Tucked away in the far reaches of Atlanta's sprawling suburbs, you'll find Kennesaw State University — home of the 2023 ASUN men's basketball champions.
The Owls punched their ticket to this year's NCAA Tournament with a win over Liberty in the conference championship game on March 5. It will be the first March Madness appearance in school history for a program that has only been playing at the Division I level since 2005.
As the team prepares to make its debut on the biggest stage, here's everything you need to know about the Atlanta-area school heading way to its first-ever dance:
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Where is Kennesaw State University?
Kennesaw State has two campuses located in Kennesaw and Marietta, Ga., both suburbs northwest of the city of Atlanta. The Owls play their home games at the KSU Convocation Center in Kennesaw.
According to its website, the university has an enrollment of more than 42,000 students from 102 countries around the world. That makes it the second-largest university in Georgia, and one of the top 50 largest schools in the United States by enrollment.
Kennesaw State basketball history
For much of their history, the Owls competed in NCAA Division II. They were successful at that level, winning the 2004 DII National Championship and reaching the NCAA DII Tournament three times in 2003, 2004 and 2005.
They became Division I members at the start of the 2005-06 season. The step up proved to be difficult, and the team finished with a losing record in each of its first 17 seasons at the DI level.
Current head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim took over before the start of the 2019-20 campaign. In his first season at the helm, the Owls finished with an abysmal 1-28 record, going 0-16 in conference play. But in the span of just four years, he has transformed the program.
HISTORY OF UPSETS BY SEED:
15 vs. 2 | 14 vs. 3 | 13 vs. 4 | 12 vs. 5
This season, Kennesaw State finished with a 26-8 record (15-3 in ASUN conference play). After a narrow 67-66 win over Queens University of Charlotte, a comfortable win over Lipscomb advanced the Owls to their first-ever ASUN Tournament championship game. A thrilling 67-66 victory over Liberty earned the program its first-ever Division I NCAA Tournament appearance.
For the FIRST TIME IN PROGRAM HISTORY ...
— ESPN (@espn) March 5, 2023
Kennesaw State is going dancing after winning the ASUN championship! 🦉 pic.twitter.com/yv6HCfX1ga
The Owls are now heading to the dance just three years removed from posting one of the worst records in the entire country. This season marks the first time they've ever finished with a winning record at the DI level.
They'll no doubt be heavy underdogs against whoever they face in the tournament, but that mentality suits them just fine.
“No matter who we play, we’re going to give them a fight,” senior point guard Terrell Burden told AP News. “I love being the underdog. I’ve been the underdog my whole life.”
