Liberty (24-3, 10-2) vs. North Florida (18-10, 11-2)
Lynchburg, Virginia – Vines Center (8,500 capacity)
Thursday, Feb. 20, 7:00 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: The Ospreys defeated Liberty, 71-70, in the team’s first matchup this season on Jan. 23.
Series History: UNF leads 3-2.

Projected LU Starters:

11 Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz (Sr., 6-1, 175) – 10.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.1 apg
2 Darius McGhee (So., 5-9, 150) – 9.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.4 apg
10 Elijah Cuffee (Jr., 6-4, 200) – 8.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.3 apg
1 Caleb Homesley (R-Sr., 6-6, 205) – 13.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.3 apg
31 Scottie James (R-Sr., 6-7, 230) – 10.9 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.3 apg

Top LU Reserves:

0 Myo Baxter-Bell (R-Sr., 6-5, 255) – 7.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.5 apg
22 Kyle Rode (Fr., 6-7, 220) – 4.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.2 apg
33 Shiloh Robinson (Fr., 6-7, 200) – 2.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 0.5 apg

Projected North Florida Starters:

10 Ivan Gandia-Rosa (Sr., 6-1, 193) – 14.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 5.9 apg
3 JT Escobar (Sr., 6-2, 186) – 10.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.2 apg
11 Garrett Sams (Sr., 6-7, 209) – 15.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.0 apg
23 Carter Hendricksen (So., 6-7, 217) – 14.4 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.7 apg
2 Wajid Aminu (Sr., 6-7, 197) – 10.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.0 apg

Top North Florida Reserves:

0 Emmanuel Adedoyin (Fr., 6-2, 161) – 3.1 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 1.3 apg
5 Dorian James (Fr., 6-7, 202) – 3.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.8 apg
12 Ryan Burkhardt (Jr., 6-4, 184) – 2.9 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.6 apg

QUICK FACTS

  • Liberty has posted 96 wins in the last four seasons, which ranks 23rd in Division I and 9th among non-Power Five schools.
  • Liberty’s winningest player in program history, Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz, has 96 wins which ranks No. 9 among current active players.
  • Liberty’s senior class is responsible for 49.9% of the points Liberty has scored over the past four seasons.
  • Caleb Homesley has played 136 career games, which ranks third among current Division I players.
  • The Flames have won a school record 18 straight home games.
  • Liberty ended 2019 with the second highest winning percentage (.882) in Division I going 32-4.
  • Liberty is ranked No. 2 in the country in scoring defense, holding opponents to 52.1 points per game, holding opponents under 50 points on 13 occasions this season.
  • Liberty looks to become the first team since FGCU in 2017 to repeat as ASUN Champions.
  • The three games last season between Liberty and UNF were decided by an average of 6.3 points while this season’s lone meeting so far was a 1-point game.
  • Liberty is a 9 point favorite.

PREVIEW

Liberty faces a crucial test at home on Thursday night, Feb. 20, at the Vines Center as the Flames host North Florida at 7 p.m. It will be a “Red Out” for the Vines Center as fans are encouraged to wear red as the Flames battle for the top spot in the ASUN Conference, as North Florida leads the way with an 11-2 record, with Liberty right behind in second place, sitting at 10-2 in the ASUN.

The Ospreys have won 6 straight and 18 out of their last 21 ASUN games dating back to last year. That’s very similar to Liberty’s current streak of 5 straight wins and an 18-3 mark in its last 21 ASUN games. Both UNF and Liberty are led by four seniors who are a crucial part of the team’s success over the past two seasons.

“Having an experienced group or “being old” is really important to your cause in college basketball,” Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay said. “I think it has more to that than just seniors. There are other teams that have some similar experience that aren’t enjoying the same success. Both of these teams have really good players.”

The Ospreys continue to be one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country. They currently lead the country in three-point field goals attempted (861), three point field goals made per game (11.6), and total three-point field goals made (325). Despite shooting that many threes, they also shoot it at a very good rate, currently 18th best in the country at 37.7%.

“North Florida’s system is hard,” McKay said. “Their propensity to shoot accurately from behind the arc is hard to play against. For us, our guys have built a belief in our system, and they represent themselves in a way that I think warrants a chance to have a successful program. Obviously, we want to continue on that trajectory. Nothing is assured and we’ve got to finish the season strong and it starts on Thursday.”

In the game earlier this season, it was a back and forth affair for the first 30+ minutes of game action. In total, there were 18 lead changes and 6 ties during the game, but North Florida led for over 36 minutes including a 59-58 lead with 9 minutes left in the game. The Ospreys then went on an 8-0 run to seize control of the game at 67-58 with 5 minutes to play and 70-60 with 3 minutes left. The Flames responded with a 10-0 run over those final 3 minutes to tie the game before Garrett Sams was fouled in the closing seconds and his free throw pushed the Ospreys ahead by the final margin of 71-70.

All five UNF starters reached double figures led by Ivan Gandia-Rosa’s 19 points. The Ospreys shot just below their season average at 35.7% from three while Liberty shot 50% from the floor and was led by Darius McGhee’s 19 points and Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz who had 17.

“They did things that, for whatever reason, weren’t characteristic of the way we defend,” said McKay. “Yet, they had a lot to do with that. We will have to be better defensively than we were last time we played them for sure, but that was almost a month ago. Hopefully we’re better. I’m sure they will be better, but we get a chance to protect our home floor.”

KENPOM PREDICTION

Liberty 73, North Florida 62