We are just two weeks away from the start of the 2025-26 men’s basketball season, and KenPom recently released its initial ratings of all 365 Division I teams. Liberty is listed at No. 100 overall and 1st in the CUSA.
KenPom has listed Liberty as the 88th adjusted offense at 109.1 while the adjusted defense comes in at 112th and 101.9. Both of those numbers are based on points per 100 possessions.
This is one of the highest preseason rankings by KenPom for Liberty in school history, with all of the highest preseason rankings coming in recent years. Last year, the Flames were ranked at No. 106 in the preseason.
Liberty has finished with its highest ever rankings in the final KenPom ratings each of the past six seasons, finishing No. 58 following the 2018-19 season, No. 79 following the 2019-20 campaign, No. 98 at the end of the 2020-21 season, and finished No. 124 following the 2021-22 season. Following the 2022-23 campaign, the Flames finished at No. 48, the highest end of year finish in program history. In 2023-24, the program’s first in Conference USA, Liberty finished No. 137. Last year, Liberty finished at No. 64.
After these recent finishes, the Flames’ next best finishes in the history of KenPom’s ratings came in 2003-04 when Randy Dunton’s team was ranked No. 181 and in 2017-18 when the Flames finished No. 184 under McKay.
Following Liberty in the CUSA is No. 141 Kennesaw State. Behind the Owls is No. 144 New Mexico State, followed by Louisiana Tech (#153), Jacksonville State (#156), UTEP (#157), Middle Tennessee (#159), Missouri State (#172), Sam Houston (#185), FIU (#198), Western Kentucky (#202), and Delaware (#216).
KenPom projects the Flames to finish the regular season with a 21-8 overall mark to go along with the 14-6 CUSA record projection. This does not include two games that the Flames will play in the tournament in Orlando during Thanksgiving week. The computer model has Liberty as underdog in just two games this season (Dec. 10 at NC State, Dec. 20 at Dayton).
Here’s where all of Liberty’s scheduled, Division I non-conference opponents are ranked by KenPom entering the season:
- 38 NC State
- 54 Dayton
- 132 Charleston
- 145 FAU
- 209 Vermont
- 363 Coppin State
Coming off a 28-7 campaign, CUSA regular season and tournament title, as well as an NCAA Tournament appearance, the Flames return three key pieces in seniors Colin Porter, Zach Cleveland, and Kaden Metheny. Liberty was picked to finish first in the Conference USA preseason poll, as released by the conference earlier this month. All three of those key returners were named to the league’s preseason all-conference team.
Liberty will open the season on Monday, Nov. 3 against Kentucky Christian at Liberty Arena before hosting the Field of 68 event where the Flames will play Charleston on Friday, Nov. 7 and FAU on Sunday, Nov. 9.
