Rim or 3. That’s 15th most in the entire country on the exact shot diet Pettway wants to see from the Owls. Whether or the Owls will convert when they get there is another story.
Overcooked layups galore on Tuesday, even if the rim numbers were around D1 average.
For the rest, let’s turn it over to the CBB Analytics overview:
What else to watch today
12 PM, ESPN — Western Kentucky vs. #24 Vanderbilt: Hank Plona’s Hilltoppers have jumped 50 spots in KenPom since the season opened. None of WKU’s opponents so far currently rank in the top 200, though. Big test in Atlantis. Terrion Murdix vs. Tyler Tanner is a matchup to watch at PG.
2:30 PM, ESPNU — Liberty vs. Bradley: Down at the Wide World of Sports, the Flames will look to rebound from their first loss of the season. Bradley will use three different players of at least 6-10, including Kai Yu, a former Flame and one of two seven-footers on the Braves’ roster. If a Zach Cleveland assist prop existed, I would smash the over.
3 PM, FloSports — Georgia State vs. New Mexico State: You might as well use that Flo subscription to scout next Friday’s opponents. If not, here’s a quick rundown: Bad. Georgia State opened the morning as 10.5 point underdogs in Cancun and hasn’t beaten a D1 opponent all year. Average margin of defeat: 19 points. Yikes.
