New Kennesaw State men’s basketball coach Al Skinner said he wouldn’t shy away from scheduling tough non-conference games.
He didn’t schedule them – his predecessor Jimmy Lallathin had a hand in them – but the Owls have at least two tough games already scheduled for the 2015 season.
The Owls, which went 10-22 last year, will play at West Virginia on Dec. 5 in exchange for $95,000. The Mountaineers’ recent season ended with a loss to Kentucky in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.
They will also play at Louisville on Dec. 16 for $90,000. The Cardinals’ recent season ended with an overtime loss to Michigan State in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament.
“I think it’s important for some of young men to get that exposure,” Skinner said. “It’s important for them to get in that environment, to get a feel for what that’s like. It’s a measuring stick. We are all competitors. We want to see what it’s like to play against the best and what people consider the best.”
Copies of the contracts were obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution through an Open Records Request.
The team also has a game scheduled against Florida A&M on Dec. 2 at the Convocation Center. It is one a four-game series that will played in 2016, ’17 and ’18.
The Owls will also play at Samford on Nov. 21.
Kennesaw State has beaten one team from a major conference, Georgia Tech, since moving from Division II to Division I for the 2005-06 season.
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