Liberty (2-2) vs. St Francis PA (1-2)
Lynchburg, Virginia – Liberty Arena
Thursday, Dec. 3, 7:00 p.m. ET
ESPN+

Last Meeting: Liberty lost, 70-56 on Dec. 16, 2006
Series History: St Francis leads 4-1

Projected LU Starters:

1 Chris Parker (Sr., 6-1, 170) – 9.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 5.0 apg
2 Darius McGhee (Jr., 5-9, 150) – 17.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.3 apg
10 Elijah Cuffee (Sr., 6-4, 200) – 10.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.5 apg
22 Kyle Rode (So., 6-7, 220) – 6.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.3 apg
24 Micaiah Abii (Fr., 6-7, 250) – 9.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.0 apg

Projected St Francis Starters:

24 Bryce Laskey (R-So., 6-4, 190) – 9.3 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 1.1 apg
2 Ramiir Dixon-Conover (Sr., 6-3, 185) – 13.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.3 apg
11 Maxwell Land (Fr., 6-4, 185) – 8.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.9 apg
5 Myles Thompson (Jr., 6-6, 230) – 9.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.0 apg
42 Mark Flagg (Sr., 6-9, 215) – 12.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.0 apg

QUICK FACTS

  • Liberty has a 23-game home winning streak which ranks No. 4 in the country.
  • The Flames have two wins over top 100 opponents in the KenPom rankings surpassing last season’s total of 1.
  • Liberty has made 47 three pointers this season which ranks No. 1 in Division I.
  • The Flames’ 11.8 three pointers per game ranks No. 15 in the country.
  • For the first time in his career, Darius McGhee was named the ASUN Player of the Week. He leads the nation with 15 made three pointers this season.
  • Chris Parker’s 60 assists this season is tied for No. 4 nationally.

PREVIEW

The Liberty Flames will unveil the brand new Liberty Arena on Thursday evening after 30 years in the Vines Center. While only 250 fans are permitted due to the ongoing pandemic, all eyes will be on the new jewel of the men’s basketball program.

Liberty will tip things off against St Francis (PA), a team that many Liberty fans may expect an easy win, but don’t gloss over this team for the Flames’ home opener. 9th year head coach Rob Krimmel leads the Red Flash who are coming off a 22-win season and have finished with a winning record for three straight seasons. Krimmel and the Red Flash got things started this season with a 80-70 win at Pitt last Wednesday. They turned around and loss to UMBC at home, 80-65.

Thursday is the second game of a two game road trip for the Red Flash in the Commonwealth of Virginia. They played Tuesday night in Charlottesville where they were defeated by the Cavaliers, 76-51. On paper, this is by far Liberty’s toughest non-conference home game this season.

KENPOM PREDICTION

Liberty 74, St. Francis 64