MBB Game Day: Jacksonville State

Game Day Coverage

Liberty vs. Jacksonville State (Liberty Arena)
Tipoff: Thursday at 7:02 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN+
Radio: LFSN Radio
Live Stats

Liberty Storylines

First place in Conference USA is on the line on Thursday night when Liberty (22-5, 10-4 CUSA) hosts Jacksonville State (19-9, 11-4 CUSA). The Flames are No. 2 in the CUSA standings and sit a half game back of the Gamecocks.
The Flames are 8-1 over their last eight games and have won five straight. Liberty topped FIU 58-45 in its most recent action. The Gamecocks split a pair of games last weekend at home, falling 61-52 to NM State before bouncing back to top UTEP 73-65.
Liberty is 11-2 overall at home, including a 5-2 mark in league play. The Flames have not lost at home in over a month (Jan. 16 to UTEP). Jax State is 6-6 in road games and 4-3 away from home in league play.
This will be the seventh all-time meeting between the two teams and fourth with both as Conference USA members. Jacksonville State has won the last three meetings and holds a 4-2 edge over the Flames. In the first meeting this season on Feb. 1 at Pete Mathews Coliseum, the Flames led 38-32 at the break. Jax State used a 16-2 run in the second half to take the lead and outscored the Flames 40-23 over the final 20 minutes for a 72-61 victory. Taelon Peter (19 points), Zach Cleveland (17 points) and Colin Porter (12 points) combined for 48 of Liberty's 61 points on the night. Jax State featured four double-digit scorers, led by Quel'Ron House's 18 points.The Liberty defense held CUSA-leading scorer Jaron Pierre Jr. to only nine points on 3-of-13 shooting.
Liberty is first in the nation in three-point percentage defense (27.2). The Flames rank in the top 15 nationally and lead CUSA in: fewest fouls per game (No. 3, 12.6), effective field goal percentage (No. 4, 57.9), scoring defense (No. 8, 61.1), scoring margin (No. 9, 14.7, assist/turnover ratio (No. 12, 1.62) and winning percentage (No. 15, 81.5).
Liberty is 70th in the nation in the current NCAA Men's Basketball NET Rankings and No. 68 in the KenPom rankings. Jax State is No. 114 in the NET and No. 114 in KenPom.
Jacksonville State swept the season series against Liberty last year, winning on the road and on its home floor. The Gamecocks topped the Flames 73-62 at Pete Mathews Coliseum in what was the latter of two meetings (Jan. 27, 2024). Kyle Rode paced Liberty in that meeting with 17 points, followed by Colin Porter with 15 points and five assists. Jax State shot 62.2 percent (28-of-45) from the field in that contest. In the first matchup, the Flames fell 61-51 to the Gamecocks in what was their first-ever CUSA home game. Kaden Metheny paced the hosts with a game-high 15 points.
The Flames are one of 28 teams in the nation with 22 or more wins on the season.
Liberty (10-4 CUSA) has won 10 or more league games in eight of the last 10 seasons. The Flames have also won 20 or more games in eight of the last nine years.
Taelon Peter is the Flames' leading scorer (16.1 ppg) in conference play through 14 games. He is also now the team's leading scorer overall at 13.1 ppg. Kaden Metheny (13.1 ppg) is right behind Peter. If you rounded to the hundredth decimal point, Peter is averaging 13.11 ppg, while Metheny is at 13.08 ppg.
Peter has scored in double figures in 11 of his last 12 games, averaging 17.3 points per game. In that span, the guard is shooting 58.5 percent from the field, 46.5 percent from three-point territory and 77.1 percent from the foul line while also averaging 5.1 rebounds per contest. Peter has eclipsed the 20-point mark five times in the last 12 games and matched a career high with 33 points at LA Tech on Jan. 11. He notched his first double-double (23 points, 10 rebounds) as a Flame in a road win at UTEP.
Colin Porter ranks 15th in the country and first in Conference USA in assist/turnover ratio (2.97). The junior guard is now ninth in program history for career assists (370).
Kaden Metheny leads the team in three-pointers made (74) and threes per game (2.85). Metheny ranks No. 3 in CUSA in threes per contest and No. 4 in the league in triples per game.
The Flames are 20-1 this season when outshooting their opponents and 11-0 when shooting 50 percent or better.
Jacksonville State is one of only two teams (other: UTEP) to win two times at Liberty Arena. The Flames have lost only nine games in five years in the facility.
Jaron Pierre Jr. of the Gamecocks leads CUSA in scoring at 22.1 ppg and ranks second nationally in the category. The redshirt senior is averaging 28.7 ppg over his last six games. Pierre's nine-point effort against the Flames in the first matchup was his only game all season in single figures scoring.
The Flames have only trailed at the half two times this year, with both occasions coming in the last three games. Liberty came back to win both of those games (at NM State and at UTEP).
Liberty is ranked No. 5 in the College Insider Men's Mid-Major Top 25®, up two spots from last week. The highest the Flames reached this season was No. 3 in back-to-back weeks earlier in the year. Jacksonville State is listed at No. 20 in the poll.

Schedule

MBB Game Day: Jacksonville State

Players Mentioned

Zach Cleveland

Kaden Metheny

Taelon Peter

Colin Porter

Kyle Rode

MBB Game Day: Jacksonville State

Players Mentioned

Zach Cleveland

Kaden Metheny

Taelon Peter

Colin Porter

Kyle Rode

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