Kennesaw State: March Madness Includes Owls for First Time Ever

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Kennesaw State's Terrell Burden hit a free throw with one second left in the ASUN championship game to send the Owls to the NCAA Tournament.
(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Chase Kiddy @chaseakiddy Mar 06, 2023, 9:36 AM
  • Kennesaw State defeated Liberty, 67-66, for the ASUN conference championship.
  • Kennesaw State men’s basketball has clinched its first-ever March Madness bid.
  • The Owls were 1-28 just three years ago.

It’s officially Week 2 of conference tournaments, which means we’re about to see March Madness bids being handed out at a rapid pace. 

After SEMO clinched the first NCAA Tournament bid of the season, other teams began to add their name into the field of 68 on Sunday. 

Kennesaw State Men’s Basketball Wins ASUN Basketball Tournament

Kennesaw State (26-8) beat Liberty in Lynchburg on Sunday to win a dramatic ASUN basketball tournament title. 

Terrell Burden made a literal last-second free throw to give the Owls a 67-66 win.

Kennesaw State: March Madness Welcomes a First-Time Team

Kennesaw State has been a member of the Atlantic Sun conference since the 2005-06 season, when the Owls moved up to Division I.

Since then, KSU has failed to earn the conference’s automatic bid. The Owls have been one of the dozens of teams that have never made the NCAA Tournament.

That streak is finally broken in 2023, thanks to the win on Sunday. 

It’s an especially impressive turnaround for fourth-year coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, whose team was 1-28 during his first season in 2019-20. Three years later, KSU could be a dangerous No. 15 seed. 

Kennesaw State Basketball Coach

Kennesaw State basketball coach Amir Abdur-Rahim is a rising star in college basketball. The 41-year-old was previously an assistant at Georgia, Texas A&M, Charleston and Murray State, but KSU is his first head coaching job. 

His brother, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, is the president of the NBA G-League. 

KSU’s hot young coach will undoubtedly field some calls this offseason.

Where is Kennesaw State University?

Kennesaw State is right outside of Atlanta, Georgia.

What Division is Kennesaw State?

Like all other teams that play in the Atlantic Sun conference, KSU is a Division I program. Its football team is in the process of leaving the FCS subdivision and joining Conference USA.

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About the Author

Chase Kiddy

Read More @chaseakiddy

Chase Kiddy is a writer for BetMGM and co-host of The Lion's Edge, an NFL and college football podcast available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere else. He has also written for a number of print and online outlets, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Washington Post, Daily News-Record, and HERO Sports. His first novel, Cave Paintings, is in development.

Chase Kiddy is a writer for BetMGM and co-host of The Lion's Edge, an NFL and college football podcast available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere else. He has also written for a number of print and online outlets, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Washington Post, Daily News-Record, and HERO Sports. His first novel, Cave Paintings, is in development.