Liberty has been picked to finish fifth in the Conference USA preseason poll, as released by the conference Thursday.
The Flames are selected to finish behind preseason favorite Louisiana Tech, followed by Western Kentucky, Sam Houston, and Middle Tennessee. UTEP is also picked in a tie with Liberty in 5th.
Zach Clevelan dand Kaden Metheny have been named to the league’s preseason all-conference team. Cleveland, alongside head coach Ritchie McKay, will represent Liberty at next week’s CUSA Media Day to be held Monday, Oct. 14.
Coming off an 18-14 campaign, the first for the program without winning at least 20 games since Ritchie McKay’s first year back at Liberty in 2015-16, the Flames have a new look roster that features seven new faces, including five transfers.
Liberty got off to a slow start in league play in its first season in CUSA last year. The Flames dropped its first three league games, losing on the road to eventual CUSA champ Western Kentucky and Louisiana Tech by a combined four points in that stretch.
The Flames would claw back to an even 5-5 in conference play but would then drop four out of five heading down the stretch. The season would come to an end in the first round of the CUSA Tournament in Huntsville, Alabama, when UTEP closed the game on a 24-3 run to defeat Liberty, 66-57.
Cleveland highlights a group of returners that include Colin Porter, and Kaden Metheny. That group started all 32 games a season ago and combined to average 33.1 points and 12.5 rebounds per game.
CUSA is up to ten members this season with the addition of former ASUN member Kennesaw State.
Louisiana Tech’s Daniel Batcho was named the CUSA Preseason Player of the Year. In addition to Batcho, Cleveland and Metheny, the rest of the preseason honors were Middle Tennessee’s Jestin Porter and Camryn Weston, New Mexico State’s Christian Cook, Sam Houston’s Lamar Wilkerson, UTEP’s Otis Frazier III, and Western Kentucky’s Tyrone Marshall, Jr. and Don McHenry.
Liberty will open the season on Nov. 4 against Valparaiso in Xenia, Ohio before travelling to Washington state to take on Seattle University on Nov. 9. The Flames’ home opener is on Tuesday, Nov. 12 against Carolina University.
The full preseason CUSA poll is listed below.
Preseason Men’s Basketball Poll
(1st place votes) Total Points
- Louisiana Tech (3) 87
- Western Kentucky (2) 85
- Sam Houston (3) 83
- Middle Tennessee (1) 69
- Liberty (1) 62
- UTEP 62
- New Mexico State 39
- Jax State 29
- FIU 17, Kennesaw State 17
