On Sunday afternoon, Liberty will put its perfect 14-0 record on the line for its toughest challenge of the season to date, and, honestly, it may be the only game standing between the Flames and finishing the regular season undefeated.
Yes, there are 16 conference games that follow, but Liberty will be double digit favorites in most, if not all, of those games.
The game Sunday against an LSU team that started the season ranked coming off a Sweet 16 appearance a season ago, is sure to draw some national attention. It is the most anticipated non-conference regular season game in school history.
“It’s next to impossible in this day and age of social media, we’ve got no chance of blocking it out,” Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay said of trying to keep his team’s focus. “I think it’s great for our University to get some of the shine or the spotlight on Liberty because it’s such a special place.”
The Flames already own a win over SEC foe Vanderbilt, have won two non-conference tournaments, and opened the season with a win against former Big South rival Radford. Liberty is one of three remaining unbeatens and has the most wins in the country. The Flames are 17th in the NET rankings and have been in the others receiving votes category all season, rising to 31st in recent weeks. A win Sunday could vault Liberty into the top 25 for the first time in school history.
“I think it’s good for our guys confidence, but we never went into the season saying, ‘Hey, we’re going to be ranked or we’re going to be undefeated,'” McKay said. “We went into the season trying to prepare in such a way that honored the opportunity to go back to the NCAA tournament because being in the tournament is a privilege.”
Coming off the best season in school history where the Flames won a program record 29 games, a share of the ASUN regular season title, the ASUN tournament championship, and the first NCAA Tournament game in school history, Liberty is pushing its national profile to a higher level early this season.
A win Sunday and the Flames will get as much, if not more, national attention as when Liberty defeated Mississippi State in the first round of last year’s NCAA Tournament behind 30 points from Caleb Homesley. It could propel the team into the top 25, a spot McKay’s squad could maintain throughout the rest of the season.
“This is great and it makes you feel good,” McKay said of the national attention. “There’s a verse in the Bible (Proverbs 27:6), ‘Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.’ We want to stay in our lane of truth, gratitude, and humility. If we do that, we will keep focused on getting better and not get seduced by the praise.”
McKay may be billing the game on Sunday against LSU as just another game, but the national attention it will help his team garner is immeasurable. Its ramifications would last much further than just this season, where it could propel the Flames into a top 5 seed and a national ranking. It could also help McKay to raise the profile of the athletes he has been able to attract to the school.
“When you haven’t lost, everyone gets so fixated on this LSU game like this is the Super Bowl,” McKay explained. “It’s really not as important as games are January 2nd and January 4th when we start (conference play) on the road at FGCU and NJIT.”
This is the final non-conference game of the regular season, and it provides the Flames with a huge opportunity. Liberty must do so away from home once again, something the team has become accustomed to through the early part of the season.
“I’m proud of our group,” said McKay. “To win eight times away from the Vines, I don’t know where it ranks nationally, but that’s really hard to do. The toughest test we’ve had, here on Sunday, is important, but it’s not the end of the season. Win or lose, we have more to accomplish and more to pursue.”
