5 things to know about Kennesaw State ahead of Gonzaga’s NCAA Tournament first‑round matchup

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs begin the 2026 NCAA Tournament in Portland, OR, against an unfamiliar foe in Kennesaw State.

Thursday's No. 3 vs. No. 14 matchup will be the first ever between Gonzaga and Kennesaw State, a team that finished sixth in the Conference USA regular season before rattling off three straight wins over Western Kentucky, Sam Houston State, and Louisiana Tech in the conference tournament to secure the automatic bid.

Gonzaga (30-3) has not lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament since 2008, when, as a No. 7 seed, it fell to No. 10 Davidson and then-little-known guard Steph Curry.

Meanwhile, the Owls are looking for their first-ever win in the Big Dance, setting up what should be a fun Thursday evening showdown in the Rose City.

Below are five key facts about this Kennesaw State team ahead of this matchup:

1. Second ever NCAA Tournament appearance

Kennesaw State first moved up to Division 1 back in 2005-06 as members of the A-Sun conference, and waited 18 years before finally going dancing for the first time in 2022-23 under then head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim. The Owls were a No. 14 seed and nearly took down No. 3 Xavier, 72-67, which put them on the national radar and led to Abdur-Rahim leaving for the head coaching job at South Florida - before his untimely passing ahead of the 2024-25 season.

The Owls hired Antoine Pettway to replace Abdur-Rahim, and he's taken this team from 15 wins to 19 wins and now to a 21-13 record and their second-ever berth in the big dance, also as a No. 14 seed.

2. Prepare for a lot of fouls

Kennesaw State does two things about as well as anyone in the country: foul, and get fouled.

The Owls get to the line a whopping 27 times per game on average, which is second most in the country. Part of that is the team's fast-paced offense, to be sure, but it's still a significant thing to watch for in this matchup. Fortunately for Gonzaga, KSU hasn't been very successful when getting to the stripe, posting an ugly 69.1% free throw rate as a team.

Kennesaw State also commits far too many fouls, sending opponents to the line an equally significant 27 times per game - 360th out of 365 teams at the Division 1 level.

But of course, Gonzaga isn't exactly an elite free-throw shooting team either, making this a matchup that could be determined in many ways by who can lock in and sink their free throws.

3. Lost leading scorer

Simeon Cottle, the preseason Conference USA Player of the Year, was fully living up to those expectations as a senior for the Owls this season. He averaged 20.2 points, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals while shooting 37.7% from three and leading Kennesaw State to an 11-6 start to the season.

However, the 6'1 guard was among a handful of players charged in the wide-scale point shaving scandal that hit college basketball hard this season. He was suspended indefinitely from all team activities back on Jan. 15 and has not played since then.

Cottle was allegedly recruited into a points-shaving operation during the 2023-24 season, agreeing to intentionally underperform in exchange for bribe payments connected to sports betting.

The Owls went 10-7 down the stretch without Cottle, relying heavily on 6'4 junior guard RJ Johnson, who replaced him in the starting lineup and averaged 18.2 points, 5.1 assists, and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 42.4% from three in those final 17 games.

4. Frenetic pace

Head coach Antoine Pettway comes from the Nate Oats coaching tree, and he has fully adapted Alabama's high-octane, fast-paced offense at KSU. The Owls boast the 19th fastest adjusted tempo in college basketball according to KenPom, with an average possession length of 16.1 seconds that ranks 32nd.

Gonzaga's tempo is down at 111th overall, although their average possession length is (slightly) faster at 16.0 seconds.

Teams that try to get the Zags into a track meet rarely succeed, and this year's Gonzaga group is so deep that trying to run on them does not seem like a successful endeavor - but don't be surprised to see Pettway and the Owls give it a shot.

5. Strong on the offensive glass

Kennesaw State is excellent at crashing the offensive glass, pulling down offensive rebounds 35.5% of the time this season, the 39th-best mark in college hoops. Gonzaga is not far behind at 34.8% (53rd), but the key difference is how effective these teams are on the defensive boards.

While Gonzaga holds opponents under 26% on offensive rebounds - which ranks 19th in the country - Kennesaw State is much less effective at 31.3%, ranking 214th.

The size is obviously a major factor here as well. While the Owls aren't as small as many other low-major programs, they don't possess the same size and physicality as Gonzaga's frontcourt of Graham Ike, Jalen Warley, and Tyon Grant-Foster. Amir Taylor (6'9, 250) is the biggest rotation player on the team, but he plays just 17 minutes per game. Their best rebounder is 6'7 forward Frankquon Sherman, who pulls down 8.4 per game along with 10.3 points.

Warley and Grant-Foster will be key for Gonzaga in keeping KSU off the offensive glass - something that was an issue against Santa Clara in the WCC championship game last Tuesday.

Gonzaga and Kennesaw State will tip off at 7:00 PM PT on Thursday, March 19, at the Moda Center in Portland, OR. The game will be broadcast on TBS.