Sunday, November 24
Kennesaw, Ga.
1:00 PM
Rutgers University
at
Kennesaw State
Photo by: Cos Lymperopoulos
No. 24 Men’s Basketball Embarks on Road Trip, Beginning at Kennesaw State
Nov 21 | Men's Basketball
Game is 1 PM on Sunday on CBS Sports Network
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 24 Rutgers men's basketball has begun the season with four straight home wins. Now, the team hits the road. The Scarlet Knights will play their next five games away from the friendly confines of Jersey Mike's Arena. The trip starts with a jaunt to Georgia this weekend. RU will play at Kennesaw State on Sunday at 1 p.m., with a national TV broadcast on CBS Sports Network. Alex Del Barrio and former UCF star BJ Taylor will be on the television call, while Jerry Recco and Austin Johnson will provide the radio broadcast.
Rutgers will be just the second-ever Power Four team to make an appearance at the Convocation Center, home of the first-year Conference USA squad. The game at the venue, which has a capacity of 3,850, is expected to sell out. The first Power Five team to play at KSU was Georgia Tech on Nov. 15, 2010, a game won by the Owls 80-63.
This game will be a homecoming for Rutgers' sophomore guard Jamichael Davis and freshman Ace Bailey. The duo both went to McEachern High School, located in Powder Springs, Georgia. Their high school is just 14 miles from the venue of Sunday's game. The duo expect to have a large amount of family and friends attending the contest.
Rutgers is led by freshmen stars Ace Bailey (20.0 ppg) and Dylan Harper (19.5 ppg). The dup combined for 37 points and 18 rebounds in Wednesday's win over Merrimack.
Bailey posted 23 points and 10 rebounds against the Warriors for his first career double-double. It was the first double-double by a RU freshman since Cliff Omoruyi had 14 points and 11 rebounds in his first collegiate game (November 25, 2020 vs Sacred Heart), and the lone RU freshman with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in a game in over 20 years.
Harper had three straight 20-plus point performances to start the season. Last Monday, he became the first Rutgers' Big Ten Freshman of the Week since his brother Ron, back in March of 2019.
Rutgers is currently averaging 80.5 points per game and shooting 49.8 percent from the field, along with 36.8 from three-point range. The team's adjusted efficiency is currently 110.4, which would be the best measured for RU in the KenPom era (dating back to 1997).
Head coach Antoine Pettway, a long-time Alabama assistant, enters his second season, after guiding KSU to a 15-16 campaign last season, the second most wins for the program since they elevated to Division I for the 2005-06 season. Simeon Cottle was the team's top returning scoring, posting 15.6 points per game as a top-ten scorer in the Atlantic Sun for the team last season. He was joined by returners Frankquon Sherman and Rongie Gordon, as like Rutgers, KSU also features just three returners from last season's squad. Kennesaw State played at the fourth fastest tempo in the nation last season while averaging 82.8 points per game.
KSU enters the game at 4-1, with an early loss at California Baptist, but three straight wins since over Bryan College, Presbyterian and Abilene Christian. Cottle leads the team at 18.8 points per game, with 20 assists. Freshman Adrian Wooley is second at 15.2 points per game. As a team, KSU's 47.4 rebounds per game is fourth in the nation.
Rutgers will play Kennesaw State for the first time in program history. This is the first time that RU will play an active member of Conference USA since Nov. 23, 2016, a 66-53 win over North Texas
Rutgers will remain on the road and fly to Las Vegas for the Players First Tournament. RU will face Notre Dame on Tuesday (10:30 PM, TBS) and No. 8/7 Alabama on Wednesday (10 PM, TBS). The Championship Day games will be held on Saturday, with matchups dependent on the first two days results.
Rutgers will be just the second-ever Power Four team to make an appearance at the Convocation Center, home of the first-year Conference USA squad. The game at the venue, which has a capacity of 3,850, is expected to sell out. The first Power Five team to play at KSU was Georgia Tech on Nov. 15, 2010, a game won by the Owls 80-63.
| Georgia Connections |
This game will be a homecoming for Rutgers' sophomore guard Jamichael Davis and freshman Ace Bailey. The duo both went to McEachern High School, located in Powder Springs, Georgia. Their high school is just 14 miles from the venue of Sunday's game. The duo expect to have a large amount of family and friends attending the contest.
| About Rutgers |
Rutgers is led by freshmen stars Ace Bailey (20.0 ppg) and Dylan Harper (19.5 ppg). The dup combined for 37 points and 18 rebounds in Wednesday's win over Merrimack.
Bailey posted 23 points and 10 rebounds against the Warriors for his first career double-double. It was the first double-double by a RU freshman since Cliff Omoruyi had 14 points and 11 rebounds in his first collegiate game (November 25, 2020 vs Sacred Heart), and the lone RU freshman with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in a game in over 20 years.
Harper had three straight 20-plus point performances to start the season. Last Monday, he became the first Rutgers' Big Ten Freshman of the Week since his brother Ron, back in March of 2019.
Rutgers is currently averaging 80.5 points per game and shooting 49.8 percent from the field, along with 36.8 from three-point range. The team's adjusted efficiency is currently 110.4, which would be the best measured for RU in the KenPom era (dating back to 1997).
| About Kennesaw State |
Head coach Antoine Pettway, a long-time Alabama assistant, enters his second season, after guiding KSU to a 15-16 campaign last season, the second most wins for the program since they elevated to Division I for the 2005-06 season. Simeon Cottle was the team's top returning scoring, posting 15.6 points per game as a top-ten scorer in the Atlantic Sun for the team last season. He was joined by returners Frankquon Sherman and Rongie Gordon, as like Rutgers, KSU also features just three returners from last season's squad. Kennesaw State played at the fourth fastest tempo in the nation last season while averaging 82.8 points per game.
KSU enters the game at 4-1, with an early loss at California Baptist, but three straight wins since over Bryan College, Presbyterian and Abilene Christian. Cottle leads the team at 18.8 points per game, with 20 assists. Freshman Adrian Wooley is second at 15.2 points per game. As a team, KSU's 47.4 rebounds per game is fourth in the nation.
Rutgers will play Kennesaw State for the first time in program history. This is the first time that RU will play an active member of Conference USA since Nov. 23, 2016, a 66-53 win over North Texas
| With A Win |
- Rutgers would improve to 5-0 to start the season for the first time since 2020-21.
- If Rutgers wins its fifth straight game by double-digits, that will mark the second time opening 5-0 with five straight double-digit wins since 1934-35 (also done by the 2020-21 team).
- It would be the third time under Steve Pikiell that RU started 5-0, also done in Pikiell's first two seasons (2016-17 and 2017-18).
| Up Next |
Rutgers will remain on the road and fly to Las Vegas for the Players First Tournament. RU will face Notre Dame on Tuesday (10:30 PM, TBS) and No. 8/7 Alabama on Wednesday (10 PM, TBS). The Championship Day games will be held on Saturday, with matchups dependent on the first two days results.
Players Mentioned
G / F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
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