MBB Game Day: Coppin State
12/4/2025 2:58:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Game Day Coverage
- Liberty vs. Coppin State
- Tipoff: Saturday at 2:02 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN+
- Radio: LFSN Radio
- Live Stats
- The Flames (5-2) will look to continue their winning ways at home on Saturday afternoon against the Coppin State Eagles (2-9). Liberty is 4-0 at home.
- Liberty is looking to snap a two-game losing skid. The Flames went 1-2 at the ESPN Events Invitational during Feast Week, defeating Vermont (quarterfinals) before falling to Towson (semifinals) and Bradley (third place game).
- Brett Decker Jr. (19.6 ppg) leads the team in scoring and is the national leader in three-pointers per game (4.43). The sophomore has 31 threes and has connected on 58.5 percent from deep, the third best percentage in the country.
- The Flames have shot over 50 percent in five of seven games and are shooting 54.2 percent on the year, the third-best percentage nationally.
- Liberty also leads the country in effective field goal percentage (.647) and fewest turnovers per game (8.1) and ranks No. 4 in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (2.14), No. 6 in threes per game (12.0) and No. 7 in three-point percentage (41.6).
- Kaden Metheny (983 points at Liberty) is 17 points from 1,000 for his Flames career. He has 1,610 career points in his six-year college career.
- The Flames are 2-0 all-time versus the Eagles. The two teams have not played since the 1983-84 season, a 52-49 Flames win in Lynchburg (Dec. 3, 1983). Less than nine months prior to that meeting, Liberty and Coppin State met for the first time (March 5, 1983), a 65-64 Flames home triumph. The Flames have won 16 straight games against MEAC schools, dating back to the 2017-18 season. Liberty's last two wins over the MEAC both came against Maryland Eastern Shore (99-62 on Nov. 25, 2023 and 79-59 on Dec. 2, 2022) at Liberty Arena.
- Zach Cleveland is averaging 10.6 ppg, 9.3 rpg and 7.7 apg (No. 3 in country) through seven games.
- Decker Jr. and Metheny are the only Division I teammate duo in the last 30 seasons to each have at least 100 points and five or fewer turnovers through seven team games of a campaign.
- Decker Jr. led the Flames in scoring last week at the ESPN Events Invitational, averaging 19.0 ppg while knocking down 11 three-pointers at a 52.4 percent clip.
- This is Liberty's first time dropping back-to-back games since falling at Louisiana Tech (Jan. 11) and at home to UTEP (Jan. 16) last season. Since that loss to the Miners, Liberty has won 19 of its last 24 games (14-3 to close 2024-25, 5-2 to open this year).
- Cleveland ranks sixth in the country and first in CUSA in defensive rebounds per game (7.86). He is also first in the league and 29th nationally in rebounds per game (9.3) and tied for first in the conference in double-doubles (3).
- In addition to Metheny (983 points as a Flame) nearing 1,000 points in his time with Liberty, Colin Porter (921 points) and Cleveland (902 points) are both less than 100 points from 1,000 in their respective careers.
- Liberty finished 66th in the nation in the NCAA Men's Basketball NET Rankings and No. 64 in the KenPom rankings last year. The Flames are currently No. 105 in the KenPom in the early going and No. 129 in the NET.
- The Flames are 47-7 at Liberty Arena over the last four years.
- This will be Liberty's 18th all-time game on Dec. 6. The Flames are 9-8 all-time on this date and have won three straight. Two years ago on this date in 2023, Liberty topped Mississippi Valley State 74-39 at Liberty Arena. Liberty held MVSU to 37.8 percent shooting (17-of-45) and forced 14 Delta Devils turnovers. Porter (10 points) and Metheny (10 points) were two of four of Flames in double figures.
- The Flames' month of December includes home games against Coppin State (Saturday) and Midway (Dec. 16) and three big road tests at NC State (next Wednesday), Dayton (Dec. 20) and FIU (Dec. 28, CUSA opener). Liberty's game at NC State next Wednesday will be its first true road game of the season. The Wolfpack are 4-0 at home so far this year. Last year, the Flames sported an impressive 9-2 road mark after being 2-9 in road contests the year prior. Dayton has had 82 consecutive sellouts at UD Arena and is 5-0 so far at home this season. Liberty's game at FIU on Dec. 28 will be its Conference USA opener. The Flames were an impressive 7-2 in CUSA road games last year. Liberty is 0-2 all-time in CUSA openers, with the two losses both coming to Western Kentucky by a combined three points.
Players Mentioned
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