campbell

Tomasz Gielo led the Flames with 17 points & 7 boards in Liberty’s win over Campbell in January

You can catch our initial Campbell primer from prior to the teams’ first meeting.

Liberty beat Campbell in the teams’ initial meeting this season, 71-68, on January 14th at the Vines Center. Can the Flames duplicate that feat and stop their current 7 game losing streak? Here are 5 things to consider for the rematch.

1. Since the previous meeting, both teams have struggled. Campbell is 4-6 while Liberty is 1-9. The Camels have also lost 5 of their past 6 with their only win coming at home against Presbyterian, 77-66. Very similar to Liberty who has lost 9 of their past 10 with their only win coming at home against the Blue Hose, 65-53.

2. The Flames led most of the way in the first meeting including being up 43-30 at the half, but the Camels went on a 13-0 run to start the 2nd half. This run changed the entire game as Liberty went from being in control to doing their best to keep Campbell at bay.

3. Reco McCarter leads the Camels with 12.8 points per game, and is averaging 17 points per game over his past 15 games. McCarter struggled in the first half against the Flames shooting 0-of-6 from the field 0-of-3 from 3 in the first half with 0 free throw attempts. He would turn things around though finishing with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 free throw attempts.

4. Drew Smith & Tomasz Gielo combined for 32 points and 14 rebounds last meeting including this nasty putback dunk from Smith which landed him a spot on Sportscenter’s Top 10. Put_Back_Dunk_by_Liberty39s_An_47eace46ced134734067545cac1c52f6

5. The Camels have had the exact same starting lineup for all 28 games this season. Reco McCarter, Leek Leek, Darius Leonard, Andrew Ryan, and Quinton Ray have started every single game this season. That’s remarkable. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a Division I basketball team doing the same. So, I did some research. Campbell is 1 of 13 Division I basketball teams this season that have had the exact same starting lineup all year. The others: Cincinnati, UMass, Mercer, Providence, Iowa, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Stanford, Missouri, Sam  Houston State, Stephen F. Austin, and Utah Valley.

Prediction: Liberty is 1-12 on the road this season, 1-6 in Big South play. Campbell is 5-2 at home in conference play. Expect more of the same this afternoon. Campbell 73 Liberty 70