Liberty is back in action Tuesday night against Winthrop in Rock Hill, South Carolina, tip-off at 7pm. The Flames are looking to knockoff the defending Big South champions who are currently 1-2 in Big South play.
Liberty has not won at the Winthrop Coliseum since February 2004, dropping 13 straight contests. The Flames have won just 1 out of its previous 12 meetings overall with the Eagles, including dropping both matchups last year.
Winthrop is led by 6’8″ senior wing Xavier Cooks who is averaging 16.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per games while adding 18 blocks and 17 steals. The Broman brothers are also averaging double figures for the Eagles, with Anders at 13.1 points per game while shooting 36% from 3 and his brother Bjorn averaging 11.2 points and 3 assists per game while shooting 48% from 3.
Pat Kelsey is in his 6th season as Winthrop’s head coach, something that nearly didn’t happen. In late March, it was announced that Kelsey would take over as UMass head coach, but he reportedly had a change of heart just 35 minutes prior to his introductory press conference. He then returned to Winthrop.
The game will pit the top scoring offense in the conference in Winthrop, averaging 84.8 points per game against the top scoring defense. The Flames are holding opponents to 59.8 points per game, good for 6th in the country.
Ryan Kemrite, who became the 25th player in school history to score 1,000 career points, is currently 4th on the career 3 point field goal list with 209 made 3s in his career. He sits just 18 behind Larry Blair, who holds the school record with 227 made 3s in his career.
