The Liberty Flames (11-1) men’s basketball team is back in action on Saturday night at Liberty Arena against UT Arlington (6-6).
Here’s what you need to know about the game:
Liberty vs UT Arlington How to Watch
2 p.m. ET | Saturday, December 21
Lynchburg, Virginia | Liberty Arena
TV: ESPN+
Liberty vs UT Arlington Odds (KenPom)
Spread: Liberty -11
Projected score: Liberty 78, UT Arlington 67
Liberty Projected Starters
#0 Colin Porter
Junior Guard | 5’10”, 170
7.4 ppg, 4.4 apg, 2.6 rpg
#3 Kaden Metheny
R-Senior Guard | 5’11”, 170
13.2 ppg, 42.7% from 3
#32 Jayvon Maughmer
Senior Guard | 6’6″, 205
9.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg
#25 Zach Cleveland
Junior Forward | 6’7″, 220
10.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 5.7 apg
#8 Owen Aquino
Junior Forward | 6’8″, 230
10.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.2 bpg
Liberty vs UT Arlington History
N/A, first meeting
Liberty vs UT Arlington Storylines
CUSA-WAC CHALLENGE
This is the second and final game Liberty will play this season in the CUSA-WAC Challenge. The Flames defeated Seattle U early in the season on a late second three-pointer by Kaden Metheny.
Liberty split its two games last year in this event, winning at Utah Valley but losing at home to Grand Canyon.
UTA ONE OF THE TOP TEAMS IN WAC
Under second year head coach K.T. Turner, UT Arlington is expected to compete near the top of the WAC once again this season. They are coming off a 20-win campaign a year ago, in Turner’s first season at the helm. The Mavericks were 13-7 in conference play and lost to Grand Canyon in the conference championship game.
This season has been a bit of an up and down story for UTA. They lost their first Division I game of the season, falling to Louisiana Tech, 92-77, on their home floor. They would go on to lose their first four against DI opponents, also falling to USC, Missouri State, and Murray State.
The Mavericks defeated Austin Peay on Nov. 27, their first DI win of the season and have also beat Louisiana-Monroe twice this season. Other losses include Rhode Island and Arkansas State.
UT Arlington is coming off an 80-54 win over Evansville at home on Wednesday night.
6’10” senior forward Lance Ware is a big part of what the Mavericks do. He began his career at Kentucky. After three seasons with the Wildcats, he transferred to Villanova last season. Now at UT Arlington, Ware is averaging 14.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. He missed the first five games of the season, but UTA is 5-3 with him in the lineup and have won three out of four.
FLAMES ARE HOT
Liberty is currently riding an 8-game winning streak which is the 7th longest active win streak in the nation. The Flames have not lost since Saturday, Nov. 16 against FAU in a game played in Charleston. Liberty lost that game, 77-74, in overtime.
The Flames have gone over a month without suffering a setback as the team has gotten comfortable playing with one another despite so many new faces on this year’s squad. Five of the eight wins have come by double digits, and Liberty is in the midst of a season-long seven-game home stand.
Saturday’s game marks the final non-conference game of the season for the Flames as Liberty opens conference play on Thursday, Jan. 2 against Western Kentucky.
