The Flames’ win streak ended at the hands of Sam Houston State last weekend in Texas. Let’s take a look at the current condition of Liberty Basketball as we are nearing the end of February.
Record:
The Flames are currently 16-10 overall with a 13-10 record over Division I opponents. Liberty is 5-6 in Conference USA play.
Last Week’s Recap:
Last week the Flames traveled to Huntsville for their second consecutive game against a first-placed Conference USA team. Liberty hoped to improve on their three-game win streak and have a winning mark in Conference USA play for the first time all season, but those goals faltered at Sam Houston.
The Bearkats got out to a blazing hot start on Saturday evening, jumping out to an 18-2 lead to begin the game and increasing that lead to as much as 25 points in the first half. The Flames defense surrendered 50 first half points as Sam Houston led Liberty 50-27.
The Flames had a strong second half, outscoring Sam Houston 46-33 and at one point pulling within single digits, but it was too little too late as the Bearkats won, 83-73. The Bearkats used a balanced and efficient scoring attack to snuff out the Flames, as five different Bearkats scored in double figures, shooting over 54% from the field as a team. Kaden Metheny lead the Flames in scoring with 19 points, followed by 17 from Brody Peebles, who continues to provide consistent scoring production from the Flames off the bench.
Rankings Roundup:
Here’s where the Flames currently stand in current credible national rankings:
NET: 113 (-7)
KenPom: 107 (-4)
ELO Rankings: 135 (-18)
SOS (Strength of Schedule): 173 (no change)
BPI (Basketball Power Index): 85 (-9)
Best Win: vs #94 Charlotte (Quad 2)
*Liberty’s win over Louisiana Tech is a Quad 3 win because it was at home, but the Bulldogs are 85th in the NET, which is the highest among teams that Liberty has beaten.
Worst Loss: at #270 New Mexico State (Quad 4)
CUSA Standings: 5th
Statistical Leaders:
Points per game: Kyle Rode – 13.4
Rebounds per game: Joseph Venzant – 6.5
Assists per game: Zach Cleveland – 4.0
Steals per game: Joseph Venzant – 1.1
Blocks per game: Zach Cleveland – 1.1
Field Goal Percentage: Zach Cleveland – 59.9%
Up Next:
The Flames once again only have one game on the docket for this week, against the Florida International Panthers. The Flames already faced FIU once this season, defeating the Panthers 78-69 in Liberty Arena for their first-ever conference win as a member of Conference USA.
The Panthers are currently in dead last in the conference, a nice change of pace from just recently facing the two teams with the best record in CUSA. The Panthers are ranked 303rd in the NET rankings and do not have a win better than a Quad 4 all year. However, despite an underwhelming resume, the Panthers are only one game behind the 6th-place team in the conference and just two games behind Liberty.
If the Panthers can string together a few wins, they can avoid the 8-9 play-in game for the CUSA tournament come March. For Liberty, they are fighting for the best possible seeding come tournament time, and a win over FIU in Miami on Thursday night would give the Flames just their third win on the road all season. The Flames and Panthers will tip off at 7:00 PM EST and you can watch the game on ESPN+.
