The Liberty Flames (8-1) play host to their first Division I opponent at Liberty Arena this season, as the Flames take on Mississippi Valley State (2-7).
Here’s what you need to know about the game:
Liberty vs MVSU How to Watch
7:00 p.m. ET | Saturday, December 7
Lynchburg, Virginia | Liberty Arena
TV: ESPN+
Liberty vs MVSU Odds (KenPom)
Spread: Liberty -28
Projected score: Liberty 75, MVSU 47
Liberty Projected Starters
#0 Colin Porter
Junior Guard | 5’10”, 170
7.8 ppg, 4.1 apg, 2.4 rpg
#3 Kaden Metheny
R-Senior Guard | 5’11”, 170
12.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg
#32 Jayvon Maughmer
Senior Guard | 6’6″, 205
8.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg
#25 Zach Cleveland
Junior Forward | 6’7″, 220
10.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 5.5 apg
#8 Owen Aquino
Junior Forward | 6’8″, 230
9.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.2 bpg
Liberty vs MVSU History
Liberty is 4-0 all-time against Mississippi Valley State. Most recently, the Flames defeated the Delta Devils, 74-39, just last season on Dec. 5 at Liberty Arena.
Liberty vs MVSU Storylines
MVSU HAS PLAYED GRUELING SCHEDULE
As is typically the case, Mississippi Valley State has played a very difficult non-conference schedule and Saturday’s game at Liberty continues that. 13 of their first 15 games are road contests with the only two played at home against non-Division I opponents.
MVSU has already played Iowa State, Missouri, Texas, Kansas State, BYU, and Utah. They still have LSU on the schedule before they get into conference play. This is the way of life for many low major teams who use the non-conference schedule to help finance not just the basketball team but much of the athletic department.
The Delta Devils have posted a losing record in each of the past 12 seasons, failing to reach even double digit win totals in each of those campaigns. Last year, MVSU was just 1-30 on the season and they are currently ranked as the worst Division I team in the country, according to KenPom.
FURTHER DEVELOP THE BENCH
Liberty is a heavy favorite in this one, obviously. It should give Coach McKay and his staff the opportunity to get looks at some of the bench players as the Flames hope to further develop the bench throughout the month of December.
The Flames have a strong nucleus in its top six players of Colin Porter, Kaden Metheny, Jayvon Maughmer, Zach Cleveland, Owen Aquino, and Isaiah Ihnen. Those players are all part of the every game rotation and have gotten the most minutes on the team.
Taelon Peter looks to be the 7th man. He’s currently averaging 16 minutes per game. Hopefully, as he continues to mesh with his new team, he can be a key figure in the Flames’ lineup and help ease the workload of those top six players. He has the talent and skill level to even push for starter’s minutes. The Flames will need him throughout this season.
After Peter, Brett Decker and Zander Yates are the next two guys up in terms of reaching the every day rotation. For what is likely to be a very challenging conference run, the Flames will need these two at certain times to play some significant minutes. Yates has some experience, beginning with his time at Creighton and also last season at Liberty. He’s played well in his opportunities so far this season, currently shooting 40% from three. If any of Liberty’s bigs get into foul trouble, Yates will likely be called on to provide some depth off the bench.
Decker is a true freshman who has played in 6 games so far this season. He has shown flashes of his potential scoring 18 points in each of the contests against non-Division I opponents. In the other four games he has played, he has 6 total points and is 1 for 6 shooting. Saturday’s game should be a good opportunity for Decker to get some extended playing against a DI foe. The Flames could certainly use another guard off the bench in conference play, especially one like Decker who has a good shooting touch and strong ball-handling skills.
