Photo by: Ryan Anderson
Liberty MBB to Compete in Live Oak Bank Holiday Classic, Nov. 25-28
6/11/2026 1:40:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Liberty Flames men's basketball team has been invited to compete in the 2026 Live Oak Bank Holiday Classic during Thanksgiving week.
The four-team event will be held at UNCW's Trask Coliseum in Wilmington, N.C. The teams competing include Liberty, UNCW, Princeton and St. Thomas. The event, which will be in its third year, will run from Nov. 25-28 and be a round-robin format with two total games per day on Nov. 25, Nov. 27 and Nov. 28.
The full schedule, game times and television networks will be announced at a later date.
Liberty is coming off a 2025-26 season in which the Flames posted a 26-8 overall record and 17-3 CUSA mark. Liberty earned its second straight CUSA outright regular season title and competed in the NIT for the second time in the last four seasons, advancing to the second round for a second time. The Flames' 203 victories over the last eight seasons are the most among any mid-major program and tied for the sixth most nationally. Liberty's .755 winning percentage (203-66 record) in that span is the fourth best mark in the country.
UNCW posted a 27-7 overall record and 15-3 CAA mark last season, winning the CAA outright regular season crown. The Seahawks also played in the NIT and advanced to the second round. St. Thomas had a strong 2025-26 campaign with a 24-10 record and 12-4 Summit League mark. The Tommies competed in the NIT, their first-ever NCAA Division I postseason appearance for the program during their first season of eligibility.
Princeton, another strong mid-major team, won a combined 43 games between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons and advanced all the way to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in 2023 as well. The Flames and Tigers both competed in the 2025 ESPN Events Invitational a season ago but did not square off.
This year's field includes a group of four teams that won a combined 86 games in 2025-26, including a total of 49 league victories.
Liberty has matched up with both UNCW and Princeton four times each in program history. The Flames have never faced St. Thomas.
Single-game tickets for the holiday event will go on sale at a later date. The rest of Liberty's non-conference schedule will be released at a later date.
The four-team event will be held at UNCW's Trask Coliseum in Wilmington, N.C. The teams competing include Liberty, UNCW, Princeton and St. Thomas. The event, which will be in its third year, will run from Nov. 25-28 and be a round-robin format with two total games per day on Nov. 25, Nov. 27 and Nov. 28.
The full schedule, game times and television networks will be announced at a later date.
Liberty is coming off a 2025-26 season in which the Flames posted a 26-8 overall record and 17-3 CUSA mark. Liberty earned its second straight CUSA outright regular season title and competed in the NIT for the second time in the last four seasons, advancing to the second round for a second time. The Flames' 203 victories over the last eight seasons are the most among any mid-major program and tied for the sixth most nationally. Liberty's .755 winning percentage (203-66 record) in that span is the fourth best mark in the country.
UNCW posted a 27-7 overall record and 15-3 CAA mark last season, winning the CAA outright regular season crown. The Seahawks also played in the NIT and advanced to the second round. St. Thomas had a strong 2025-26 campaign with a 24-10 record and 12-4 Summit League mark. The Tommies competed in the NIT, their first-ever NCAA Division I postseason appearance for the program during their first season of eligibility.
Princeton, another strong mid-major team, won a combined 43 games between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons and advanced all the way to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in 2023 as well. The Flames and Tigers both competed in the 2025 ESPN Events Invitational a season ago but did not square off.
This year's field includes a group of four teams that won a combined 86 games in 2025-26, including a total of 49 league victories.
Liberty has matched up with both UNCW and Princeton four times each in program history. The Flames have never faced St. Thomas.
Single-game tickets for the holiday event will go on sale at a later date. The rest of Liberty's non-conference schedule will be released at a later date.
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