Game 26 - Missouri State (13-12, 7-7 CUSA) vs. Kennesaw State Owls (14-11, 6-8 CUSA)
Date and Time	Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 | 7:00 p.m.
Location	Great Southern Bank Arena (11,000) | Springfield, Missouri
Tickets	Tickets | (417) 836-7678 | Great Southern Bank Arena Box Office
Promos & Specials	Stripe Out | Christian and Scooby Halftime | 4-Pack Ticket Offer | Promo Calendar
Fan Info	Flip Card | Digital Program | Gates open one hour before tipoff
Radio	KWTO (FM 93.3 / AM 560) (Corey Riggs, Mike Keltner) | Listen Live |  Bears Radio Network | Varsity Network App
Television	ESPN+ (Tom Ladd, Tom Mast) | Watch
Series	Series Tied, 1-1 | Last Meeting: KSU 90, MSU 80 (1/7/26) | Box Score
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Game Notes	Missouri State | Kennesaw | CUSA Notebook | MSU Media Guide
Follow	Facebook | Athletics Twitter | Basketball Twitter | Instagram | #WeAreMoState | #ItAllCounts
Bears Mobile App	App Store (Apple Devices) | Google Play Store (Android Devices)
Up Next	Saturday, Feb. 21 | at FIU | 2:00 p.m. (Central)

Accessibility
Missouri State University is committed to providing an accessible and supportive environment for those with disabilities. To request reasonable disability accommodations, contact the Deputy Compliance Officer at (417) 836-6755 or DeputyComplianceOfficer@MissouriState.edu. 

The Ten Count

• Missouri State concludes its three-game home stand on Wednesday evening when the Bears get a rematch with Kennesaw State at 7 p.m. The game features a fan Stripe Out and a halftime show from noted pet performer Christian and his dog Scooby. The Bears are looking to get back in the win column after starting the month with three single-digit CUSA setbacks, starting the week in a three-way tie for fourth place in the conference.  
• Kobi Williams (Jr., St. Louis, Mo.) has scored in double figures 11 times in his last 12 games, and is averaging 17.7 points and 3.6 threes per game in that span. He leads CUSA in FT percentage (.854) and ranks 4th in CUSA in three-pointers per game (2.79) and three-point percentage (.381). Williams also ranks 46th nationally in minutes per game (35:21). He is coming off back-to-back game-highs with 24 points vs. LA Tech and 25 vs. Delaware.
• Forward Keith Palek III (Woodbine, N.J.) has scored in double figures in 23-of-25 games this season and leads all CUSA players in scoring in conference games (17.79 ppg). Overall, he has returned to the top 10 in CUSA in all three major categories -- 2nd in scoring (17.88), 8th in assists (3.56) and tied 10th in rebounding (6.80) and is the only player in CUSA in the top 10 in all three.  
• Michael Osei-Bonsu (Sr., Bolingbrook, Ill.) is up to No. 90 on Missouri State's career scoring chart with 670 points in his two seasons with the Bears. He is within 20 points of No. 89 Ryan Bettenhausen (677), 88 Bill Thomas (678), 87 Jackie Crawford (681) & 86 Spencer Laurie (686). He also needs 4 rebounds for 400 career (54g).
• Osei-Bonsu ranks 1st in Conference USA (37th nationally) in FG percentage (.581) and 1st in offensive rebounding (3.32) which is 29th in DI. He has scored in double figures 9 straight games (16.8 ppg) with four 20-point games and 7.8 total rebounds per game in that span. 
• MSU is still closing in on its 800th Division I victory. The Bears are 799-576 (.581) in their 44th DI campaign.
• Missouri State is 12-2 this season (62-13 all-time under Cuonzo Martin) when firing at a higher FG percentage. When they shoot 50 percent or better from the field, the Bears are 4-0 this season and 30-6 overall under Martin.
• Antwan Burnett (Sr., Montgomery, Ala.) has started the last 5 games for the Bears and is averaging 5.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per outing in that span. He needs 4 rebounds to reach 400 for his career (80 games).
• Missouri State is coming off a rare effort vs. Delaware in which they did not allow any second-chance points or any bench points. The last time the Bears did not allow any second-chance points was vs. Evansville (1/29/22) in 72-58 win, while the last time they held a foe's bench scoreless was at Bradley (1/21/12) in a 51-48 victory.
• Trey Williams Jr. (Fr., Centralia, Ill.) is tied for 19th on MSU's freshman scoring list with 203 points (8.1 ppg), while his 41 three-pointers is tied for 7th on MSU's freshman list. He is averaging 4.3 assists over the last 3 games. 

Series

• Series tied, 1-1
• Last Meeting: KSU 90, MSU 80 (1/7/26) | Box Score

Coach Cuonzo Martin

• After an extensive national search, Missouri State University announced Cuonzo Martin as its men's basketball head coach on March 27, 2024. The man who orchestrated Missouri State's only MVC regular-season championship run during his first tenure in Springfield originally coached at Missouri State from 2008 to 2011.
• Martin has a 286-233 (.551) career record in his 16th seasons as a Division I head coach with experience at MSU, Tennessee, California and Missouri. His teams have made 9 postseason appearances in that span, including 4 trips to the NCAA Tournament, 4 appearances in the NIT, and a CIT title with the Bears in 2010. 
• Coach Martin is 83-76 (.522) in his fifth season (and second stint) at Missouri State, including 61-24 at home, 17-46 on the road and 5-6 at neutral sites.
• Martin also  boasts 59 college graduates during his career with stints at MoState, Tennessee (2011-14), California (2014-17) and Missouri (2017-22).
• A native of East St. Louis, Ill., Martin was a star player at Purdue from 1991-95 for coach Gene Keady and then played four years professionally. He was on the coaching staff at Purdue for eight years under Keady and Matt Painter before accepting his first head coaching position at MSU on March 26, 2008.
• In Martin's first stint in Springfield (2008-11), he was named Missouri State's 16th head coach in time for the program's 100th anniversary season and its inaugural campaign at Great Southern Bank Arena. In his second season (2009-10), Martin guided MoState to a 24-12 overall ledger, a 19-2 home record, and an impressive run to the CIT Postseason Tournament title.
• His third season at MSU (2010-11) was one of the program's most memorable, as the Bears finished 26-9 overall on the way to its first-ever MVC regular-season title with a 15-3 league record. The Bears fell to Indiana State in the finals of the MVC Tournament in St. Louis and capped an unforgettable campaign by advancing to the second round of the NIT. Martin was named 2011 MVC Coach of the Year and recipient of the Ben Jobe Award as the nation's top minority head coach. Over Martin's last two years at MoState, the Bears were 35-3 at home and did not lose a non-conference home game.
• Martin's return to MoState in 2024-25 featured a roster packed with 15 newcomers for the Bears' final season in the Missouri Valley. MSU's 9-23 overall record was not a fair representation of the club's season performance which included 14 single-digit losses -- which was tied for the fourth-most in the nation.