According to WAC Hoops Digest, the dates and matchups have been finalized for the inaugural WAC-Conference USA Alliance which will be played during the 2023-24 men’s basketball.
This is a unique opportunity for all nine members of the CUSA to get two strong games, one at home and one on the road. The Flames’ are reportedly scheduled to play at Utah Valley on December 20 and host Grand Canyon on either Dec. 29 or Dec. 20 as part of this agreement.
The CUSA and WAC were ranked as the 10th and 11th best conference, respectively, in the country last year according to KenPom.
Utah Valley finished as the regular season champions in the WAC last season with 15-3 conference record. The Wolverines finished the season with a 28-9 overall record, advancing to the NIT just like Liberty. Utah Valley reached the Final Four of the NIT before falling to UAB. They were coached by Mark Madsen who has taken over as head coach at Cal. The Wolverines will be led by first year head coach Todd Phillips this coming season.
Grand Canyon has consistently been one of the better mid-major programs in the country. Coached by third year head coach Bryce Drew, the Antelopes were 24-12 last season. They represented the WAC in the 2023 NCAA Tournament after winning the WAC Tournament. As a 14-seed, Grand Canyon lost to 3-seed Gonzaga, 82-70, in the first round of the Big Dance.
Earlier this week, Conference USA announced the conference schedule for all nine members. These games, as well as the two contests in the WAC-CUSA Alliance, can now be added to several non-conference contests already announced for the Flames.
Liberty has been invited to compete in the “He Gets Us” 2023 Hall of Fame Series in Charlotte at the Spectrum Center on Nov. 10. The Flames will meet the Charlotte 49ers as part of a triple-header in the one-day event. Liberty will play Florida Atlantic and College of Charleston in Boca Raton, Florida in the new Field of 68 Media Tip-Off event Nov. 30-Dec. 2.
Additionally, Liberty is also set to compete in the 2023 Myrtle Beach Invitational. The eight team tournament will be held Nov. 16-19 at the HTC Center on the campus of Coastal Carolina in Conway, South Carolina. The Chanticleers, as the tournament host, will also compete in the event. The rest of the field includes the College of Charleston, Furman, Saint Louis, Vermont, Wichita State, and Wyoming.
Returning starters Colin Porter, Joseph Venzant, and Kyle Rode highlight a group that return to help lead Coach McKay’s Flames this coming season. Key reserves from last season, Zach Cleveland, Brody Peebles, and Shiloh Robinson also return from a team that tied for the ASUN regular season title and advanced to the ASUN title game before falling to Kennesaw State. Liberty finished the year with a 27-9 record and a final KenPom ranking of 48, the highest in school history.
McKay and the Flames have won 131 games over the past five seasons, fourth most in the country. Liberty also has three conference tournament titles in the past five years, four conference regular season titles and one divisional title in the last five years, as well as seven straight 20-win seasons.
Liberty’s current 2023-24 schedule:
Nov. 10: vs Charlotte (Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC)
Nov. 16-19: 3 games in Myrtle Beach Invitational
Nov. 30: at Florida Atlantic
Dec. 01: vs Charleston (in Boca Raton, Florida)
Dec. 20: at Utah Valley
Dec. 29 or 30: vs Grand Canyon
Jan. 06: at Western Kentucky*
Jan. 10: vs Jacksonville State*
Jan. 13: at Louisiana Tech*
Jan. 18: vs FIU*
Jan. 20: vs Sam Houston*
Jan. 27: at Jacksonville State*
Feb. 01: at New Mexico State*
Feb. 03: at UTEP*
Feb. 08: vs Middle Tennessee*
Feb. 10: vs Louisiana Tech*
Feb. 17: at Sam Houston*
Feb. 22: at FIU*
Feb. 29: vs New Mexico State*
Mar. 02: vs UTEP*
Mar. 06: at Middle Tennessee*
Mar. 09: vs Western Kentucky*
