Liberty (3-0) vs. East Carolina (1-2)
Greenville, NC – Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum
Saturday, Nov. 16, 4 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN3
Radio: Alan York will have the Liberty radio network call on 107.5 FM in Lynchburg or also streaming online.
Last Meeting: Liberty won, 55-53, on November 17, 2007.
Series History: East Carolina leads the all-time series, 5-2, though the Flames have won two straight in the series.

Projected LU Starters:

11 Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz (Sr., 6-1, 175) – 7.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.0 apg
2 Darius McGhee (So., 5-9, 150) – 10.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.0 apg
10 Elijah Cuffee (Jr., 6-4, 200) – 6.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 3.0 apg
1 Caleb Homesley (R-Sr., 6-6, 200) – 10.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.0 apg
31 Scottie James (R-Sr., 6-7, 230) – 11.0 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 1.1 apg

Projected ECU Starters:

2 Tristen Newton (Fr., 6-5, 185) – 9.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 4.6 apg
11 J.J. Miles (Jr., 6-7, 220) – 6.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.1 apg
21 Ludgy Debaut (Jr., 7-0, 245) – 1.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.0 apg
1 Jayden Gardner (So., 6-7, 235) – 18.0 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 2.7 apg
33 Miles James (So., 6-6, 215) – 1.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 0.7 apg

QUICK FACTS

  • Liberty has never defeated an AAC opponent, previously playing Houston and Tulane.
  • Of the 120 minutes Liberty has played this season, the Flames have trailed for just two minutes and six seconds with all of that time coming after their opponent scored the first points of the game before Liberty gained the lead.
  • Liberty is trying to improve to 4-0 for the first time since 1999.
  • The Flames are ranked #11 in the country in scoring defense, allowing 51.3 points per game.
  • Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz (74 wins) is 11 victories away from becoming Liberty’s all-time winningest player in school history, surpassing Lovell Cabbil who set the record last year with 85 wins.
  • Liberty is favored by 6 points.

PREVIEW

This will be Liberty’s first road game of the season after opening with three straight home contests. After opening the season with an 80-68 win at home over VMI, the Pirates have dropped road contests to Navy and Appalachian State by a combined 11 points.

“In the preseason I want to know what we’re not,” Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay said. “It’s hard to tell, this is a new dynamic. Last year, (in our first road game) at Kent (State), we had every excuse in the world to not show up, but Lovell Cabbil, Keenan Gumbs, and some of the returners, man they played. I expect it to be similar in terms of a long road trip, a team that’s reeling a little bit. They have a lot of new guys. We’re only three games into our scout. I know it will be a challenge and it will be good for us to evaluate what we need to continue to work on.”

Paced by sophomore Jayden Gardner, East Carolina is one of the tallest teams in the country. The 6’7″ Gardner announced his presence to the American Athletic Conference with 35 points and 20 rebounds in an early January game last season against Tacko Fall and UCF.

“He was teammates with Darius (McGhee), they played on the same AAU team,” McKay said of Gardner. “He’s got such a motor. We see that motor in Scottie James on a regular basis. We know what it looks like. He never stops. You’ve got to put a body on him. He’s got a toughness. He’s improved his skill level.”

The Pirates are in their second season under former Florida Gulf Coast head coach Joe Dooley. They are coming off a 10-21 overall record and 3-15 mark in AAC play a season ago. Their starting lineup features a group that ranges in size from 6’5″ to 7’0″.

“They are the tallest team in Division I basketball,” said McKay. “It will be interesting to see how we navigate that challenge. Joe Dooley knows what he’s doing. He’s won a lot of games.”

KENPOM PREDICTION

Liberty 66, East Carolina 61