Liberty (8-0) vs. Kentucky Christian (1-10)
Lynchburg, VA – Vines Center
Friday, Nov. 29, 2 p.m. ET

TV: N/A
Radio: Alan York and Paul Nazigian will have the Liberty radio network call on 107.5 FM in Lynchburg or also streaming online.
Last Meeting: Liberty won, 95-55, on December 15, 2018.
Series History: Liberty leads the all-time series, 5-0.

Projected LU Starters:

11 Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz (Sr., 6-1, 175) – 7.7 ppg, 2.1 apg
2 Darius McGhee (So., 5-9, 150) – 11.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg
10 Elijah Cuffee (Jr., 6-4, 200) – 8.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg
22 Kyle Rode (Fr., 6-7, 220) – 9.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg
31 Scottie James (R-Sr., 6-7, 230) – 10.3 ppg, 9.1 rpg

Projected Kentucky Christian Starters:

13 Noah Back (Fr., 6-2)
23 Cole Gilliland (Jr., 6-5)
15 Owens Crawford (Sr., 6-2)
10 Cardinal Brown (Fr., 6-6)
35 Dominique Mitchell (Sr., 7-0, 240)

QUICK FACTS

  • Liberty is 8-0 for the first time in school history and looking to become 9-0 for the first time. The Flames were the first team in Division I to reach the 8-0 mark this season
  • Of the 320 minutes Liberty has played this season, the Flames have trailed for just 10 minutes and 33 seconds.
  • Liberty is ranked #6 in the country in scoring defense, allowing 51.9 points per game.
  • Liberty ranks #19 in the country with 62 three pointers made this season while Darius McGhee is #29 in the country with 19 three pointers made.
  • Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz is six victories from becoming Liberty’s all-time winningest player in school history. Lovell Cabbil set the record last year with 85 wins.
  • There is no line for this game.

PREVIEW

Liberty returns home following the team’s Islands of the Bahamas Showcase Championship over the weekend where Kyle Rode was named Tournament MVP and Scottie James was named to the all-Tournament team. Both Rode and James were also honored by the ASUN for their performances last week, being named the Newcomer of the Week and Player of the Week, respectively.

Caleb Homesley is expected to miss his 3rd consecutive game and 4th out of the team’s last 5 games as he is dealing with what the team has described as a minor injury.

The Flames are one of the final unbeaten teams remaining in the country and have moved up to #2 in the Mid-Major Top 25 poll while also receiving 6 votes in the AP Top 25. Liberty has two games this weekend against non-Division I opponents, as the Flames face Trinity Baptist on Monday night, before hitting the road until January 9th.

Kentucky Christian is 1-10 on the season, having played Division I Morehead State on October 29th. They lost that game, 86-47, and are just 1-6 in conference play to open the season. This game counts as an exhibition for KCU and it is the third straight season that the two teams have met.

KENPOM PREDICTION

No score prediction given for non-DI games, but Flames have a 100% chance at the win.