Less than two weeks ago, Liberty’s hopes for a fourth straight ASUN championship and NCAA Tournament invitation took a hit with its loss at home to Jacksonville State. The Flames fell behind the Gamecocks a game in the standings and would lose the tie-breaker with JSU due to the teams only meeting once this season. Hopes that Liberty would play at home through the ASUN Tournament seemed dire.

Now, the Flames have bounced back with four straight wins while Jacksonville State has dropped two out of three, and Liberty sits alone atop the ASUN standings and control its destiny for a regular season title and home court throughout the tournament.

On Tuesday, the Flames took care of business at home against Lipscomb, 78-69, and are riding a four-game win streak. The Flames are currently 18-7 on the season and are 9-1 in ASUN play. Ritchie McKay’s Flames are coming off a 23-6 season last year and 11-2 mark in conference play that saw Liberty earn a 13-seed in the NCAA Tournament before losing to No. 4 seed Oklahoma State in the first round.

Liberty has a very challenging two-game road swing this weekend, beginning Saturday evening at Jacksonville. The Flames will then play at North Florida on Tuesday. Here’s a roundup of where the Flames are being projected currently in the NCAA Tournament by several outlets:

  • ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Liberty back in his bracket after about a week’s absence. He currently has the Flames as a 14-seed, playing 3-seed Illinois in Milwaukee.
  • dropped Liberty out of his bracket and put Jacksonville State in as the ASUN representative. He has the Gamecocks as a 14-seed.
  • Jerry Palm and CBS Sports has the Flames as a 14-seed and facing 3-seed Baylor in Forth Worth, Texas. The winner would then face either LSU or BYU.
  • Watch Stadium has Jacksonville State in their bracket with their most recent update this past Monday. They have the Gamecocks as a 14-seed.
  • On3Sports has Liberty as a 14-seed.
  • Bracketville has the Flames as a 14-seed and facing 3-seed Providence.
  • BracketMatrix.com currently has the Flames as a 14-seed while being projected into the field by 63 of the 112 bracket projections ranging from an 13 to a 15 seed with an average of 14.19.