Despite losing nearly all of the experience that helped Liberty win 26 games and a Conference USA regular season title last season, the Flames are still expected to be near the top of the league.
According to the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, Liberty is projected to finish third in Conference USA this season, behind only Kennesaw State and Western Kentucky. Blue Ribbon also named Liberty freshman Eli Sancomb its Co-Newcomer of the Year, sharing the honor with FIU freshman Trey Beamer.
The preseason CUSA rankings are:
- Kennesaw State
- Western Kentucky
- Liberty
- New Mexico State
- Middle Tennessee
- Sam Houston
- FIU
- Missouri State
- Jacksonville State
- Delaware
Blue Ribbon points directly at the biggest question facing the Flames entering the season: experience. Liberty won 26 games last season, captured the CUSA regular season championship and won an NIT game on the road at George Mason. Much of that success came from a veteran group that had been through plenty of Division I basketball together.
Blue Ribbon notes that Liberty ranked third nationally in experience according to KenPom entering last season and was 15th nationally in minutes continuity. Those advantages are largely gone.
“Those strengths are gone, largely because of graduation,” Blue Ribbon writes.
Liberty loses three veterans who were a huge part of the program the past several years – Zach Cleveland, Colin Porter, and Kaden Metheny. The Flames also lost their leading scorer, Brett Decker, who averaged 16.9 points per game while shooting 47.1 percent from three. Decker transferred to Baylor.
As a result, Liberty has dropped significantly in KenPom’s experience rankings. That makes this season something of a reset for head coach Ritchie McKay. The Flames aren’t replacing one or two pieces. They are replacing a large portion of the production, leadership and familiarity that helped produce one of the best seasons in program history.
One reason for that optimism is something Liberty has established as a major part of its identity under McKay: shooting. Blue Ribbon points out that the Flames shot 38.3 percent from three in 2024-25, good for 14th nationally. They got even better last season, shooting 39.3 percent from beyond the arc, which ranked fifth nationally. That’s an important piece of context for a roster that has so many new faces.
While Liberty has to replace its established scorers, Blue Ribbon notes that many of the newcomers shot around 40 percent from three at their previous stops. There are also new options on the interior who could provide efficiency around the rim.
In other words, while the names and roles are changing, one of the characteristics that has helped define Liberty basketball isn’t necessarily going anywhere. The Flames will have to find new players to make the shots, but the roster appears to have been constructed with shooting in mind. And if Liberty can maintain anything close to its recent efficiency from three, it could make the transition to a younger roster considerably easier.
If there is one newcomer Blue Ribbon is particularly high on, it’s Eli Sancomb. The 6-foot-5 guard is Liberty’s highest-ranked recruit in program history and was named the publication’s Co-Newcomer of the Year. Blue Ribbon also identifies him as a potential candidate for CUSA Freshman of the Year.
Sancomb was the West Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year each of the last two seasons and was a four-star prospect according to the 247Sports Composite. He was ranked as the No. 1 player in West Virginia and the No. 17 combo guard nationally. But the numbers and recruiting rankings aren’t the only reasons McKay is excited about him.
“He’s got as good a vision as any high school player I’ve ever seen,” McKay told Blue Ribbon. “I just think he’s going to have an immediate impact on our team.”
That’s a particularly intriguing skill for a Liberty team trying to replace so much offensive production. The Flames don’t necessarily need Sancomb to walk in and replicate Decker’s scoring numbers. But if he can provide playmaking, create shots for teammates and take advantage of the attention opposing defenses give him, he could immediately become one of Liberty’s most important players.
Sancomb isn’t the only freshman Blue Ribbon believes could make an immediate impact. Eli Herbert, a 6-foot-4 freshman guard from Missouri, could also carve out a significant role because of his shooting ability. McKay compared Herbert to former Virginia standout Kyle Guy, saying the freshman gives him “Kyle Guy vibes.” That’s significant praise coming from McKay, who helped recruit Guy to Virginia before Guy became an important piece of the Cavaliers’ 2019 national championship team. If Herbert can provide consistent perimeter shooting as a freshman, he could give Liberty another valuable piece in a backcourt that is being rebuilt.
Blue Ribbon acknowledges that there could be some growing pains. After being one of the most experienced teams in the country a year ago, Liberty will now have to figure out new roles, new rotations and new combinations.
There is also a clear question in the frontcourt. Blue Ribbon specifically points to the need for a couple of Liberty’s sophomore big men to emerge as reliable contributors. Still, the publication isn’t ready to count out the Flames.
“Given his program’s nine 20-win seasons out of 10, no one should sleep on Liberty,” Blue Ribbon writes.
That’s ultimately the biggest takeaway from the preseason projection. Liberty isn’t being picked to win Conference USA. It isn’t being carried by a collection of established preseason All-Conference players, either. Instead, Blue Ribbon is betting on the program’s track record, McKay’s system and a roster that has some intriguing pieces despite its lack of proven experience.
Blue Ribbon expects Liberty to be third in CUSA, but perhaps more importantly, it expects the Flames to get better as the season progresses. There may be some bumps early as this new-look roster finds its identity. But if the shooting remains elite, the young bigs develop and Sancomb lives up to the preseason hype, Liberty could once again find itself near the top of Conference USA when March arrives.
