Liberty (25-3, 11-2) vs. Stetson (15-13, 9-4)
Lynchburg, Virginia – Vines Center (8,500 capacity)
Saturday, Feb. 22, 5:00 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: Liberty lost at Stetson, 48-43, in the teams meeting earlier this season.
Series History: Series is tied 2-2.

Projected LU Starters:

11 Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz (Sr., 6-1, 175) – 10.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.1 apg
2 Darius McGhee (So., 5-9, 150) – 9.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.5 apg
10 Elijah Cuffee (Jr., 6-4, 200) – 7.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.3 apg
1 Caleb Homesley (R-Sr., 6-6, 205) – 14.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.3 apg
31 Scottie James (R-Sr., 6-7, 230) – 11.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.3 apg

Top LU Reserves:

0 Myo Baxter-Bell (R-Sr., 6-5, 255) – 7.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.5 apg
22 Kyle Rode (Fr., 6-7, 220) – 4.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.2 apg
33 Shiloh Robinson (Fr., 6-7, 200) – 2.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.5 apg

Projected Stetson Starters:

10 Kenny Aninye (Jr., 6-1, 185) – 4.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.7 apg
2 Rob Perry (Fr., 6-3, 210) – 16.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.6 apg
0 Christiaan Jones (Jr., 6-5, 195) – 9.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.3 apg
35 Joel Kabimba (Fr., 6-8, 210) – 5.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 0.5 apg
15 Mahamadou Diawara (Fr., 6-10, 235) – 12.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 0.6 apg

Top Stetson Reserves:

3 Terry Ivery (Fr., 5-9, 170) – 2.1 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 1.5 apg
4 Jahlil Rawley (Sr., 6-4, 185) – 7.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.6 apg
1 Wheza Panzo (Fr., 6-7, 190) – 4.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.7 apg

QUICK FACTS

  • The Flames have won a school record 19 straight home games, the 5th longest streak in the nation. The Flames have never ended a regular season with an undefeated record at home.
  • 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 53.0 points per game, holding opponents under 50 points on 13 occasions this season.
  • The Flames rank first in the country, committing just 9.7 turnovers per game.
  • Liberty has five players that have played at least 100 career games.
  • Scottie James has 27 career double-doubles, which is tied with Alex McLean for fourth all-time in school history.
  • Liberty looks to become the first team since FGCU in 2017 to repeat as ASUN Champions.
  • The Flames are a 16.5 point favorite.

PREVIEW

Liberty hosts its final game of the regular season and will honor its four seniors in Myo Baxter-Bell, Caleb Homesley, Scottie James, and Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz.

Stetson is the surprise of the ASUN season. They were picked to finish dead last in the preseason poll, but under first year head coach Donnie Jones has separated themselves into the top half of the standings as we enter the final week of the regular season.

The Hatters had won 8 out of 9 games, with the only loss coming on the road to North Florida, before they dropped a road matchup with NJIT Thursday night, 78-69. The loss dropped Stetson to 9-4 in ASUN play on the season with three games to play.

They still have an outside chance to get the 1-seed in the ASUN Tournament as their next two games are against the teams they are trailing in the standings – Liberty and North Florida.

KENPOM PREDICTION

Liberty 66, Stetson 50