Liberty has released its 2024-25 men’s basketball schedule.
The Flames will open the season on November 4 in a neutral site contest against Valparaiso. Valpo was 7-25 a season ago and 3-17 in Missouri Valley play under first year head coach Roger Powell. The Beacons have suffered four consecutive losing seasons and have only posted one winning season in the past seven years. This will be only the second ever meeting between Liberty and Valparaiso, with the two teams having previously played on December 30, 2003. Valpo won that game, 72-54, but the Flames would go on to win the Big South Tournament that season and advanced to the program’s second ever NCAA Tournament.
Liberty will then play at Seattle University on November 9 as part of the WAC/CUSA scheduling alliance. Seattle finished last season with a 23-14 overall record and 11-9 in conference play. The RedHawks advanced to the CBI in the postseason, winning four games to clinch the 2024 CBI Championship, defeating High Point in the final.
The Flames’ home opener is against non-Division I member Carolina University on November 12 before heading to Charleston, South Carolina to compete in the Field of 68 Tip-Off for the second of a three-year event. Last year, this event was held at FAU where the Flames played against FAU and Charleston, dropping both games. This coming season, Liberty will play both FAU and Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina. It is scheduled to be played at Liberty Arena in 2025. The Flames will first play FAU on November 16th before taking on Charleston on November 17th.
Liberty will then compete in the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands November 22-25. The Flames open the tournament against Louisiana. The Ragin’ Cajuns were 19-14 last season and finished 10-8 in the Sun Belt, good for 5th place, under 6th year head coach Bob Marlin. The Flames will then play either George Washington or Kansas State in game two. The rest of the tournament field includes McNeese State, Illinois State, UAB, and Longwood with Liberty slated to play one of these in game three.
A seven-game homestand follows that will conclude non-conference play and roll into the beginning of CUSA competition. On November 29, the Flames take on Central Penn. Mississippi Valley State will visit Liberty Arena on December 7 with North Carolina A&T coming to Lynchburg on December 14. The Flames will play non-DI St. Andrews on December 17 and conclude non-conference play and the CUSA/WAC scheduling series for this season against UT Arlington on December 21.
The game against North Carolina A&T will be the first ever meeting in the regular season between the two programs. The Flames and Aggies have met twice previously, both games coming in the postseason, including one in the NCAA Tournament. Liberty lost to North Carolina A&T, 73-72, on Tuesday, March 19, 2013 as part of the First Four of the Big Dance. The Flames defeated the Aggies, 65-52, in the first round of the 2018 CIT to even the series at 1-1. Last season, the Aggies finished its first season under head coach Monte Ross at 7-25 overall and a 5-13 mark in the CAA.
UT Arlington was 20-14 last season and 13-7 in conference play. The Mavericks reached the WAC Tournament championship game where they lost to Grand Canyon.
The 2024-25 CUSA conference schedule was released earlier, with the Flames scheduled to play 18 league games in the expanded 10-member conference as Kennesaw State joins the league this season.
Liberty’s 2024-25 schedule:
11/04 vs Valparaiso (in Xenia, Ohio)
11/09 @ Seattle
11/12 vs Carolina University
11/16 vs FAU (in Charleston, SC)
11/17 @ Charleston
11/22 Louisiana (Paradise Jam)
11/24 TBD (Paradise Jam)
11/25 TBD (Paradise Jam)
11/29 vs Central Penn
12/07 vs Mississippi Valley State
12/14 vs North Carolina A&T
12/17 vs St Andrews
12/21 vs UT Arlington
01/02 vs Western Kentucky*
01/04 vs Middle Tennessee*
01/09 @ Sam Houston*
01/11 @ Louisiana Tech*
01/16 vs UTEP*
01/18 vs New Mexico State*
01/25 @ FIU*
01/30 @ Kennesaw State*
02/01 @ Jacksonville State*
02/06 vs Louisiana Tech*
02/08 vs Sam Houston*
02/13 @ New Mexico State*
02/15 @ UTEP*
02/22 vs FIU*
02/27 vs Jacksonville State*
03/01 vs Kennesaw State*
03/06 @ Middle Tennessee*
03/08 @ Western Kentucky*
03/11-15 CUSA Tournament in Huntsville, Alabama
