Liberty (15-7, 6-1) vs. Bellarmine (13-9, 7-1)
Louisville, Kentucky – Freedom Hall (Capacity: 18,252)
Thursday, Feb. 3, 1:30 p.m.
ESPN+
Last Meeting: Liberty won last year’s regular season finale, 94-78
Series History: Liberty leads 1-0
Projected LU Starters:
2 Darius McGhee (Sr., 5-9, 150) – 22.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.1 apg
23 Joseph Venzant (Fr., 6-3, 170) – 4.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 0.6 apg
20 Keegan McDowell (R-Sr., 6-6, 180) – 10.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.8 apg
22 Kyle Rode (Jr., 6-7, 220) – 7.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 4.0 apg
33 Shiloh Robinson (R-Jr., 6-7, 200) – 10.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.0 apg
Projected Bellarmine Starters:
25 CJ Fleming (Sr., 6-0, 180) – 13.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.8 apg
1 Juston Betz (Sr., 6-3, 190) – 6.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.1 apg
13 Dylan Penn (Sr., 6-3, 190) – 17.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 5.0 apg
2 Alec Pfriem (Jr., 6-5, 205) – 7.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.9 apg
42 Curt Hopf (Fr., 6-8, 220) – 7.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 0.6 apg
PREVIEW
Note the time change with forecasted inclement weather, the game has been moved from a 7 p.m. tip-off up to 1:30 p.m.
In just their second season in the ASUN and at the Division I level, the Bellarmine Knights have quickly established themselves as one of the best teams in the conference. They finished last year with a 10-3 mark in the ASUN, finishing in 2nd play in the league. They were in contention for the ASUN regular season title all the way until the regular season finale when they fell to Liberty, 94-78.
In that game last season at Freedom Hall, the Flames were led by Darius McGhee who scored a then career-high 34 points as he made 8 of 11 shots from behind the arc. Shiloh Robinson also added 11 points and 9 rebounds in the high scoring affair.
This year, after challenging themselves to a very difficult non-conference schedule that included games against Purdue, Murray State, Saint Mary’s, Gonzaga, UCLA, and West Virginia, long time head coach Scott Davenport and the Knights have once again raced out to a very strong start in conference play. Bellarmine won their first five games in ASUN play before falling at Jacksonville State, 65-60. Since that loss, the Knights have picked up two road wins at Stetson and FGCU to move their ASUN record to 7-1.
Last year’s star, Pedro Bradshaw, has moved on, but guards Dylan Penn and CJ Fleming have stepped into that vacancy for the Knights. Liberty and Bellarmine feature two of the top offenses in the ASUN, as the Flames rank No. 1 in the conference, shooting 48.5% from the field while the Knights rank No. 2, shooting 48.1% this season.
KENPOM PREDICTION
Liberty 67, Bellarmine 66
