The Kennesaw State Owls keep turning heads.
The Owls men’s basketball squad continued its incredible run this season, going from a 1-win team three years ago to ASUN Champions as Terrell Burden sank a free throw with 0.7 seconds on the clock to break a tie game and send the Owls to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the school’s Division I era with a 67-66 victory over Liberty in Sunday’s championship game. It all took place in front of a new KSU Convocation Center record crowd of 3,805.
Along with winning the ASUN tournament for the first-time in school history, the Owls receive the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the school’s first-ever as a Division I program. KSU will find out its first opponent in the Big Dance when this year’s tournament selections are announced on Sunday, March 12 during the selection show on CBS starting at 6 p.m.
Information about a viewing party for KSU, as well as tickets for the NCAA Tournament will be announced soon.
Terrell Burden claimed ASUN Tournament MVP with another outstanding performance against the Flames. Three weeks ago, he scored 16 points in the second half to lead the game-ending run, he again came up big after halftime, scoring 14 of his team-high 19 points. He was 4-of-6 in the final 20 minutes, 7-10 for the game, and made 5-of-7 at the line.
What to know:
-KSU’s 26th victory of the season extends the school record (Division I era) for most wins in a season, as the previous record was 14 in 2016-17. It also surpasses the Owls’ total wins from the previous three seasons combined (19).
-The Owls have now at least doubled their win total in three consecutive seasons, going from one win in 2019-20, to five in 2020-21, to 13 in 2021-22.
-KSU is the first team since BYU in 2001 to advance to the NCAA Tournament less than five years after a season with one or zero wins.
