Following the team’s win over George Mason Tuesday night in the first round of the 2026 NIT, Liberty (26-7, 17-3 CUSA) now takes on 2-seed Nevada (23-12, 12-8 Mountain West) in the second round on Saturday night. Tipoff is 9 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

Here’s everything you need to know for the matchup:

How to Watch

9 p.m. ET | Tuesday, March 21
Reno, NV | Lawlor Events Center
TV: ESPN+

Liberty vs Nevada Odds (KenPom)

Spread: Liberty +8
Projected score: Nevada 78, Liberty 70

Liberty Projected Starters

#0 Colin Porter

Senior Guard | 5’10”, 170
2025-26 stats: 11.4 ppg, 3.5 apg, 3.0 rpg

#4 Brett Decker

Sophomore Guard | 6’3″, 190
2025-26 stats: 16.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 47.3% 3-point field goals

#9 JJ Harper

R-Senior Guard | 6’5″, 200
2025-26 stats: 10.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 59.4% FG

#25 Zach Cleveland

Senior Forward | 6’7″, 220
2025-26 stats: 11.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 6.8 apg, 61.2% FG

#12 Josh Smith

Senior Forward | 6’9″, 225
2025-26 stats: 7.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 62.2% FG

Liberty vs Nevada History

N/A, first meeting

Liberty vs Nevada Storylines

NIT UPDATE

For most of the teams that advance to the NIT, it comes with a bit of a mixed feeling. Many had strong seasons and had their eyes on making it to the Big Dance, but for one reason or another had to settle for the NIT. These teams may not be thrilled to be here while others are excited for the opportunity. This is Liberty’s second NIT bid in program history, both of which have come in the last four seasons. Liberty played in the 2023 NIT, its first-ever NIT nod. The Flames topped Villanova, 62-57, in the first round at Liberty Arena, followed by a 75-71 setback at Wisconsin in the second round.

NIT first round games were held Tuesday and Wednesday at campus sites, with second round games set for Saturday and Sunday, also at campus locations. The NIT quarterfinal games are held March 24-25 at campus sites. Four teams will then advance to historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for the semifinals which kick off Final Four weekend on April 2. The NIT championship will be played April 5 at 8 p.m. ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse following the conclusion of the Division II and Division III men’s basketball national championships.

For the fifth straight season, the NIT seeded only the top half of the 32-team field. The bottom 16 unseeded teams were placed into the bracket by the NIT Committee as close to their area of natural interest as possible.

In addition to Liberty and Nevada, 1-seed Auburn and 4-seed Seattle University also advanced to the Second Round of the Auburn Region. The Tigers and Redhawks play on Sunday evening at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2. The winner of that game will play the winner between the Flames and Wolf Pack in the quarterfinals at the home of the higher seeded teams. Other teams to advance to the NIT’s seconds round are Wake Forest, Illinois State, UNC Wilmington, Dayton, New Mexico, George Washington, St. Joe’s, California, Tulsa, UNLV, Wichita State, and Oklahoma State.

Here is the updated 2026 NIT bracket:

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ABOUT NEVADA

Nevada finished tied for firth place in the Mountain West with Boise State at 12-8. They earned the 5-seed in the Mountain West Tournament where they defeated 12-seed Air Force (80-45) and 4-seed Grand Canyon (84-80) before losing to 2-seed San Diego State (64-62) in the semifinals.

The Wolf Pack defeated Murray State late Wednesday night on their home floor to open play in the NIT. Vaughn Weems led the team with 23 points on 8 of 9 shooting inside the arc. Corey Camper added 17 points in the win.

Steve Alford is in his seventh season at Nevada where he led them to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2023 and 2024. Last year, the Wolf Pack had a disappointing 17-16 overall record and 8-12 mark in conference play before bouncing back to a third 20-win season in four years this season.

Alford and Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay have some history together. Alford replaced McKay at New Mexico in 2007. McKay and Alford then met on the court when the Flames played at UCLA on Dec. 29, 2018. It was a 73-58 Liberty win behind Caleb Homesley’s 21 points. Just a couple days later UCLA fired Alford before he landed at Nevada the following offseason.

The Flames and Wolf Pack share just one common opponent this season. Nevada opened the year against Louisiana Tech way back on November 4, defeating the Bulldogs, 77-50. Liberty split its two games against Louisiana Tech this season, winning in Ruston, 72-56, on January 8 before losing to LA Tech in Lynchburg, 76-71, on March 5.

Nevada is currently ranked No. 75 in KenPom which will be the third highest ranked team Liberty has faced this season. The only teams ranked higher that the Flames have played is NC State who is No. 36 and Dayton which is No. 69.

Projected Nevada starters:

  • Tayshawn Comer, 6’1″, SR –  11.3 ppg, 3.5 apg, 35.5% from 3
  • Vaughn Weems, 6’5″, JR – 10.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg
  • Corey Camper, 6’5″, SR – 17.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 41.0% from 3
  • Kaleb Lowery, 6’8″, SR – 4.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg
  • Elijah Price, 6’9″, SO – 12.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 33.3% from 3

A couple of those names may be familiar as Liberty has faced both Comer and Camper previously. Comer began his career at Eastern Kentucky where he played for two seasons before entering the portal. Camper played the past two seasons at UTEP before heading to Nevada.

METHENY STATUS

Liberty’s second leading scorer and third-team all CUSA honoree Kaden Metheny missed the Flames’ first round win at George Mason despite being in uniform. Coach McKay mentioned following the game that Metheny had suffered a calf injury just ahead of the CUSA Tournament quarterfinals against Missouri State. Metheny played in that game, but sat out the NIT opener. There is a possibility that Metheny could play on Saturday night in Reno, but the Flames are also playing things safe. The fear with an injury like Metheny’s is that if he plays it could lead to a more serious injury such as a torn Achilles which has happened to other athletes playing on calf injuries.