Liberty (17-1, 3-0) vs. Jacksonville (8-9, 1-1)
Lynchburg, Virginia – Vines Center (8,500 capacity)
Saturday, Jan. 11, 5:00 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN+
Radio: Alan York will have the Liberty radio network call on 107.5 FM in Lynchburg or also streaming online.
Last Meeting: Flames won 69-53 in Lynchburg on January 12th and 69-59 in Jacksonville January 27th last season. Liberty also defeated Jacksonville, 72-58, in the first round of the ASUN Tournament on March 4th in Lynchburg.
Series History: Liberty leads 3-0.

Projected LU Starters:

11 Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz (Sr., 6-1, 175) – 8.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.2 apg
2 Darius McGhee (So., 5-9, 150) – 9.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.4 apg
10 Elijah Cuffee (Jr., 6-4, 200) – 8.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.4 apg
1 Caleb Homesley (R-Sr., 6-6, 205) – 12.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.4 apg
31 Scottie James (R-Sr., 6-7, 230) – 10.3 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.3 apg

Top LU Reserves:

0 Myo Baxter-Bell (R-Sr., 6-5, 255) – 8.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.5 apg
22 Kyle Rode (Fr., 6-7, 220) – 6.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.5 apg
33 Shiloh Robinson (Fr., 6-7, 200) – 3.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.5 apg

Projected Jacksonville Starters:

10 Aamahne Santos (Sr., 5-10, 165) – 8.4. ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.1 apg
5 DeAnthony McCallum (Sr., 6-4, 180) – 6.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.3 apg
0 Kevin Norman (Jr., 6-4, 200) – 8.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.1 apg
23 Destin Barnes (Jr., 6-7, 215) – 11.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 0.8 apg
3 David Bell (Sr., 6-10, 225) – 11.5 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 0.9 apg

Top Jacksonville Reserves:

13 Bryce Workman (So., 6-7, 230) – 6.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 0.6 apg
22 Diante Wood (Fr., 6-4, 210) – 5.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 0.8 apg
14 Mo Arnold (Fr., 6-2, 180) – 4.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.6 apg
11 Trey Sides (Fr., 6-1, 170) – 2.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.2 apg

QUICK FACTS

  • Liberty ended 2019 with the second highest winning percentage (.882) in Division I going 32-4.
  • The Flames have 10 wins away from home this season, the most of any team in Division I.
  • Liberty is ranked No. 2 in the country in scoring defense, holding opponents to 51.8 points per game.
  • Liberty has three 1,000 career point scorers on the team, the most of any team in school history. Richmond is the only other Division I team in the country that has three 1,000 point scorers on their team.
  • The Flames ended non-conference play with 6 neutral court wins, the most Liberty has ever had in a single season.
  • Liberty looks to become the first team since FGCU in 2017 to repeat as ASUN Champions.

PREVIEW

In the preseason ASUN poll, Jacksonville was picked to finish 7th, but they may be fighting for a first round home game in the ASUN Tournament if their early season play continues.

The Dolphins were expected to take a step back this season under 6th year head coach Tony Jasick after JD Notae transferred to Arkansas. The former ASUN Freshman of the Year from 2018 and 2nd-team all-conference from last season, Notae averaged 15.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists a season ago.

Ohio State transfer David Bell has led Jacksonville this season. The 6’10” senior center is 13th in the ASUN in scoring at 11.5 and leads the league at 9.6 rebounds per game. Both of those numbers are up considerably from his 7.3 points and 5.6 rebounds a year ago. Bell transferred to JU after spending his first two seasons at Ohio State where he struggled to find consistent playing time. Bell is also leading the ASUN in field goal percentage as he’s shooting 64.6% from the field this season.

The Dolphins are 1-1 in conference play after opening with a 5 point road loss to North Alabama before defeating NJIT by 16 at home on Thursday night. Against UNA, JU led by 8 with less than 10 minutes to play before the Lions went on a 10-0 run to gain the lead and control.

In non-conference play, JU’s best win was a 57-37 win on a neutral floor against KenPom #216 Dartmouth. Their worst loss was a 58-52 loss on their home floor to #332 South Carolina State, the same South Carolina State team Liberty beat 65-39 in game 3 earlier this year.

Jacksonville has solidified themselves as the 2nd best defense in the league, behind Liberty, and their numbers are impressive. Jacksonville is holding opponents to 64.7 points per game while shooting 39.1% from the field and 27.5% from 3.

Liberty won all three matchups against the Dolphins last season, but neither of them were easy. The first matchup was in Lynchburg on January 12th, the Flames won by 16 but it was a 5 point game with just over 7 minutes to play. In the rematch in Jacksonville just a couple weeks later, Liberty entered the game 6-0 in ASUN play, but the Dolphins seized a 10-point second half lead before the Flames responded with a 13-2 run, ultimately winning 69-59. The teams faced each other in the first round of the ASUN Tournament in Lynchburg, in a game Liberty utilized a 17-2 run late in the first half to gain separation before the Flames won, 72-58.

“I’m glad we got a quick turn,” McKay said of getting to play again less than 48 hours after beating North Alabama. “Jacksonville’s really good defensively. They have great numbers. I watched the Jacksonville-North Alabama game, they will be a tough out. They were a tough out in the ASUN Tournament.”

KENPOM PREDICTION

Liberty 64, Jacksonville 49