MBB Game Day: Alabama
12/29/2023 9:54:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game Day Coverage
- Liberty vs. Alabama (C.M. Newton Classic at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala.)
- Tipoff: Saturday at 2:01 p.m. EST/1:01 p.m. CST)
- TV: SEC Network+
- Radio: LFSN Radio
- Live Stats
- This will be the third all-time meeting between the Flames and Crimson Tide. Alabama is 2-0 in the all-time series, and the two squads met last year in Tuscaloosa.
- Liberty has five wins against SEC teams since the start of the 2018-19 season. The Flames earned their first-ever SEC win over Mississippi State, an 80-76 triumph in the 2019 NCAA Tournament Round of 64. The win was Liberty's first ever in the NCAA Tournament. The Flames have two wins over Mississippi State and one each over Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Missouri.
- Liberty won its last game before Christmas, besting Utah Valley 79-63 on the road. The Flames shot 84 percent (21-of-25) from the field in the first half.
- Liberty is among the top 10 in the country in assist/turnover ratio (No. 5, 1.92), fewest turnovers per game (No. 7, 9.1), scoring defense (No. 8, 59.5), and scoring margin (No. 8, 19.8).
- Liberty is No. 50 in the NCAA Men's Basketball NET Rankings. The Flames are also No. 57 in the KenPom out of 362 Division I teams. Alabama is No. 9 in the NET and No. 8 in the KenPom rankings.
- Flames guard Colin Porter leads CUSA in assist/turnover ratio (3.43), ranking 17th nationally in the category.
- The Flames have 141 wins since the start of the 2018-19 season, fourth most in the nation during that span.
- This will be Liberty's 16th all-time game on this date. The Flames are 3-12 all-time on Dec. 30 and looking to snap a four-game losing skid on this date.
- Liberty last played on this date in 2017, a 58-55 setback at Gardner-Webb in its Big South opener. Scottie James paced the Flames with a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds.
- Liberty has five wins against SEC opponents since the 2018-19 season. The program is 5-12 all-time against the SEC, and all of those wins have come in less than five years time.
- Liberty's wins over the SEC:
12/2/21 - vs. Missouri, W 66-45
11/28/20 - Hall of Fame Classic vs. South Carolina, W 78-62
11/26/20 - Hall of Fame Classic vs. Mississippi State, W 84-73
12/14/19 - at Vanderbilt, W 61-56
3/22/19 - NCAA Tournament Round of 64 vs. No. 5 seed Mississippi State, W 80-76 - The event was created to honor C.M. Newton and the legacy he left. Newton coached at Alabama, Transylvania and Vanderbilt and was the first coach in the SEC to put forward an all-African American starting five while integrating the men's basketball team at Alabama. The game honors his commitment to diversity and inclusions and honors local organizations that are creating a similar impact in the Birmingham community.
- All 10 Flames wins have been by double digits. In those victories, Liberty is averaging 84.1 ppg and shooting 52.1 percent while allowing 54.5 ppg.
- Liberty has already faced five NCAA Tournament teams from last season, and Alabama will make it six NCAA Tournament foes from last year. The Flames are 2-3 in those games, with wins against Furman and Vermont and setbacks to Florida Atlantic, Charleston and Grand Canyon.
Players Mentioned
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