Liberty men’s basketball team is scheduled to begin practice on Thursday behind head coach Ritchie McKay who is entering his seventh consecutive season with the Flames and ninth overall. The Flames return three starters from a team that finished 23-6 last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament before falling to 4-seed Oklahoma State.
One of the leading computer models for men’s college basketball, Bart Torvik, projects Liberty to win a fourth straight ASUN regular season title. The projection has the Flames as the No. 92 team in the country entering the 2021-22 season. It also projects Liberty to finish the regular season at 23-6 overall and 13-3 in the ASUN.
The Flames are projected to win the ASUN East Division, leading FGCU who is projected to finish 9-7. Other teams in the ASUN East include Stetson who is projected to finish 8-8 and Kennesaw State, Jacksonville, and North Florida who are all pegged to finish at 6-10 in ASUN play.
In the ASUN West Division, newcomers Jacksonville State (12-4) and Eastern Kentucky (11-5) are expected to compete for a division championship. Behind them are Lipscomb (9-7), Bellarmine (7-9), North Alabama (5-11), and Central Arkansas (4-12).
Bart Torvik has Liberty favored to win every game on the regular season schedule with the exception of the road opener at LSU on Nov. 15 and the opening game in the Diamond Head Classic against Northern Iowa. Non-conference games against Iona (69-68 Liberty win), Stephen F Austin (71-67 Liberty win), and East Carolina (70-65 Liberty win) are projected to be games decided within just five points. The Flames are also projected to defeat SEC foe Missouri, 70-63, on Dec. 2 at Liberty Arena.
In conference play, Liberty is projected to win 11 of the 16 games by at least 8 points. The conference opener at Stetson is expected to be decided by just 4 points. Other conference games projected to be within 7 points include road trips to FGCU, Bellarmine, and Eastern Kentucky, and a home date against Jacksonville State. The Feb. 5 matchup at Eastern Kentucky is projected as a virtual tossup with the Flames picked to win 76-75.
The computer simulation also projects Liberty’s top 10 contributors and their statistics this coming season. Reigning ASUN Player of the Year Darius McGhee is picked to lead the team in scoring at 15 points per game to go along with 3.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. Returning starters Kyle Rode and Blake Preston are also projected to average double figures in scoring with Rode picked to finish at 11.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. Preston is projected to be second on the team in scoring (11.8) and lead the team in rebounding (8.5).
Other top projected contributors include senior Keegan McDowell who is projected to average 9.8 points per game. Shiloh Robinson is picked to average 8.1 points and 6.1 rebounds each contest. Sophomores Drake Dobbs and Micaiah Abii are also projected to be solid contributors for the Flames this season.
Ritchie McKay’s Flames are coming off a 23-6 season and 11-2 mark in conference play that saw Liberty earn a 13-seed in the NCAA Tournament before losing to No. 4 seed Oklahoma State in the first round. The Flames won the ASUN regular season title and the ASUN Tournament title for a third consecutive season. The Flames will be the heavy favorite to repeat for what would be an ASUN record fourth straight time.
The Flames will open the season at home against Regent University, a member of the NCCAA, on Nov. 11, before heading to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
