Kennesaw State to lean on Braedan Lue’s motor, shot blocking for Graham Ike assignment | Key matchup

PORTLAND – Braedan Lue has tackled many of the top defensive assignments this season for a Kennesaw State team that’s making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2023.

Ready or not, another massive one awaits Lue and 14th-seeded Kennesaw State in Thursday’s first-round matchup against third-seeded Gonzaga at the Moda Center (7 p.m., TBS).

Lue, the Owls’ 6-9 sophomore defensive stopper, will be up against Graham Ike, the Zags’ 6-9 veteran interior threat.

Lue was a Conference USA All-Freshman selection last season and recently named to the league’s All-Defensive team. Ike earned West Coast Conference Player of the Year honors two weeks ago and had already shown up on three All-American lists – as a third team or honorable mention selection – by the time Mark Few’s team rolled up to the Moda Center on Wednesday for media obligations and a light shootaround.

Kennesaw State coach Antoine Pettway gave a concise answer when asked how the Owls would go about containing the decorated Gonzaga senior.

“Praying a lot,” Pettway said. “He’s so dynamic. They do a great job of getting the ball in great spots, as well. We got to give ’em a bunch of different looks. But he’s a guy that he works his way into 20 points a game. … We just got to make everything he does and every shot he takes highly contested and tough on him.”

Lue is one of the top shot blockers in this year’s NCAA Tournament, ranking No. 74 nationally with 1.5 blocks per game and No. 62 with 50 total blocked shots this season.

If he can turn away one or two shots from Ike, it would signify a good start for a Kennesaw State team trying to limit one of the nation’s best offenses and most efficient low-post scorers.

“He’s just aggressive,” Lue said of Ike. “He’s just aggressive. We were just watching film and we’re going to guard him how we usually guard folks.”

The Zags became increasingly more reliant on offensive production from Ike when frontcourt mate Braden Huff dislocated his kneecap in January. Since then, Ike had been Gonzaga’s leading scorer in 13 consecutive games, a run that ended March 10 in the WCC Tournament championship when Mario Saint-Supery paced the team with 21 points in a 79-68 win over Santa Clara.

Lue can get into the lane and put pressure on the hoop, but he doesn’t score at nearly the same efficiency level as his Gonzaga counterpart. The Douglasville, Georgia, native is averaging 11.1 points, making 46.3% from the field, 27.7% from the 3-point line and 71.4% from the free-throw line.

“Braedan Lue has been great for us all year,” Pettway said. “Our defense as a whole has really been good. … His shot-blocking ability, his athleticism at 6-9, his motor. We’ve done a great job all year rebounding the basketball. There’s got to be a staple of our team going forward if you want to survive.”

Both bigs have the green light from 3-point range. Lue averages 2.4 3-point attempts per game, while Ike is just a shade under that at 2.3 per game.