Liberty has opened up conference play with a strong 3-1 record, losing their last conference matchup to Eastern Kentucky in a nail biter. This leaves Stetson as the only undefeated ASUN team left in the conference.

As the Flames continue to fight through the conference schedule, they are looking like a legit contender to win the regular ASUN title. While the loss at Eastern Kentucky was not the desired outcome, Flames’ fans have every reason to be optimistic about the men’s chances in conference play this season. 

The conference portion of the season is still young, but there are a few takeaways at this point. 

  1. Colin Porter is the point guard. I say that as an asterisk, simply because Darius McGhee continues to need to keep his usage rate up and to get a high number of touches. Still, even with Darius a little hobbled in the last couple of matchups, there has been no significant dropoff from the freshman guard. I hate to toot my own horn, but I have been stating Porter will excel in conference play, and it appears he is settling it. The season is still far from over, but if Colin stays healthy, I don’t foresee him slowing down. He is developing a mid range threat and providing a scoring threat. It is optimal that he learns and grows with the support of Darius McGhee in this season. Next year he will face more focus, so this year can serve as an ideal confidence builder. 
  2. The ball movement has been exceptional. One of the biggest critiques of the Flames going into this season was their reliance on Darius McGhee for the entire scoring load. This issue started to remedy itself towards the end of non-conference play, and has largely resolved in conference play. The scoring contributions have continued to expand, as Brody Peebles, Blake Preston, Colin Porter, and Joseph Venzant continue to make consistent contributions. In the Flames’ competition against Jacksonville State, the ball movement was simply excellent, and the final score clearly reflected it. 
  3. Darius McGhee is still unstoppable. It feels like I write this sentence in every article, but Darius really is a cheat code. He has to be leading the NCAA D1 in four-point plays, utilizing his left hand for some of them. Darius struggled against Eastern Kentucky, but I believe he was struggling against nagging injuries. Defenders will have a much easier time getting physical with Darius and slowing him down as the hits accumulate. Still, the team and Darius get a needed four day break before tipping again. I anticipate McGhee will regain his stride against North Alabama on the 12th. He recorded 24 points against Bellarmine, 19 points against Lipscomb, and 22 points against Jacksonville State. One bad game when fighting injuries is expected. I’m excited to see what he does on Thursday. 
  4. The ASUN is sporadic. I will be the first to say that Lipscomb has not been as formidable as I believed they would be, but I fully expect them to have some surprising victories. Stetson is competing at a high level, and this was not the most highly predicted outcome. Jacksonville State has gone through a bit of a facelift in the loss of their experienced starting lineup. Each season is different for the ASUN, and it continues to be unpredictable. It is part of what I will miss about the league next season as the Flames transition to CUSA. We can look forward to lots of drama as we progress into conference play. 

Here’s to a couple great weeks tipping off the conference play for the ‘22-’23 season. I look forward to seeing what the Flames accomplish as we continue to follow them through the dog days of January.