MBB Game Day: Louisiana
11/20/2024 9:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Game Day Coverage
- Liberty vs. Louisiana (USVI Elridge Blake Sports and Fitness Center | St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands)
- 2024 Paradise Jam Quarterfinals
- Tipoff: Friday at 5:30 p.m. EST/6:30 p.m. AST
- TV: ESPN+
- Radio: LFSN Radio
- Live Stats
- This will be the first-ever meeting between Liberty and Louisiana. The winner of Friday night's game will face either Kansas State (3-1) or George Washington (4-0) in Sunday's semifinals. The loser will play on Saturday
- Liberty is 4-1 on the year. The Flames split a pair of games at last week's Field of 68 Tip-Off, falling 77-74 to FAU in overtime before rebounding to take down Charleston 68-47. The Liberty defense, which ranks in the top 25 in the nation in scoring defense (No. 21, 59.2), held Charleston (98.3 ppg coming in) over 50 points below its season average.
- Flames junior forward Zach Cleveland was named to the 2024-25 Lou Henson Award Early Season Watch List. Cleveland is averaging 12.0 ppg, 6.2 ppg and 4.8 apg through five contests.
- Cleveland and Metheny are both CUSA Men's Basketball Preseason All-Conference team honorees. Metheny (14.3 ppg) is leading the team in scoring average. The guard hit the game-winning three with 3.7 seconds left in the Flames' 66-64 road win at Seattle U (Nov. 9).
- Liberty last played in and hosted the 2017 Paradise Jam at the Vines Center in Lynchburg. Liberty served as a substitute host for the event due to hurricane damage in the U.S. Virgin Islands that year.
- The Flames have claimed three in-season tournament titles in recent memory. Liberty won the 2023 Myrtle Beach Invitational, going 3-0 at the event to capture the title at Coastal Carolina's HTC Center. The Flames knocked off Furman (quarterfinals), Wichita State (semifinals) and Vermont (title game) to claim the championship. Kyle Rode was named Myrtle Beach Invitational MVP. Liberty Liberty won the Island of the Bahamas Showcase (Nov. 22-24, 2019) as well as the DC Holiday Hoops Fest (Dec. 20-21, 2019), springboarding the Flames to a 30-4 overall record, the most wins in school history. Liberty went 13-3 in the ASUN and captured a share of the ASUN regular season title while going on to win their second straight ASUN Championship crown over Lipscomb.
- Liberty has won 153 games over the last six-plus seasons (since start of 2018-19 season), which ranks tied for seventh most in the nation.
- Liberty is currently ranked No. 19 in the College Insider Men's Mid-Major Top 25®. Last week, the Flames were No. 18. The Flames were receiving votes in the preseason poll.
- This will be Liberty's 16th all-time game on Nov. 22. The Flames are 6-9 all-time on this date. Liberty played on Nov. 22 two years ago, facing Northwestern in the opening game of the Cancun Challenge. The Wildcats bested the Flames 66-52. Darius McGhee led Liberty with a game-high 23 points. Liberty played on this date in 2019 as well, topping Morgan State 89-48 in The Island of the Bahamas Showcase.
Players Mentioned
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