The Liberty Flames saw their quest for a four-peat in the ASUN Tournament come to an end on Saturday night with a loss to Bellarmine in the tournament semifinals. Following the game, head coach Ritchie McKay stated that the Flames had the option to play in the postseason and continue this year, but they had not made a decision on whether or not they would.

“We have been invited to two different tournaments,” McKay said on Saturday night. “We are going to decide if we are going to continue to play. That will be a group decision. Again, we will see.”

On Monday morning, the men’s basketball team announced on social media that it had opted not to play in the postseason.

“Our men’s basketball program has decided not to play in any other postseason for the 2021-22 season,” said the statement released by the team and signed by Coach McKay. “Without a doubt, our fans have made this season very memorable. From every player, coach, and staff member, we want to say thank you, Flames Nation! We also want to thank Keegan and Darius! They are two special young men that have influenced our program and our campus for the better. They leave a representation that we can all be proud of…thank you, Seniors. Although disappointed that we were not able to four-peat, personally I feel blessed to be able to journey with our young men. Their genuine pursuit of trying to impact the Kingdom and those they come in contact with is inspiring!”

Liberty ends the season at 22-11 overall after a 12-4 ending in the ASUN regular season. The Flames finished in first place in the ASUN’s East Division and defeated Lipscomb in the ASUN Quarterfinals. Liberty had advanced to the NCAA Tournament in the 2019 and 2021 seasons, and had attained the ASUN’s autobid to the Big Dance in 2020 before that Tournament was wiped out due to the COVID pandemic. The Flames also advanced to the postseason in 2017 and 2018, participating in the CIT.