Liberty (11-4, 3-1) vs. Stetson (3-5, 1-1)
DeLand, Florida – Edmunds Center
Friday, Jan. 15, 7:00 p.m. ET
Saturday, Jan. 16, 5:00 p.m. ET
ESPN+

Last Meeting: Liberty won two of the three meetings a season ago, falling in DeLand, 48-43, on Jan. 25 before getting revenge in Lynchburg on Feb. 22, 77-49. The Flames also defeated the Hatters on March 5, 66-62, in the semifinals of the ASUN Tournament.
Series History: The Flames are 4-2 all-time against the Hatters, including a 4-1 mark since Liberty joined the ASUN prior to the 2018-19 season.

Projected LU Starters:

1 Chris Parker (Sr., 6-1, 170) – 9.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 4.5 apg
2 Darius McGhee (Jr., 5-9, 150) – 14.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.7 apg
10 Elijah Cuffee (Sr., 6-4, 200) – 9.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.4 apg
22 Kyle Rode (So., 6-7, 220) – 6.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.6 apg
32 Blake Preston (R-So., 6-9, 225) – 9.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.2 apg

Projected Stetson Starters:

11 Chase Johnston (RFr., 6-2, 185) – 13.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.5 apg
2 Rob Perry (So., 6-4, 210) – 15.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.3 apg
0 Christiaan Jones (Sr., 6-5, 195) – 8.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.4 apg
35 Joel Kabimba (So., 6-8, 210) – 4.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 0.3 apg
15 Mahamadou Diawara (So., 6-10, 249) – 10.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 0.3 apg

QUICK FACTS

  • The Flames have a 31-game winning streak at home which is the second longest streak in the country, trailing only Gonzaga.
  • Liberty ranks No. 71 in the NET Rankings, the highest in the ASUN.
  • Elijah Cuffee has played in 121 career games, which ranks No. 3 in Division I.
  • Liberty has made 165 three-pointers this season which ranks No. 1 in Division I. The Flames’ 11.0 makes per game ranks No. 5 in the country.
  • Darius McGhee currently ranks No. 2 in the country with 47 made three pointers this season. McGhee is one of three players who rank in the top 90 nationally in made three pointers as Cuffee is No. 50 and McDowell is No. 84. McGhee has attempted more three point field goals than 36  Division I teams.
  • Chris Parker ranks No. 19 in the country with 67 assists this season.
  • Liberty ranks No. 5 as a team in assist turnover ratio. The Flames are No. 3 in the country with 245 assists as a team this season.

PREVIEW

The Liberty Flames have returned to Florida for a pair of games this weekend against the Stetson Hatters. It’s the first time Liberty will play at the Edmunds Center since the team’s disappointing loss there a year ago. Under first year head coach Donnie Jones last season, Stetson used that win to help the team to a 9-7 finish for a 3rd place tie in the regular season standings. It was the first time Stetson had finished with a winning conference record since 2012-13 when former head coach Casey Alexander, also former Lipscomb and current Belmont coach, was manning the sidelines for the Hatters.

Coming off the strong 2019-20 campaign behind a couple standout freshmen, Rob Perry, and Mahamadou Diawara, Stetson was picked to finish third in this season’s ASUN, behind Lipscomb and Liberty. The Hatters got off to a slow start this season, losing their first four games include their season opener to Emmanuel. Stetson would then rebound to win three straight with wins over Florida Atlantic, Carver, and North Alabama.

The win over UNA was Stetson’s first ASUN game of the season, last Friday night, winning it 86-77. The Hatters would get the weekend split with the Lions, falling, 73-66 in overtime, on Saturday.

KENPOM PREDICTION

Liberty 71, Stetson 64
Liberty 71, Stetson 64