The Liberty Flames men’s basketball team will play Bryant in the 2022 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Classic on Saturday, Dec. 17 at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts. The Flames lost to Stephen F. Austin, 63-51, in the 2021 Basketball Hall of Fame Classic at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.
This will be one of two games played as part of the 2022 Hall of Fame Classic in Springfield, home of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. North Texas and UMass will also play that day. This will be the first time college basketball has been played in Springfield since 2015.
It will be the first ever meeting between Bryant and Liberty. Bryant won a Division I program record 22 games, finishing the season 22-10 last year. The Bulldogs won the 2022 Northeast Conference Championship and made the program’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament where they lost to Wright State in the First Four.
The Bulldogs are led by senior guard Charles Pride. The 6’4″ standout averaged 17.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game for the Bulldogs last season, helping them advance to the Big Dance for the first time since the basketball program moved up to the Division I level in 2008.
Liberty is coming off a season that saw the program win 20 or more games for a sixth consecutive year. The Flames finished the season at 22-11 overall and 12-4 in ASUN play, finishing first in the ASUN’s East Division. Liberty saw its three straight ASUN championships come to an end when the Flames lost to Bellarmine, 53-50, on March 5 in the ASUN Tournament semifinals.
Liberty will host Southern Miss at Liberty Arena on Nov. 18 as part of the Cancun Challenge. In Mexico, the Flames will open against Northwestern on Nov. 22 in the final game of the day, scheduled for 8:30 p.m. On Nov. 23, Liberty will either face Bradley or Auburn.
Nov. 18 – vs Southern Miss
Nov. 22 – Northwestern (Cancun Challenge)
Nov. 23 – Bradley/Auburn (Cancun Challenge)
Dec. 17 – Bryant (Hall of Fame Classic)
