No. 13 Liberty (23-5, 11-2 ASUN) vs. No. 4 Oklahoma State (20-9, 11-7)
Indianapolis, Indiana – Indiana Farmers Coliseum
Friday, Mar. 19, 6:25 p.m. ET
NCAA Tournament First Round
TBS (Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner, Dana Jacobson)

Last Meeting: N/A
Series History: This will be the first ever meeting between the two programs.

Projected LU Starters:

1 Chris Parker (Sr., 6-1, 170) – 10.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 3.5 apg
2 Darius McGhee (Jr., 5-9, 150) – 15.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.1 apg
10 Elijah Cuffee (Sr., 6-4, 200) – 9.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.7 apg
22 Kyle Rode (So., 6-7, 220) – 7.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.9 apg
32 Blake Preston (R-So., 6-9, 225) – 8.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.4 apg

Projected Oklahoma State Starters:

2 Cade Cunningham (Fr., 6-8, 220) – 20.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.6 apg
0 Avery Anderson III (So., 6-3, 170) – 11.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.0 apg
14 Bryce Williams (Sr., 6-2, 180) – 7.3 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 2.0 apg
13 Isaac Likekele (Jr., 6-5, 215) – 9.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 3.7 apg
12 Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe (Fr., 6-7, 215) – 9.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 0.8 apg

QUICK FACTS

  • Liberty has won 12 straight games, which is tied for the third longest winning streak in the country.
  • Liberty has extended its school record with 20 wins for a fifth consecutive season.
  • Elijah Cuffee has played in 133 career games, which ranks No. 3 in Division I. He’s won 104 games with the Flames, becoming Liberty’s all-time winningest player breaking Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz’s mark of 102 wins. Cuffee is the only player in program history to play in four conference championship games.
  • Darius McGhee has made 93 three-pointers which is the third most in the country this season and fourth most in a single season in program history.
  • For the first time in program history, Liberty has back-to-back Conference Player of the Year honorees in McGhee and Caleb Homesley.
  • Liberty is 0-7 all-time against Big 12 opponents, with the last meeting coming on Nov. 29, 2020 against TCU.
  • Flames’ assistant coach, Joe Pierre III, was a manager at Oklahoma State from 2011-15 under previous head coach Travis Ford.

PREVIEW

For the first time in school history, Liberty is a 13-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Previously, the Flames have been a 16-seed on three occasions, losing all three of those matchups. In 2019, Liberty was awarded a 12-seed where head coach Ritchie McKay and the Flames picked up the program’s first ever win in the Big Dance by upsetting 5-seed Mississippi State. Liberty lost to Virginia Tech in the second round, as the Flames are 1-1 all-time as a 12-seed.

The Flames are one of the hottest teams in the country having won 12 straight games, but they will face a team that is playing very well at the end of the season as well. Oklahoma State, who is ranked No. 11 in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll, has won eight out of their last 10 games. The Cowboys advanced to the Big 12 finals this past Saturday night where they lost to Texas, 91-86. Many have criticized the NCAA Selection Committee for seeding Oklahoma State on the 4-line, instead thinking the Cowboys were worthy of at least a 3-seed.

Cade Cunningham headlines Mike Boynton’s squad as the 6’8″ freshman became the first Oklahoma State player to ever earn First Team All-American honors from the Associated Press. Cunningham, the Sporting News National Freshman of the Year, led the Big 12 in scoring at 20.2 points per game and is expected by many to be the number one overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

“They present a lot of challenges,” McKay said. “If you watched them, they have some kid named Cunningham who is a really special player. Coach Boynton has done a terrific job with that basketball team. I think, although Cade gets a ton of credit which is well deserved, I think you would be remiss if you didn’t pay attention to some of the other members of that squad because they are really talented, really athletic. They have a great downhill tempo to their offense. Have we played anyone like them? I’m not sure we’ve played anyone as good as them, but we try to test ourselves in the non-conference with our schedule. We will see on Friday if it prepared us well enough.”

Behind Cunningham, Oklahoma State has a very balanced offensive team with six players averaging between 11.7 points and 7.3 points per game. Avery Anderson III is the only other Cowboy averaging double figures as he is at 11.7 points per game. Isaac Likekele leads the team in rebounds (6.7 per game) and assists (3.7 per game).

Oklahoma State has frequently gone as deep as 10 players as they like to push the pace in comparison to the Flames. Unlike other high major programs Liberty has faced in recent seasons, the Cowboys do not have a lot of size in their frontcourt. Kalib Boone, at 6’9″, and Bernard Kouma, at 6’10”, are the only two players in their typical rotation that stand over 6’8″. Boone is averaging 9.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while Kouma is only receiving 6.7 minutes per game and he’s currently averaging 1.3 points and 1.5 rebounds per game.

“We’ve seen athletic guards throughout the year, it just so happens that one of their guards is about 6’7″ and can see over people,” said McKay. “He is one of the best passers in college basketball. I don’t know why Bryce Williams and Avery Anderson and (Isaac) Likekele, I don’t know why they don’t get as much credit for how good they are, maybe because there’s so much attention Cade gets because of his prowess and his NBA draft prospect. And (Rondel) Walker, I don’t mean to leave out him. They’ve got a great guard line. They put a lot of pressure on you because they get downhill and in transition they are spectacular. They present a lot of problems, but we are who we are and can’t claim anyone off waivers at this late juncture of the year.”

The winner of Friday’s first round game will advance to the Round of 32 on Sunday to face the winner of 5-seed Tennessee and 12-seed Oregon State.

KENPOM PREDICTION

Oklahoma State 73, Liberty 66