JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State is set to host Kennesaw State at 7:30 Thursday evening at Pete Mathews Coliseum in the first of two back-to-back meetings with the Owls this weekend.
 
The ASUN's unusual scheduling pits the travel partners against one another home and away just three days apart with Jax State (10-15, 3-9 ASUN) set to make the short trip over to Kennesaw, Ga., on Saturday. The consecutive matchups prove vital for both squads with JSU trying to earn a spot in the 10-team conference tournament, while KSU (18-7, 10-2 ASUN) tries to hold its grasp on first-place in the league standings.
 
The Gamecocks won both meetings against the Owls last season during their own title run, but now face a team that leads the conference in field goal percentage (49.2) and ranks second in rebounding (36.5).
 
Thursday's game streams on ESPN+ and airs over the Gamecock Sports Network with Mike Parris on the play-by-play call. Live stats are available at JSUGamecockSports.com.
 
JSU will look to leading scorers Demaree King (14.1 PPG) and Skyelar Potter (13.7) to help kick-start the offense. King's late triple on the road last Thursday nearly brought home a victory at Eastern Kentucky, before the Colonels' late-game heroics. Overall, JSU's last five losses have come by an average of just five points each. The Gamecocks hope a return to The Pete, where they own an 8-3 mark on the year, can swing momentum back in the right direction for the final month of the regular season.
 
Following the return visit to Kennesaw on Saturday, Jax State rounds out the home schedule next weekend hosting Queens University (NC) on Thursday and Liberty, Saturday, Feb. 18, for Senior Day. The Gamecocks will conclude the regular season on the road at Central Arkansas and North Alabama the following week.