Following the win over Wichita State on Friday, Liberty (4-0) will take on Vermont (4-0) on Saturday evening for the championship of the Myrtle Beach Invitational in a game that will be televised on ESPN2. The Catamounts defeated Charleston, 73-64, on Thursday and Saint Louis, 78-68, on Friday to advance to Sunday’s final.
Be sure to check out our complete Myrtle Beach Invitational preview if you missed it.
Here’s what you need to know about the game:
How to Watch
5:30 p.m. ET | Sunday, November 19
Conway, SC | HTC Center
TV: ESPN2
Liberty vs Vermont Odds (KenPom)
Spread: Liberty -5
Projected score: Liberty 69, Vermont 64
Liberty Projected Starters
#0 Colin Porter
Sophomore Guard | 5’9″, 170
9.3 ppg, 4.5 apg, 39.1% 3-point
#3 Kaden Metheny
R-Junior Guard | 5’10”, 170
10.3 ppg, 2.5 apg, 3.3 rpg
#23 Joseph Venzant
Junior Guard | 6’3″, 200
5.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg
#22 Kyle Rode
R-Senior Forward | 6’7″, 220
20.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.0 apg
#25 Zach Cleveland
Sophomore Forward | 6’7″, 215
7.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg
Liberty vs Vermont History
This will be the first ever meeting between the two programs.
Liberty vs Vermont Storylines
MATCHUP AMONG TOP MID-MAJORS
This seems to be a reoccurring theme in Myrtle Beach this weekend, and it remains true. The Flames have taken on three very strong mid-major programs in these three games, and Sunday’s final will be no different.
The Catamounts have 14 straight 20-win seasons (not counting the shortened 2020-21 season due to COVID when they only played 15 games). They have made two straight NCAA Tournament appearances as champions of the America East and have reached four of the last six NCAA Tournaments.
In his 13th season, head coach John Becker is Vermont’s all-time winningest coach. He helped guide the Catamounts to a 23-11 campaign last year with a 14-2 mark in the America East.
SIMILAR TEAMS FACING EACH OTHER
Liberty has faced teams very different to them in two of the last three games while facing Wichita State and Charlotte. Those teams relied on their size and athleticism. Vermont, however, is much more similar to Liberty in roster construction and team makeup.
Neither team has a ton of size, they like to shoot the three, and they rely on spacing and ball movement. It will be interesting to see how the Flames match up against a team very similar to them.
PLAYING FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP
These two teams will be playing for a championship on Sunday, and, while the stakes aren’t the same as they are in March, both are accustomed to playing for titles.
Liberty and Vermont are two of only a handful of programs that have made at least five conference championship game appearances in the past six seasons. The Flames, of course, have done that in two different conferences – the Big South and the ASUN (and will be attempting to continue that streak in a new league, the Conference USA) – while Vermont has accomplished all of their success in the America East.
