The Flames have gone 1-2 since our last State of the Union article, defeating New Mexico State, but falling to UTEP and Middle Tennessee. Let’s take a look at the current condition of Liberty Basketball as we are just one day away from the regular season finale.
Record:
The Flames are currently 17-13 overall with a 14-13 record over Division I opponents. Liberty is 6-9 in Conference USA play.
Last Week’s Recap:
Last week started well, as the Flames dismantled New Mexico State in front of their home crowd, 83-58. The Flames shot 50% from three and over 53% from the field, as Liberty controlled the game from the tip. Defensively, Liberty held the Aggies to just over 40% shooting from the field and 29% from three. The Flames were able to dominate the boards as well, outrebounding New Mexico State, 40-25. Zach Cleveland led the way with 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. Kyle Rode also had a great game, scoring 21 points, along with 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
The Flames concluded last week with UTEP on Saturday. Unlike the New Mexico State game, Liberty would not get out to a strong start offensively, scoring only 13 points in the final sixteen minutes of the first half. The Miners would take a 35-23 lead into the break and would begin the second half on an 8-0 run to increase their lead. Liberty cut the lead to eight following a 12-0 run, but UTEP would respond and shut the door on the Flames, handing them their worst loss at Liberty Arena, by a final score of 67-51. The Flames had a hard time stopping the Miners’ offense, as Corey Camper led the way with 21 points and Zid Powell followed with 19 points, shooting a very efficient 7-9 from the field. Liberty struggled shooting the ball, shooting 39.1% from the field and just 28% from three. Kaden Metheny led the way for the Flames with 15 points, as Liberty dropped to 6-8 in conference play.
For the first time in all of conference play, the Flames played on a Tuesday this week, traveling to Murfreesboro to take on Middle Tennessee. The Flames had a strong start, making 11 straight field goals at one point to take a double-digit lead, but would only make one field goal in the final 9:35 of the first half and would wound up trailing at the break. The Flames would re-take a two-point lead with just under 12 minutes to go, but the Blue Raiders would respond, going on a 9-0 run to take back the lead which they would not relinquish. The Flames struggled to take care of the ball, turning it over 15 times to Middle Tennessee’s nine. Liberty once again shot under 30% from three (29.2%), despite shooting from over 60% from the field in the first half. Zach Cleveland led the Flames in scoring with 17 points and Kyle Rode added a double-double, scoring 12 points along with 13 boards. This lost secured Liberty’s first losing season in conference play since the 2014-15 season.
Rankings Roundup:
Here’s where the Flames currently stand in current credible national rankings:
NET: 135 (-14)
KenPom: 130 (-10)
ELO Rankings: 189 (-32)
SOS (Strength of Schedule): 189 (-17)
BPI (Basketball Power Index): 106 (-16)
Best Win: vs #100 Vermont (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 #297 Florida International (Quad 4)
CUSA Standings: Tied for 5th
Statistical Leaders:
Points per game: Kyle Rode – 13.8
Rebounds per game: Joseph Venzant – 6.3
Assists per game: Zach Cleveland – 3.9
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 will conclude the 2023-24 regular season this Saturday against Western Kentucky at Liberty Arena. The Flames opened conference play with the Hilltoppers, falling in a two-point ballgame in Bowling Green in early January. This was a sloppy game, as both teams combined for 36 turnovers and went a combined 27-42 from the free throw line. The Flames had multiple chances to tie or win before the buzzer, but Brody Peebles missed a corner three and Kaden Metheny’s last-second attempt also failed after securing the offensive rebound.
The Hilltoppers are likely the 3-seed in the Conference USA tournament and are currently one of only three conference teams with a winning record in conference play (8-7). The Hilltoppers were 8-4 and in contention for the top seed and regular season crown but are riding a three-game losing streak heading into Lynchburg.
For the Flames, it is hard to say where they will end up in the final regular season standings. Currently, there are two other teams other than the Flames with a 6-9 conference record, FIU is just behind at 5-10, and Middle Tennessee is only a game ahead at 7-8. With a win this Saturday, the Flames will likely be in the 4/5 game in next week’s tournament. The Flames will benefit from the conference’s tiebreaker which compares team’s records versus opponent’s with a higher winning percentage. Essentially, Liberty’s wins over the conference’s top-two teams (Sam Houston State and Louisiana Tech) could benefit the Flames in getting them a higher seed. With a loss this weekend, Liberty would likely find themselves as an 8 or 9 seed which means they would have to play an extra game than the rest of the field and would face the one seed the very next round if they were to advance.
While it will be interesting to see how the Conference USA cluster will sort out itself this weekend, the Flames still have an opportunity to set themselves up to be in the upper echelon of the bracket by avoiding the 8/9 seed game. Not to mention that it is Liberty’s Senior Night. However, as we have found, it is extremely tough to predict what will happen in a Conference USA game this season and equally tough to predict what version of Liberty Men’s Basketball we will see. The Flames and Hilltoppers will tip-off Saturday afternoon at 1:00 PM est. You can watch the game on ESPN+.
