Liberty’s first ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament came in 1994 when the Flames faced #1 seed North Carolina. The game was played in Landover, Maryland in front of 19,718 people which, at the time, marked the largest crowd to ever watch a Liberty athletic contest.

North Carolina held a narrow 32-26 halftime lead, but the Flames would not go away quietly. Liberty held the lead 40-36 with 15:10 left in the game, and again at 46-45 with 10:01 remaining. However, the Tar Heels would finish the game on a 25-6 run and go on to win 71-51.

Liberty was led by Matt Hildebrand’s 20 points and Jody Chapman’s 11. North Carolina was paced by their big front-court of Rasheed Wallace and Eric Montross. Wallace finished with 18 points & 10 rebounds, and Montross had 17 points & 10 rebounds.

The Tar Heels would be defeated in the 2nd round by #9 seed Boston College 75-72. Of course we all know they lost because of all the energy they had to exert just 2 days prior in beating Liberty.