Liberty (14-0) vs. LSU (7-4)
Baton Rouge, Louisiana – Maravich Assembly Center (13,215 capacity)
Sunday, Dec. 29, 1:30 p.m. ET
TV: SEC Network
Radio: Alan York will have the Liberty radio network call on 107.5 FM in Lynchburg or also streaming online.
Last Meeting: N/A
Series History: First meeting
Projected LU Starters:
11 Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz (Sr., 6-1, 175) – 9.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.2 apg
2 Darius McGhee (So., 5-9, 150) – 9.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.6 apg
10 Elijah Cuffee (Jr., 6-4, 200) – 9.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.3 apg
1 Caleb Homesley (R-Sr., 6-6, 205) – 11.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.5 apg
31 Scottie James (R-Sr., 6-7, 230) – 10.3 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.2 apg
Projected LSU Starters:
1 Javonte Smart (So., 6-4, 205) – 10.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 5.1 apg
4 Skylar Mays (Sr., 6-4, 205) – 16.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.8 apg
5 Emmitt Williams (So., 6-6, 230) – 14.5 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.3 apg
0 Darius Days (So., 6-6, 240) – 13.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.3 apg
2 Trendon Watford (Fr., 6-9, 235) – 12.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.5 apg
QUICK FACTS
- Will Wade and Liberty met in 2016 and 2017 when Wade was head coach at VCU. The Rams defeated Liberty, 64-59, at the Vines Center in November 2016 while Liberty won an exhibition game, 85-69, the following November.
- Liberty is ranked No. 2 in the country in scoring defense, holding opponents to 51.6 points per game.
- Scottie James was named the ASUN Player of the Week.
- The Flames are looking for its second win over an SEC school this season and third in the past two seasons.
- Liberty has three 1,000 career point scorers on the team, the most of any team in school history.
- December 29th is the same date Liberty defeated UCLA a year ago.
- For the first time this season, Liberty is an underdog as LSU is a 6.5 point favorite.
PREVIEW
The biggest test standing between the Flames and an undefeated regular season is the LSU Tigers. The Flames still have 16 games remaining, all ASUN Conference games, but Liberty will be heavy favorites in all of those games. A win on Sunday to improve to 15-0 and we could see Liberty ranked in the top 25 for the first time in school history when the new poll is released on Monday.
“They have at least three pros on the court,” said Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay. “It’s a team that is used to winning. They were 16-2 last year in the SEC and won in the NCAA Tournament. Although they lost a few guys from last year, this team will be a bit in desperation.”
LSU has lost two straight games for the first time since early last season. The Tigers are ranked #58 in the NET rankings, compared to Liberty’s 17th ranking. In KenPom, LSU is #44 where the Flames are #58. Akron, whom Liberty defeated, 80-67, last time out, is the highest ranked team the Flames have defeated this season as they rank #70 in NET and #105 in KenPom.
“If you remember, last year in January we lost to Lipscomb at our place by 20 and our guys subsequently went on to win 11 out of 12,” said McKay. “That loss really propelled us in terms of getting back to who we are. I think Coach Wade has probably had a few intense practices. They’ve had a lot of time to prep for us. We will get the best version of the LSU team that we could get.”
Under 3rd year head coach Will Wade, LSU is 0-4 against teams in the top 70 of the KenPom rankings this season with losses to VCU, Utah State, ETSU, and USC. LSU’s best win this season has come against KenPom #82 Rhode Island, 96-83 on a neutral court back in late November. That’s the Tigers only top 100 win this season, in fact it’s their only win against a top 130 team in the KenPom rankings.
LSU is coming off a 28-7 season where they advanced to the Sweet 16 as a 3-seed before falling to Michigan State.
“We’ve got to keep doing what we do, that gives us a chance to have success,” said McKay. “For us, taking care of the ball against their length and athleticism and being able to manufacture a really good shot each time we’re down the court will be important, but how we defend all the actions and individual talent and personnel that they have, that will be the key to the outcome.”
KENPOM PREDICTION
LSU 70, Liberty 66
