MBB Game Day Central: Radford
1/13/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
TV Coverage:
Big South Network
Radio Coverage:
Liberty Flames Sports Network – Radio
WPLY 98.5/105.9 FM (Lynchburg)
Play-By-Play Broadcaster: Alan York
Color Analyst: Paul Nazigian
The Game
Liberty looks to stay undefeated on the road in Big South Conference games as they stay in state to face Radford. The Flames into Saturday's game as one of three teams tied for first place in the Big South along with Winthrop and UNC Asheville. The Flames have a chance to improve to 5-1 in the Big South for the first time since the 2010-2011 season.
Matchup Notes
• This will be the 69th meeting between Liberty and Radford in school history.
• Last year Radford swept the season serioes over the Flames winning by an average of three points. At the Dedmond Center last season, Radford defeated Liberty 56-52.
• Liberty is 8-21 all-time at the Dedmond Center and has lost the previous three trips to Radford by an average of seven points.
• While Liberty is tied for first place at 4-1 in the Big South, Radford sits right behind the Flames in a tie for second place at 3-2.
• Head coach Ritchie McKay is 2-4 all-time against Radford and 1-3 at the Dedmon
Center.
Quick Notes
• Before Wednesday night's win at High Point, Liberty was 0-8 after the opponent led with five minutes left in the game
• The freshman trio of Myo Baxter-Bell (11), Brock Gardner (11) and Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz (9) combined for 31 points, shooting 48 percent from the field
• After reaching the 600-career point milestone against UNCA on Jan. 3, Ryan Kemrite currently sits in a tie for 46th place with 634 career points.
• In the Big South Preseason Coaches' Poll, Liberty was picked to finish second in the conference, while Radford was slotted in sixth place.
• 2016 Big South Coach of the Year Ritchie McKay is in his fourth year as head coach at Liberty.
Series History
Liberty vs. Campbell Series History (69th All-Time Meeting, Radford leads 37-31)
Coaching Matchup
Liberty Head Coach: Ritchie McKay
Overall Record: 225-214 (15th season)
Record at Liberty: 60-56 (Fourth season)
High Point Head Coach: Mike Jones
Overall Record: 87-94 (6th Season)
Record at High Point: Same
Notes and Anecdotes – Radford
• Liberty has lost the last three meetings at the Dedmon Center
• Radford's opponents in conference have a combined record of 11-14 with wins over UNC
Asheville and Winthrop
• The Flames have the chance to tie a school record winning its four first Big South road games for the first time since the 2010-11 season
• As Liberty goes into the game with the no. 1 ranked scoring defense, allowing 64.9 points per game, Radford has the lowest field goal percentage in the Big South shooting 41.9 percent
• Radford has three players averaging double figures in Caleb Tanner, Ed Polite Jr. and Justin Cousin led by Tanner averaging 10.5 points per game
• The Highlanders shoot 37.4 percent from three-point range, which ranks third in the Big South
Team Talking Points:
• Dating back to last season starting on Jan. 19, 2016 the Flames have posted a record of 12-4 in regular season games in the Big South with a winning percentage of .750
• In Liberty's last two games the Flames have shot 16-18 (88.8%) from the free-throw line with 1:15 left in the game
• When Liberty has played on the road in Big South games, they have won by an average of 10.3 points
• In its past two conference games (vs. Campbell, at High Point) Liberty has limited its opponents to 56 points per game
• The Flames made a season-high 10 consecutive field goals against Campbell
• Since receiving a DNP against Princeton, Lovell Cabbil has averaged 11 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists in the last seven games
• Lovell Cabbil scored a career high 21 points against Campbell after surpassing his season high (14) in the first half scoring 15 points
• After being inserted into the starting lineup in the past six games, Lovell Cabbil has averaged 10.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists
• Ryan Kemrite currently sits in 45th place on Liberty's all-time career scoring list with 634 points
• For the first time this season and the first time since Dec. 3, 2015 at Radford, the Liberty bench was held scoreless after not contributing points against UNC Asheville
• On the season, the Flames currently rank seventh in the Big South and No. 191 in the country (out of 347 teams) in field goal shooting percentage (43.9 percent/399-of-908) moving up 40 spots from Dec. 21
• On the season, the Flames are shooting 5.4 percent better during the second half (first half shooting percentage 41.1/165-of-401; second half shooting percentage 46.5/182-of-391)
• Liberty currently is second in the Big South and ranks No. 47 in the country, averaging 9.2 three-point field goals per game (165-of-447/36.9 percent)
• Liberty currently ranks no. 105 in the country and fourth in the Big South in three-point field goal percentage (36.9 percent)
• After just nine bench points in the last two games, (0 vs. UNC Asheville, 9 vs. Campbell) Liberty scored 19 points off the bench at High Point
• Liberty outscored PC & CSU' bench 51-37 in the Flames' first two conference games
• The Flames have shot better than 40 percent from three-point range in six of their seven wins (41.4 percent vs. Carin; 43.8 percent vs. UMass Lowell; 53.8 percent vs. Mississippi Valley State; 19.2 percent vs. Central Penn; 46.2 percent at Presbyterian; 53.6 at Charleston Southern)
• In its nine wins this season, Liberty has shot a combined 47.3 percent from the field (219-of-463)
• In its nine setbacks this year, Liberty has shot a combined 40.6 percent from the floor (181-of-445)
• The Flames have suffered nine setbacks this year with a combined record of 48-27 record (VCU 12-3/S.O.S - #42; Indiana 10-5/S.O.S - #180; William & Mary 7-6/S.O.S - #132; UNCG 11-5/S.O.S. - #228; Furman 9-6/S.O.S. - #321; Princeton 7-6/S.O.S. - #150; Lamar 9-5/S.O.S. - #347; Houston 12-3/S.O.S. - #171; UNC Asheville 11-6/S.O.S - #140)
• Liberty is 3-5 on the road this season and has not won a non-conference road game since defeating Western Carolina, 63-62, on Dec. 31, 2012
• Liberty has shot 70 percent or better from the free-throw line 11 times this year and currently ranks second in the Big South in free throw shooting percentage (72.6 percent/225-of-325)
• Liberty currently leads the Big South in scoring defense, limiting opponents to 66.0 points per game
• Liberty has forced 10 or more turnovers in 12 of 18 games this season and ranks fifth in the Big South in turnovers forced (13.9 per game)
