MBB Game Day: FIU

Game Day Coverage

Liberty vs. FIU (Liberty Arena)
Tipoff: Thursday at 6:05 p.m. ET
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: LFSN Radio
Live Stats

Liberty Storylines

CUSA-leading Liberty (22-3, 14-0 CUSA) will host FIU (12-19, 5-9 CUSA) on Thursday night on national TV (CBSSN). The Flames bring a perfect 12-0 home mark and a 16-game winning streak into the game.
Liberty's 16-game winning streak is the third longest in the nation at present and longest in program history. The Flames are also one of three teams in the nation currently unbeaten in conference play. Liberty has won 19 straight league games (including postseason) dating back to last year, the longest streak in DI.
The Flames can claim at least a share of the CUSA regular season title with a win over the Panthers. It would be the Flames' seventh regular season (or division) title in the last eight years.
Liberty (22-3, 14-0 CUSA) will clinch at least a share of the CUSA regular season title if Sam Houston (17-8, 9-5 CUSA) loses to Middle Tennessee Wednesday OR if Liberty beats FIU Thursday.
Liberty can clinch the outright CUSA regular season title and #1 seed if Sam Houston loses to Middle Tennessee Wednesday AND Liberty tops FIU Thursday.
The Flames will clinch the #1 seed for the CUSA Championship and CUSA outright regular season title with wins over FIU Thursday and a win over Western Kentucky Saturday regardless of what any other teams do. If that were to happen, the Flames would be 16-0, and the most they could in the loss column moving forward would be four losses in league (second place Sam Houston already has five).
Over the last seven years (entering this season), Liberty has claimed six conference regular season titles (one was a Division title in 2022) and four league tournament titles.
If Liberty were to claim the CUSA regular season title,the Flames would be the first team to repeat at CUSA regular season champions since Middle Tennessee did so in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
Liberty is one of four teams in the nation with 10 or more titles in the last seven years. The others are Gonzaga, Vermont and Colgate.
Liberty has 199 victories since the start of the 2018-19 season, fifth most in the country in that span.
Liberty topped UTEP 73-64 on the road on Saturday. JJ Harper paced the Flames with 18 points. The Panthers, who are 2-5 on the road in league play, bested LA Tech 77-64 at home on Saturday.
Thursday's game will be a battle of contrasting styles. The Flames are No. 2 nationally in fewest turnovers per game (8.5), and the Panthers are 15th in the country in forcing turnovers (15.28/game).
Liberty is No. 2 in the nation in field goal percentage (52.1), No. 3 in assist/turnover ratio (2.06,) No. 2 in effective field goal percentage (.617), No. 4 in three-point percentage (40.2), and No. 5 in fewest fouls per game (13.8) (leads CUSA in all of the above).
Liberty has won 16 games in a row, the third longest streak in the nation at present and the longest streak in school history.
-7-0 home, 9-0 road, 14-0 CUSA, 2-0 non-conference
-78.1 points per game, 68.3 points per game allowed
-51.7% from the field, 39.8% from three (146 3s), 73.2% from FT line
-Leading scorer: Brett Decker Jr. 16.1 ppg
-Leading rebounder: Zach Cleveland 7.5 rpg
-Leader in assists: Zach Cleveland 6.5 apg (98 total/15 games)
-Biggest margin of victory vs. a DI team: 16 (three times)-at Louisiana Tech (Jan. 8), vs. Delaware (Jan. 24) and at Middle Tennessee (Jan. 29)
-Closest wins: 73-71 over New Mexico State (Jan. 15) and 77-75 over New Mexico State (Feb. 11)
-Marquee non-conference win: 64-61 at Dayton (Dec. 20)
-Only 8.0 turnovers per game in the 16 wins, including 10 games with seven or less
-All starters averaging in double figures in those 16 games (Decker Jr. 16.1 ppg/Metheny 13.7 ppg/Cleveland 12.5 ppg/Porter 12.2 ppg/Harper 11.3 ppg)
