The Liberty Flames (16-5, 7-1) and Stetson Hatters (11-8, 6-2) will meet Thursday night at Liberty Arena.

The Hatters have been one of the surprise teams in the ASUN early during conference play. They raced out to a 5-0 record in league play and stood alone in first place before dropping two straight against Eastern Kentucky and Kennesaw State. Stetson bounced back this past Saturday with a win at home over Jacksonville State.

6’3″ guard Jalen Blackmon has been a big addition to the roster this season. The Grand Canyon transfer is leading the team in scoring at 13.9 points per game. 6’1″ guard Luke Brown also transferred to Stetson this season, joining the program from Ball State. He is second on the team in scoring at 11.1 points per game.

“They’ve got a really, really good offensive team,” McKay said of Stetson. “Donnie is a terrific coach, way underrated. They use multiple defenses, constantly trying to keep you off balance. With the emergence of (Wheza) Panzo, Luke Brown, (Stephan) Swenson is having a great year, Blackmon is a problem. (Sam) Peek’s been a great addition and Josh Smith has gotten better. We don’t even talk about (Mahamadou) Diawara much from a media standpoint, but when he was here, feels like forever ago, he was one of the biggest impact fives that we have in the league.”

“They have a balanced team. They’ve got depth, they’ve got shooting. They’ve got a lot of offensive weaponry. They keep you off balance enough that it can give you problems.”

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

How to Watch – Liberty Flames (16-5, 7-1) vs Stetson (11-8, 6-2)

  • Date: Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023
  • Start Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
  • TV: ESPN+
  • Online Streaming: Watch ESPN
  • Radio (Lynchburg): LFSN Radio (107.5 FM)

Odds and Statistics

  • KenPom currently gives Liberty a 85 percent chance to win the game with a predicted score of 73-62.
  • ESPN’s Basketball Power Index currently gives Liberty a 91.2 percent chance to win the game.

Previous Matchup

  • Liberty leads the all-time series, 8-3.
  • The Flames won both games between the two teams last season, including the most recent contest, 88-82, on Feb. 19 in DeLand, Florida.
  • Darius McGhee’s 39 points were enough to lead Liberty to the win despite 38 points from Stetson’s Chase Johnston.

Probable Starters

Stat Leaders (2022 Season)

Liberty:

  • Points: Darius McGhee – 21.1 PPG
  • Rebounds: Joseph Venzant – 5.4 RPG
  • Assists: Colin Porter – 4.1 APG

Ritchie McKay Press Conference Pre-Stetson