#1 Liberty (20-5, 11-2) vs. #8 Kennesaw State (5-18, 2-13)
Jacksonville, Florida – UNF Arena
Thursday, Mar. 4, 2:00 p.m. ET
ESPN+

Last Meeting: Liberty swept the season series, beating Kennesaw State, 69-63 and 76-47, on Jan. 8 and Jan.9.
Series History: Liberty leads 6-0.

Projected LU Starters:

1 Chris Parker (Sr., 6-1, 170) – 10.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 3.6 apg
2 Darius McGhee (Jr., 5-9, 150) – 15.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.8 apg
10 Elijah Cuffee (Sr., 6-4, 200) – 10.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.7 apg
22 Kyle Rode (So., 6-7, 220) – 7.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.9 apg
32 Blake Preston (R-So., 6-9, 225) – 8.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.3 apg

Projected Kennesaw State Starters:

1 Terrell Burden (So., 5-10, 160) – 6.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.2 apg
22 Spencer Rodgers (Jr., 6-4, 178) – 16.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.0 apg
3 Chris Youngblood (Fr., 6-4, 212) – 12.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.8 apg
5 Brandon Stroud (Fr., 6-6, 196) – 5.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.3 apg
10 Alex Peterson (Jr., 6-7, 217) – 7.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 0.5 apg

QUICK FACTS

  • Liberty has won 9 straight games, which is tied for the 5th longest winning streak in the country.
  • The Flames are trying to become the second team ever in ASUN Conference history to win three straight ASUN Tournament titles. Belmont is the only other team to have done so, 2006-08.
  • Liberty has extended its school record by capturing 20 wins for a fifth consecutive season.
  • The Flames’ 20 wins this season are the most among Division I programs in the state of Virginia.
  • Elijah Cuffee is just one win away from tying Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz with the most wins in program history. Cuffee currently has 101 wins.
  • The Flames end the season with a 36-game winning streak at home which is the second longest streak in the country, trailing only Gonzaga. Liberty has gone two full seasons without a home loss, with the last loss coming on Jan. 29, 2019.
  • Darius McGhee has recorded four straight 20-point games, the first Liberty player to do so since Seth Curry did in 2009.
  • Liberty ranks No. 82 in the NET Rankings, the highest in the ASUN.
  • Elijah Cuffee has played in 130 career games, which ranks No. 3 in Division I.
  • Blake Preston ranks No. 17 in the country shooting 64.6% from the field.

PREVIEW

Liberty begins its quest for a fourth straight conference tournament championship game appearance and third straight ASUN Conference Tournament championship. This year will be different for the Flames though, as Liberty continues to move forward without the services of the four seniors that dominated the spotlight the past few seasons. Liberty will also have to play at a neutral site unlike the past two seasons in the ASUN.

“I think there’s always excitement when you get to tournament time,” Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay said. “This year’s been really different because of all the constant change. I like our group. I think we are playing well in the last few games that we’ve played.”

The Flames will begin that quest on Thursday afternoon against Kennesaw State. The Owls finished in 9th place in the ASUN regular season but are bumped up to the 8 seed as Jacksonville will not compete this week due to COVID cases within the program. KSU did not compete in the ASUN Tournament a season ago as they finished in last place in the regular season and only the top 8 teams made the tournament. The Owls have lost three straight in the ASUN Tournament, with their last win coming in 2017 against USC Upstate.

Kennesaw went 29 straight ASUN games without a loss and have combined to win just two conference games over the past two seasons under 2nd year head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim. Those two wins have come in the past four games as the young Owls team is getting much better. They defeated Stetson, 83-75, on Feb. 13 on their home floor and then coasted to an 80-63 win against FGCU this past Friday.

“If you watch their games, they have been highly competitive in nearly every game,” said McKay. “There’s a couple that got away from them, but Amir’s done a great job. There’s an influx of talent there that warrants a pursuit of the top of the league. They’ve got a good team. We can’t just show up and think, ‘well, hey, we beat ’em twice and we’re going to beat ’em again.’ None of that is relevant to Thursday at 2 o’clock.”

Spencer Rodgers scored 31 points in the first game between Kennesaw State and the Flames, as he helped the Owls stay within 6 points of Liberty in January. He and Chris Youngblood form one of the more talented guard combinations in the league.

“Rogers is terrific,” McKay said. “I’m telling you, he’s quite a scorer and a really sound players. He’s very complete. I think Youngblood is one of the best guards in the league. I think their wings are bookends that present a lot of problems.”

In Liberty’s last two ASUN Tournament Championships, the Flames have benefited from playing on their home floor in five of the six games. That will be different this season as the conference has shifted to a neutral site format as Liberty will open the tournament at UNF Arena, a floor the team has never won a game on previously.

“All the advantages of being a high seed have been taken away,” McKay explained. “They’ve been removed. We can’t complain about it. We can’t wish it into existence. We haven’t played at UNF, not this year, we’ve got to focus on the task at hand. Winning in the postseason on your home floor is a lot different than winning on a neutral floor or on the other team’s floor. This season is an anomaly. There will be very few fans in the stands. I think the run up to this is really important that we stay in our lane, value each possession. We’ve been really unselfish and we’ve been decent on the offensive end, with the exception of about 20 possessions against Bellarmine. We’ve got to get back to that mindset and not worry about Friday or Sunday.”

KENPOM PREDICTION

Liberty 74, Kennesaw State 56