-17.2 assists per game, 6.7 steals per game
-Streak started on Dec. 16, last loss was Dec. 10 (will be a span of 71 days when Liberty plays FIU since it last lost)
-Longest win streak in program history, surpassing the 2019-20 Flames which started the 2019-20 season with a 14-0 record (Nov. 8-Dec. 21, 2019)
Liberty and FIU will be meeting for the ninth time overall and sixth time since the Flames joined the league. The Flames are 5-3 all-time against the Panthers, including a 4-1 mark in CUSA action. Liberty has bested FIU in three straight meetings. The Flames played the Panthers in this year's CUSA opener back on Dec. 28 and emerged victorious by a 97-94 score in overtime. This was Liberty's first win in a CUSA opener. Brett Decker Jr. (game-high 27 points) and Kaden Metheny (25 points, six assists) combined for 52 points in the road triumph. Metheny was named CUSA Player of the Week for the first time in his career for his performance on the road against the Panthers.
The Flames are 14-0 in CUSA play for the first time.
Prior to this year, Liberty's best start ever in league play was 7-0, set during the 2018-19 season.
Liberty is 5-1 this year (4-0 CUSA) in games decided by three points or less.
Liberty is the first team to start 14-0 or better in CUSA play since the 2012-13 Memphis team (16-0).
The Flames are currently No. 75 in the NCAA NET Rankings and No. 89 in KenPom. The Panthers are No. 197 in the NET and No. 199 in KenPom.
Liberty has won 19 straight contests (including postseason play) against Conference USA opponents, the longest conference winning streak in the country, and is 25-1 in its last 26 games against conference foes dating back to last year.
Liberty is one of 15 teams in the nation with five or more players averaging in double figures scoring.
Brett Decker Jr. ranks No. 2 nationally in three-point percentage (48.9), No. 11 in three-pointers per game (3.44) and No. 11 in total triples (86).
Decker Jr. is leading the team in scoring at 18.6 ppg in 12 home games while making 46 threes at a 53.5 percent clip.
Zach Cleveland ranks No. 7 in the country in assists per game (7.1) and No. 7 in defensive rebounds per game (7.25). He is also leads the conference in double-doubles (8).
Cleveland notched his first career triple-double, the only player in CUSA this year to have a triple-double, against Missouri State (19 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists) and earned his second CUSA Player of the Week honor, Feb. 9.
Head coach Ritchie McKay is the winningest coach in school history with 294 victories. He achieved milestone victory No. 260, surpassing Jeff Meyer (259 wins, 1981-97) in an 82-59 road win at FIU on Jan. 25, 2025.
Liberty is 61-of-71 from the foul line (85.9 percent) in the final two minutes of regulation and overtime in its 14 CUSA games.
The Flames have led for 425:09 of a possible 565 minutes in conference play (75.2 percent).
Liberty is 21-0 when outshooting its opponent and has shot 50 percent or better 16 times.
Decker Jr. has scored in double figures in 23 games this season. He has been Liberty's leading scorer (or tied) 11 times and has nine 20-plus point games.
All five starters are averaging 12.0 ppg or more in conference play (Decker Jr. 16.4 ppg/Metheny 13.5 ppg/ Cleveland 12.6 ppg/Porter 12.3 ppg/Harper 12.1 ppg).
Liberty has won nine straight road games, the third longest streak in the country. The Flames' nine road victories are tied for fourth most in the nation.
Liberty is ranked No. 3 in the College Insider Men's Mid-Major Top 25® for a fifth straight week, behind only No. 1 Gonzaga (25-2) and No. 2 Miami (Ohio) (25-0). The Flames are the only CUSA team in the Top 25.

Schedule

Players Mentioned

Zach Cleveland

Brett Decker Jr.

JJ Harper

Kaden Metheny

MBB Game Day: FIU

Related News

Players Mentioned

Zach Cleveland

Brett Decker Jr.

JJ Harper

Kaden Metheny

Related Videos