Texas-El Paso (UTEP) and Kennesaw State will meet for the first time ever in a CUSA matchup at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso on Saturday. While there may not be any rivalry connections in this matchup, it is an important game for both schools. UTEP came into this season with modest expectations; the preseason CUSA men’s basketball poll voted them to finish 5th in the league. Kennesaw State was picked to finish last in the conference in their first year of CUSA play.
While it’s still early, both teams are exceeding expectations. Kennesaw State and UTEP are both 4-2 and tied for second in the conference (along with New Mexico State and Jacksonville State); Middle Tennessee State leads them by a game. Both teams need a win to keep pace in a wide-open CUSA race. Here are some things to keep an eye on for the game:
Rebounding
UTEP is one of the worst rebounding teams in the country on both offense and defense. The Miners rank in the bottom 10% in the country in both categories according to KenPom; they collect only 24.6% of their misses.
Meanwhile, the Owls are one of the better offensive rebounding teams in the country, getting 34.2% of their missed shots. It’s not just one one player getting them either; Kennesaw State has five players averaging 4.9 rebounds a game or more. UTEP will need to limit the damage on the defensive glass to stay in the game, while Kennesaw State will need to continue to clean up on offensive rebounds to offset a middling shooting percentage by the Owls.
Ball pressure on defense for UTEP
UTEP may not be great on the glass but they’re very adept at causing turnovers on defense. UTEP ranks third in the country in turnover percentage according to KenPom; they force a turnover on 24.3% of opponents offensive possessions.
This is a poor matchup for a Kennesaw State team that turns the ball over on 19.9% of their possessions. UTEP players Corey Camper Jr and Otis Frazier III rank first and second respectively in the conference in steals per game, while the Miners as a team have four of the top 14 players in steals per game for CUSA. Poise and ball security is a must for the Owls to hang with UTEP on the road.
Feed the Kennesaw State freshman
Braedan Lue won the CUSA Freshman of the Week award after averaging 18 points and 7.5 rebounds a game for the Owls last week. The reason this is significant? Lue is the third Kennesaw State freshman to win the honor. Owls guard Adrian Wooley has won it in six previous weeks (including the last three weeks before Lue’s award) and Jamil Miller also won it back in November. All together, Kennesaw State freshmen have won the award eight out of the eleven times it’s been awarded this season.
The Owls talented freshmen are a big reason Kennesaw State is overperforming relative to expectations; they have contributed right off the bat and propelled the team into CUSA contention in their first year of play. With three of the top four scorers for Kennesaw State being freshmen, their contributions on the road at UTEP will be critical if they are to pull off the upset.