MBB Game Day: New Mexico State
2/27/2024 1:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Game Day Coverage
- Liberty vs. New Mexico State
- Tipoff: Thursday at 9:05 p.m. EST
- TV: CBS Sports Network
- Radio: LFSN Radio
- Live Stats
- This is the second meeting between the Flames and Aggies. New Mexico State edged Liberty 79-73 in overtime, Feb. 1 in Las Cruces, N.M.
- Zach Cleveland matched a career high with 23 points and added eight rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks against the Aggies. Kaden Metheny added 16 points for the visitors, and Brody Peebles scored 13. Christian Cook poured in a game-high 27 points New Mexico State in that first meeting.
- The Flames are looking to snap a two-game losing skid. Liberty fell 76-71 at FIU in its most recent game, last Thursday. The Flames bring a 10-2 home record into the game. The Aggies have lost five games in a row. New Mexico State fell 67-58 to LA Tech in its most recent contest.
- Liberty is among the top 25 teams in the nation in threes per game (No. 11, 10.2), assist/turnover ratio (No. 13, 1.64), fewest turnovers per game (No. 21, 9.8) and scoring defense (No. 22, 65.1). The Flames lead CUSA in three of those four categories and rank second in scoring defense.
- Kaden Metheny ranks 17th in the country and second in CUSA in three-point percentage (41.6). The guard is shooting 46.5 percent (20-of-43) from deep over his last five games, averaging 18.5 ppg during that span.
- Flames sophomore Colin Porter is among the best in the nation in assist/turnover ratio. The guard ranks 23rd in the country and first in CUSA in assist/turnover ratio (3.00).
- Kyle Rode has made a team-high 77 three-pointers, good for 42nd most nationally and most in CUSA. Rode is currently 37th nationally and first in CUSA in three-pointers per game (2.85).
- Liberty is No. 121 in the NCAA Men's Basketball NET Rankings. The Flames are No. 120 in the KenPom out of 362 Division I teams. New Mexico State is No. 286 in the NET and No. 283 in the KenPom.
- The Flames have featured three CUSA Player of the Week honorees (Kyle Rode two, Zach Cleveland one).
- Liberty's 147 wins over the last six years are the sixth most in the nation during that span.
- The Flames are 55-6 all-time at Liberty Arena. This is the fourth season for Liberty in the facility.
- This will be Liberty's fifth all-time game on Feb. 29. The Flames are 2-2 all-time on this date.
- The last time Liberty played on Feb. 29 was four years ago (2020), a 77-71 road loss at Lipscomb in the regular season finale. Despite that setback, the Flames earned a share of the ASUN regular season crown and went on to defeat the Bisons eight days later (March 8, 2020) in the ASUN title game at the Vines Center by a 73-57 score.
- This is the Flames' second game of the year on CBS Sports Network. Liberty opened its CUSA portion of the schedule at Western Kentucky, Jan. 6 on CBS Sports Network.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
Liberty Basketball: The Best of the "Big 3"
Friday, April 03
Taelon Peter: From Liberty to the NBA
Tuesday, March 31
Coach McKay Talks About The Nevada Game
Monday, March 23
Coach McKay, Brett Decker Jr. & Josh Smith Talk About The Win Over George Mason
Wednesday, March 18