Opening Tip
• Indiana University closes out the non-conference slate in its 124th season of competition in men’s basketball at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall against Kennesaw State. Tip is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on Dec. 29 on B1G+.
• Kennesaw State (9-4) has five players averaging nearly 10 points per game in sophomore guard Simwon Cottle (16.3), senior guard Terrell Burden (13.5), senior forward Demond Robinson (12.5), Quincy Ademokoya (11.8), and junior forward Jamel King (9.8). As a team, the Owls average 85.4 points and make 9.5 3-pointers per outing.
• KSU, coming off the program’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament since joining the Division I ranks, are led by first-year head coach Antoine Pettway. The former Alabama guard spent 15 seasons as an assistant coach in Tuscaloosa.
Game Information
Friday Dec. 29, 2023 • 6:00 PM ET
Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) • Bloomington, Ind.
TV: B1G+ (Austin Render, Galen Clavio, Tricia Whitaker)
Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, John Herrick)
Series History: Indiana leads, 3-0
Last Meeting: IU 69, KSU 55 on Dec. 23, 2022 in Bloomington
Series History
• Indiana and Kennesaw State have played three times in the last decade with the Hoosiers winning all three, including a 69-55 result on Dec. 23, 2022.
• Jalen Hood-Schifino, the first-round pick of the Los Angeles Lakers, tallied 18 points, four rebounds, and three assists against the Owls last season. The game marked the non-conference finale in 2022.
• The game marks the final installment of Indiana’s games against the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Hoosiers opened the season with a 69-63 win over Florida Gulf Coast (Nov. 7) and topped Northern Alabama (Dec. 21) 83-66. IU is 21-1 against the ASUN.
Last Time Out
• Indiana knocked down a season-best 12 3-point field goals on 24 attempts to blitz North Alabama in the penultimate non-conference game of the 2023-24 season by a score of 83-66 on Dec. 21.
• Sophomore forward Malik Reneau posted a career day with 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the floor and 4-of-4 from behind the 3-point line. He added seven rebounds and two assists.
• Fifth-year senior forward Anthony Walker led bench with 11 points, three rebounds, and three assists. Senior guard Trey Galloway dished out a career-high nine assists.
IU Mourns the Loss George McGinnis
The Indiana men’s basketball program is saddened by the loss of Indiana University Athletics Hall of Famer George McGinnis (1950-2023). He was 73 years old.
“I loved George McGinnis,” Indiana men’s basketball head coach Mike Woodson said. “He meant so much not only to IU and the state of Indiana, but to the entire basketball world.
“I looked up to George growing up in Indianapolis. He meant so much to me as a player and more importantly as a man. George was a Hall of Famer on and off the court, and I am going to miss him so much. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the McGinnis family, his friends, and his teammates. Rest easy Big Mac.”
In his one year of varsity basketball at Indiana, McGinnis led the Big Ten in both scoring (29.9 points per game) and rebounds (14.7) to become the first sophomore in league history to lead the Big Ten in both categories. He was named to the Associated Press All-America Third Team and added to the All-Big Ten First Team before bypassing his final two seasons of eligibility as a hardship case. He was inducted to the IU Athletics Hall of Fame on Sept. 22, 2023.
Sophomore Jump for Reneau
• Sophomore forward Malik Reneau has posted double digits in the scoring column in 11 games this season, including eight efforts of at least 14 points. He notched a career-high 25 points against North Alabama (Dec. 21).
• The Miami, Fla., native scored in double figures in seven games during his freshman campaign while hitting 14 points or more just twice.
• Reneau is averaging 14.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 0.9 blocks in 27 minutes per game.
Long Ball Looms Large in Win Over Lions
• Sophomore forward Malik Reneau scored a career-high 25 points to go along with seven rebounds and two assists in Indiana’s 83-66 victory over North Alabama on Dec. 21. Reneau canned all four of his 3-point attempts.
• As a team, IU knocked down a season-high 12 3-pointers on 24 attempts. Reneau (4), freshman forward Mackenzie Mgbako (2), and senior guard Trey Galloway (2) all hit multiple 3-point attempts.
Late Push Leads Indiana Over Morehead State
• Indiana erased a 15-point lead in just under nine minutes on the strength of a 20-4 run to close the game to secure a 69-68 win over Morehead State on Dec. 19. Fifth-year senior Anthony Walker charted 18 points and nine rebounds off the bench to lead IU.
• Sophomore forward Malik Reneau blocked Morehead State’s game-winning shot attempt at time expired.
INDIANA GAME NOTES PDF: https://iuhoosiers.com/documents/2023/12/26/23_24_GM13_Kennesaw_State.pdf
KENNESAW STATE NOTES PDF: https://iuhoosiers.com/documents/2023/12/27/KSU_Game_notes_at_Indiana.pdf