Liberty (19-2, 5-1) vs. Stetson (10-11, 4-2)
DeLand, Florida – Edmunds Center (4,000 capacity)
Saturday, Jan. 25, 4:00 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN+
Radio: Alan York will have the Liberty radio network call on 107.5 FM in Lynchburg or also streaming online.
Last Meeting: Liberty won both meetings last year, defeat Stetson in DeLand, 71-53, on January 9th and also in Lynchburg on February 5th, 57-54.
Series History: Liberty leads 2-1.

Projected LU Starters:

11 Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz (Sr., 6-1, 175) – 9.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.1 apg
2 Darius McGhee (So., 5-9, 150) – 9.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.4 apg
10 Elijah Cuffee (Jr., 6-4, 200) – 8.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.2 apg
1 Caleb Homesley (R-Sr., 6-6, 205) – 12.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.4 apg
31 Scottie James (R-Sr., 6-7, 230) – 10.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.2 apg

Top LU Reserves:

0 Myo Baxter-Bell (R-Sr., 6-5, 255) – 7.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.5 apg
22 Kyle Rode (Fr., 6-7, 220) – 5.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.5 apg
33 Shiloh Robinson (Fr., 6-7, 200) – 3.2 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 0.4 apg

Projected Stetson Starters:

10 Kenny Aninye (Jr., 6-1, 185) – 5.2 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.8 apg
2 Rob Perry (Fr., 6-3, 210) – 15.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.5 apg
0 Christiaan Jones (Jr., 6-5, 195) – 9.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.2 apg
35 Joel Kabimba (Fr., 6-8, 210) – 5.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.6 apg
15 Mahamadou Diawara (Fr., 6-10, 235) – 13.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 0.6 apg

Top Stetson Reserves:

3 Terry Ivery (Fr., 5-9, 170) – 2.4 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 1.7 apg
4 Jahlil Rawley (Sr., 6-4, 185) – 6.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.8 apg
1 Wheza Panzo (Fr., 6-7, 190) – 4.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 0.8 apg

QUICK FACTS

  • Liberty has not lost back-to-back games since February 22, 2018.
  • The Flames are currently ranked No. 50 in the NET rankings.
  • The Flames have won 15 straight home games, just shy of the program record of 16 set in 1983-84.
  • Liberty ended 2019 with the second highest winning percentage (.882) in Division I going 32-4.
  • The Flames have 10 wins away from home this season, the most of any team in Division I.
  • Liberty is ranked No. 2 in the country in scoring defense, holding opponents to 52.4 points per game.
  • Liberty has three 1,000 career point scorers on the team, the most of any team in school history. Richmond is the only other Division I team in the country that has three 1,000 point scorers on their team.
  • The Flames ended non-conference play with 6 neutral court wins, the most Liberty has ever had in a single season.
  • Liberty looks to become the first team since FGCU in 2017 to repeat as ASUN Champions.

PREVIEW

Two of the top teams in the ASUN Conference will battle at the Edmunds Center Saturday afternoon when Liberty closes out its road trip against Stetson. Liberty is tied for first place with North Florida while Stetson is right behind the Flames, sitting it third place, with a 4-2 record in conference.

Those couple of sentences come as a shocker to anyone who follows the ASUN. Stetson was picked to finish dead last among both the media and the coaches preseason polls. The Hatters are coming off 6 consecutive 20 loss seasons and haven’t won more than 5 ASUN games in 8 years.

First year head coach Donnie Jones brings a wealth of experience with him and he has quickly gotten the Hatters believing they can compete in the conference. Jones spent the past two seasons as an assistant, first at Wichita State and then Dayton. Prior to that he was head coach at Marshall and then UCF, and he guided teams to four 20 win seasons in his 9 years as the head man.

He’s done it thanks to a very strong freshman class. Five freshmen are currently receiving playing time, including three starters. The group is highlighted by 6’10” Mahamadou Diawara who committed to Stetson and Coach Jones in June. Diawara is originally from Mali, Africa, and he was rated by ESPN as a 4-star rated prospect and 3-star by both Rivals and 247Sports. He reported had offers from VCU, Penn State, Rhode Island, East Carolina, UMass, Saint Joe’s, and Nevada.

Fellow freshman Rob Perry leads the team in scoring at 15.5 points per game while Terry Ivery, Wheza Panzo, and Joel Kabimba are all making contributions as freshmen as well.

Stetson had an up and down non-conference season, losing to the likes of VMI, Longwood, and UNC Asheville, but picking up an upset win over South Carolina. In conference, the Hatters have defeated Kennesaw State, North Alabama, Jacksonville, and NJIT with losses to Lipscomb and FGCU in overtime. Their 6 league games have all been decided by 5 points or fewer.

KENPOM PREDICTION

Liberty 63, Stetson 52