Monday, November 4
Xenia, Ohio
5:00 PM ET
Liberty University
vs
Valparaiso
MBB Game Day: Valparaiso
11/2/2024 12:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Game Day Coverage
- Liberty vs. Valparaiso (Wooden Family Fieldhouse in Xenia, Ohio)
- Tipoff: Monday at 5 p.m. ET
- TV: Gray Media (Televised locally in Lynchburg on WZBJ 24.1) Full list of TV stations carrying the game
- Radio: LFSN Radio
- Liberty will get its 2024-25 season started against Valparaiso at the Athletes in Action Tip-Off event in Xenia, Ohio. The Flames and Beacons will be meeting for the second time ever and first time in over 20 years (Dec. 30, 2003).
- The Flames' Zach Cleveland and Kaden Metheny were both named to the 2024-25 CUSA Men's Basketball Preseason All-Conference team. Cleveland was a All-CUSA second team honoree a season ago, and Metheny garnered All-CUSA third team distinction last year.
- Liberty has 149 wins over the past six seasons, eighth most in the nation during that span.
- The Flames are 30-22 all-time in season openers, including a 9-2 record under Coach McKay.
- Liberty has eight total titles over the last six years - three ASUN Tournament crowns, four ASUN regular season titles and an ASUN Division title
- Liberty finished in the top 20 nationally last year in three-pointers per game (No. 11, 10.1), scoring defense (No. 19, 65.5) and effective field goal percentage (No. 19, 55.1).
- The Flames will play seven of their nine November games at either neutral or road venues.
- Liberty features an influx of new talent paired with a strong group of returners. The Flames have nine returners and seven newcomers. The seven new players include: Isaiah Ihnen (Minnesota transfer), Jayvon Maughmer (Cedarville transfer), Taelon Peter (Arkansas Tech transfer), Owen Aquino (Eastern Florida State transfer), Brett Decker Jr. (Central Hardin HS) and Will Gibson (DeSales HS). Maughmer (G-MAC) and Peter (GAC) earned Player of the Year honors in their respective conferences. Aquino was a NJCAA Division I All-America honoree last season at Eastern Florida State.
- Maughmer's first game in a Liberty uniform will be a homecoming of sorts. Maughmer played his first four years at Cedarville University, less than 10 miles from Wooden Family Fieldhouse. Maughmer is from Chillicothe, Ohio, about an hour drive from Xenia.
- This is the first time Liberty has opened the year against a Division I opponent since the 2020-21 season when the Flames faced Purdue in their first game at the Space Coast Challenge (77-64 loss).
- This will be Liberty's first time playing on Nov. 4 and earliest start to the season in program history. Last year, the Flames opened up the year on Nov. 6, downing Mid-Atlantic Christian 103-43 at Liberty Arena. In that season opener a year ago, five Liberty players scored in double figures, led by a game-high 20 points from Brody Peebles. Zach Cleveland added 13 points, while Shiloh Robinson, Zander Yates and Gabriel McKay scored 10 points each.
- Liberty's showdown with Valparaiso will be the first men's college basketball game in the new Wooden Family Fieldhouse. Florida Atlantic and Indiana State will square off following the Liberty game at 7:30 p.m. The new John Wooden Family Fiedhouse is equipped with state-of-the-art amenities, including a championship court, seating for 1,200 people, NBA Spalding basketball hoops and LED screen score tables to provide an elite and immersive experience for players and spectators. The facility features a Total Athlete experience room dedicated to training individuals on the integral aspects of mental, physical and spiritual preparation, emphasizing holistic athlete development.
- This will mark the second of two Liberty-Valparaiso contests on the day in Xenia. The Lady Flames and Beacons will face one another in women's basketball at 1 p.m. in the first game of the day.
- Liberty's best ranking last season in the College Insider Men's Mid-Major Top 25® was No. 3. This year, the Flames are receiving votes in the preseason poll. Liberty received the second-most votes (81) among teams just outside the Top 25.
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/ Men's BasketballFriday, April 03
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