Kennesaw State maximized its chance at national glory and made history Sunday.
The Owls upset No. 24 Rutgers at the Convocation Center, 79-77. This was their first time hosting a ranked opponent and first time hosting a nationally broadcasted game (CBS Sports Network). It was only their second victory over a Power-4 opponent.
And this young, budding team thrived in the circumstance.
“That was an amazing atmosphere, amazing game,” coach Antoine Pettway said. “I say it all the time, we have champions in that locker room. Those dudes are first-class people and they’re building this thing the right way. … Amazing win for this beautiful place we call Kennesaw State University.”
It’s true that KSU was provided this national opportunity because of all the buzz surrounding Rutgers, but they became the main character of this plot. They amazed before their thunderous crowd, embracing the stage and handling everything Rutgers threw at them. Time and time again the Owls stuffed a high-octane offense and dazzled with dunks and 3-pointers on the other end.
KSU built an 18-point halftime lead. It survived Rutgers’ best punches in the second half. If there’s a means to announce oneself as a team deserving of heightened expectations, this was a flashy manner to achieve it.
“We were super hyped; we had this game circled on our schedule for a while,” KSU guard Jamil Miller said.
The Owls, now 5-1 for the first time in school history, pounded Rutgers on the boards, outrebounding them 46-27 (crucial to the team’s identity, Pettway says). That helped the Owls overcome 22 turnovers – a work in progress – and helped them hold off multiple Rutgers rallies.
“We want to show the country, show the community, the love we have for each other every time we step on the court,” Pettway said. “I’m blessed to coach those dudes in the locker room.”
The second half required more resiliency than the first, a more grounded play style where KSU had to gut through multiple Rutgers runs. The unsurprising surge began early in the half with a 10-0 run that trimmed a 21-point lead to 11. The Scarlet Knights outplayed KSU for much of the second stanza, but the Owls withstood every blow.
“We lost this game at the beginning of the game, not at the end,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said.
Rutgers twice pulled within five points late. The Owls seemed like they’d hold them off after Ricardo Wright’s 3-pointer and Adrian Wooley’s contested layup brought the lead to 11, but the Scarlet Knights had another push left in them.
Rutgers star freshman Ace Bailey, a McEachern product who returned home, hit a 3-pointer to cut KSU’s lead to 77-75 with 50 seconds left. Owls senior forward Rongie Gordon hit two free throws before guard Dylan Harper, Rutgers’ other superb freshman, converted a contested layup to again make it a two-point game.
How about the ending: Rutgers gets the ball after two missed free throws with eight seconds left. After crossing midcourt, Bailey’s pass is intercepted by another freshman – KSU’s Adrian Wooley – to end it.
The Convocation Center erupted. An ascending program, one that just two seasons ago was in the NCAA Tournament, had its signature win. One of the nation’s great under-the-radar stellar crowds played its part.
“The environment was super big,” Miller said. “I’ve never been in something like that before, so I think that played a huge part in that game. Our fans did a really good job.”
Hear it straight from Pikiell, who’s accustomed to tough venues in Big Ten play: “We were coming into a tough environment. They have a good team, too, and are playing with tremendous confidence. We have to figure out how to play 40 minutes, especially when we’re on the road. It’s always on the coach. I thought I sent out enough warning signals for our guys about going on the road in tough environments.
“Congratulations to Kennesaw. They deserved to win. When you go on the road, you have to deserve to win. We didn’t and they did. They played really well.”
Bailey was the reason this game was even played. When he committed to Rutgers, the school promised to get him a game back home (Rutgers also has Jamichael Davis, another McEachern product). When word surfaced the Scarlet Knights were seeking an opponent in the area, Pettway jumped at the opportunity and the parties reached an agreement (perhaps Power Four teams will be less inclined to come to KSU in the future, though).
This wasn’t a storybook return for Bailey, who’s a projected top-three selection in the 2025 NBA draft and is commonly considered the No. 2 prospect behind Duke’s Cooper Flagg (and just ahead of teammate Harper). He received hearty applause during player introductions but was largely contained after tip-off.
Bailey shot 6-for-17 (4-for-10 on 3-pointers) while battling through foul trouble. What a testament to KSU that he wasn’t the most impressive freshman of the afternoon.
Miller led his team with 16 points. A Washington native, Miller couldn’t stop glowing after the game about how happy he was he came to KSU. Fellow freshman Wooley was a standout, delivering in key spots and securing the game-ending steal.
“A lot of us had been waiting for this moment for a very long time,” Miller said. (Our freshmen) wanted to play against those two freshmen where people might’ve been looking over us.”
Pettway often cites his predecessor, the late Amir Abdur-Rahim, who oversaw KSU’s rise from bottom feeder to March Madness. Abdur-Rahim, who died in October, constantly preached togetherness as a foundation of a successful program. He was the trailblazer for KSU basketball and someone Pettway views in such a respected light.
Like Abdur-Rahim, Pettway viewed KSU as a “sleeping giant” before taking the job before last season. Like Abdur-Rahim, Pettway is beginning to see proof of concept. This made Sunday a true moment of significance.
The giant is beginning to stir.
“Coach Amir and them going to that tournament a couple years ago, when I came here, I can puff my chest out when I walk into any of these high schools in Georgia because of what they did,” Pettway said. “It got the attention of a lot of people in the state that you can do this at Kennesaw State. You can come here, play in front of family and friends, and win at a high level. We’re tasked with the responsibility of continuing it, but you have to do it the right way.
“This is the start. We’re going to keep going and keep working. When you work as hard as these guys do, and you work with the right mindset and right heart, let the chips fall where they may. But you can sleep well at night. I told our boys in bible study, ‘I slept like a baby last night.’ Because they give me confidence. I know what I have in that room. I believe in them. I almost overslept; I slept like a baby because of who they are as human beings, who they are as players. My dogs are going to fight, I know that for a fact. They give me confidence.”
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