Kennesaw State/Indiana: 6:00 PM Central Tip, Assembly Hall
Long time no see folks! Let me be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays on behalf of Student Union Sports! Hopefully, we can help out our readers add some money spent on presents back into their wallets. Let’s dig into tonight’s Dog of the Day.
This matchup has the makings of a flat spot for the Indiana Hoosiers as they host the Kennesaw State Owls. Indiana, much like the rest of the country, is under a massive winter storm watch tonight, so I expect the home-court advantage won’t be a factor. Add in the fact that this is Indiana’s last non-conference game of the year before the Christmas break, this shapes up to be a very sleepy spot for the 18th-ranked Hoosiers.
The Matchup
Indiana will be without Senior starting Guard Xavier Johnson after having foot surgery Wednesday. The status of Senior star Forward Trayce Jackson-Davis is uncertain for tonight after sitting out their previous matchup. Forward Jordan Geronimo is also doubtful to suit up tonight. The bulk of the load will have to be carried by Senior Forward Race Thompson and Freshman Guard Jalen Hood-Schifino. The Owls will be led by “do it all” guard Chris Youngblood (14.2 PPG) and Senior Guard Terrell Burden.
Kennesaw State HC Amir Abdul-Rahim (Former SELU Great) leads a very scrappy squad with wins over App State and Mercer. They have also held their own in losses to VCU (by 3) and Florida (by 10). A metric that stood out to me was Kennesaw State is 14th in the nation in 3PT % and Indiana is 117th in defending the 3. With a guard-friendly lineup for the Owls and Indiana missing a starting guard and possibly their big man, things could get interesting in Bloomington tonight. We have seen some big upsets this year and this one actually makes more sense than some. An underrated mid-major that can shoot well against a ranked team that is limping into the Christmas break? This is a prime spot to bet against a good Hoosiers bunch that just wants to escape with the win.
Do I think Indiana gets upset tonight? Of course not. However, I can see the Owls hanging tough to keep this game within double digits. I say take the points with Kennesaw State and if you’re feeling lucky, sprinkle some on the Moneyline at +1400. Nobody thought it could happen to Iowa but here we are.
THE PLAY: KENNESAW STATE +19.5 (PLAY TO +18.5)