Liberty men’s basketball was unable to compete in the 2020 NCAA Tournament due to the coronavirus pandemic, but ESPN’s Joe Lunardi thinks the Flames will be able to three-peat as ASUN Champs in 2020-21
Lunardi released his Way-Too-Early March Madness bracket for 2021 this week and he has Liberty in as a 16-seed. He has the Flames as one of the lowest rated 16-seeds and therefore heading to Dayton for the First Four where he has Liberty playing Southern. The winner would advance to play 1-seed Creighton in Wichita.
Lunardi predicts the No. 1 seeds to be Villanova (East, Brooklyn), Kentucky (South, Memphis), Gonzaga (West, Denver), and Creighton (Midwest, Minneapolis).
Liberty finished the 2019-20 season at 30-4 overall and 13-3 in conference play. The Flames won a share of the ASUN regular season title and the ASUN Tournament title for a second consecutive season. It was a program record for wins, besting the 2018-19 squad’s total of 29.
The next Flames roster will feature notable subtractions and additions. ASUN Player of the Year Caleb Homesley, two-time first-team all-ASUN selection Scottie James, and 100+ game winners Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz and Myo Baxter-Bell depart the program. Grad transfer Chris Parker will be added to the roster as well as a talented group of freshmen – Drake Dobbs, Isiah Warfield, Jonathan Jackson, and Micaiah Abii.
These newcomers will be added to a roster that includes Elijah Cuffee, Darius McGhee, Kyle Rode, and Shiloh Robinson.
