2019–20 Liberty Flames basketball team

2019–20 Liberty Flames basketball
The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase champions
D.C. Holiday Hoops Classic champions
Atlantic Sun regular season co-champions
Atlantic Sun tournament champions
ConferenceASUN Conference
Record30–4 (13–3 ASUN Conference)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Brad Soucie (5th (7th) season)
  • Derek Johnston (2nd season)
  • Kevin Anderson (2nd season)
Home arenaVines Center
Seasons
2019–20 ASUN men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Liberty† 13 – 3   .813 30 – 4   .882
North Florida 13 – 3   .813 21 – 12   .636
Lipscomb 9 – 7   .563 16 – 16   .500
Stetson 9 – 7   .563 16 – 17   .485
North Alabama* 8 – 8   .500 13 – 17   .433
Florida Gulf Coast 7 – 9   .438 10 – 22   .313
Jacksonville 7 – 9   .438 14 – 18   .438
NJIT 6 – 10   .375 9 – 21   .300
Kennesaw State 0 – 16   .000 1 – 28   .034
* Ineligible for the 2020 NCAA tournament due to transition period
† 2020 ASUN Tournament winner

The 2019–20 Liberty Flames men's basketball team represented Liberty University in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games in Lynchburg, Virginia for the 30th consecutive and final season at Vines Center, with a capacity of 8,085. The team was led by Ritchie McKay, who is in his seventh season, but fifth season since his return to the program. They are second-year members of the ASUN Conference.

Previous season

The Flames finished the 2018–19 season 29–7, 14–2 in ASUN play to finish in second place in their second season in the ASUN. They defeated Jacksonville, North Florida, and Lipscomb in the championship game to win the ASUN tournament.[1] As a result, the Flames received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 12 seed in the East bracket, the school's fourth NCAA Tournament bid. They defeated No. 5-seed Mississippi State in the first round[2] before losing to No. 4-seed Virginia Tech in the second round.[3] This marked Liberty's highest seeding in the NCAA tournament and its first March Madness victory in school history.

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Lovell Cabbil 3 Guard 6'3" 175 Senior Arlington, Texas Graduated
Keenan Gumbs 5 Forward 6'5" 210 Senior Conroe, Texas Graduated
Zach Farquhar 15 Guard 5'9" 160 Senior Cincinnati Graduated
Keegan McDowell 20 Guard/forward 6'6" 180 Sophomore Cincinnati Transferred

2019-20 Newcomers

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Marten Maide
G 		Charlotte, North Carolina Carmel Christian School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) N/A Jan 2, 2018 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Colton Reed
G 		Wake Forest, North Carolina Roanoke College 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) N/A  
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Shiloh Robinson
F 		Kearney, Nebraska Kearney High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) N/A Sep 24, 2018 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Kyle Rode
F 		Lexington, Kentucky Lexington Christian Academy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) N/A Jun 26, 2018 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars


Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

2019–20 Liberty Flames men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 Myo Baxter-Bell 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 255 lb (116 kg) RS Sr Chaminade Julieen High School Cincinnati, Ohio
G 1 Caleb Homesley 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Sr Porter Ridge High School Indian Trail, North Carolina
G 2 Darius McGhee 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
—
 So Blue Ridge School Roxboro, North Carolina
G 4 Tytist Dean (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS Fr North High School St. Paul, Minnesota
G 5 Marten Maide 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
—
 Fr Carmel Christian School Charlotte, North Carolina
G/F 10 Elijah Cuffee 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Liberty Christian Academy Poca, West Virginia
G 11 Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Sr Deep Run High School Ponce, Puerto Rico
G 13 Luke McKay (W)
—
—
 Fr Liberty Christian Academy Lynchburg, Virginia
G 15 Colton Reed (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
—
 RS So Roanoke Maroons Wake Forest, North Carolina
F 22 Kyle Rode 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
—
 Fr Lexington Christian Academy Lexington, Kentucky
G 25 Josh Price 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
—
 RS Fr Carmel Christian School Charlotte, North Carolina
F 31 Scottie James 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) RS Sr Bradley Tarpon Springs, Florida
F 32 Blake Preston 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
—
 RS Fr Charlotte Christian School Charlotte, North Carolina
F 33 Shiloh Robinson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
—
 Fr Kearney High School Kearney, Nebraska
C 55 Brendan Newton 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 235 lb (107 kg) RS So Faith Christian High Roanoke, Virginia
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on
  • Roster is subject to change as/if players transfer or leave the program for other reasons.

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
Nov 8, 2019*
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Radford W 66–60  1–0
  18 – Homesley   6 – Tied   2 – 6 tied  Vines Center (7,872)
Lynchburg, VA
Nov 10, 2019*
2:00 pm, ESPN+ 		UMES W 66–55  2–0
  22 – James   16 – James   6 – Homesley  Vines Center (3,090)
Lynchburg, VA
Nov 12, 2019*
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		South Carolina State W 65–39  3–0
  12 – Pacheco-Ortiz   12 – James   4 – Tied  Vines Center (3,084)
Lynchburg, VA
Nov 16, 2019*
4:00 pm, ESPN3 		at East Carolina
The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase 		W 77–57  4–0
  25 – Homesley   9 –  Tied    4 –  Tied   Williams Arena (4,527)
Greenville, NC
Nov 19, 2019*
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Navy W 55–48  5–0
  13 – McGhee   9 – James   3 – James  Vines Center (4,010)
Lynchburg, VA
Nov 22, 2019*
11:00 am, FloHoops 		vs. Morgan State
The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase quarterfinal 		W 89–48  6–0
  17 – Rode   5 – Rode   4 – Baxter-Bell  Kendal Isaacs National Gymnasium (300)
Nassau, Bahamas
Nov 23, 2019*
5:00 pm, FloHoops 		vs. Rice
The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase semifinal 		W 71–59  7–0
  14 – Rode   12 – James   4 – Pacheco-Ortiz  Kendal Isaacs National Gymnasium (300)
Nassau, Bahamas
Nov 24, 2019*
8:00 pm, FloHoops 		vs. Kansas City
The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase Final 		W 62–49  8–0
  14 – Pacheco-Ortiz   6 – Tied   3 – Cuffee  Kendal Isaacs National Gymnasium (300)
Nassau, Bahamas
Nov 29, 2019*
2:00 pm 		Kentucky Christian W 88–42  9–0
  15 – James   7 – James   4 – McGhee  Vines Center (2,717)
Lynchburg, VA
Dec 2, 2019*
10:00 pm 		Trinity Baptist W 87–28  10–0
  15 – Cuffee   9 – Preston   5 – Tied  Vines Center (3,164)
Lynchburg, VA
Dec 8, 2019*
6:30 pm, ESPNU 		at Grand Canyon
Jerry Colangelo Classic 		W 70–61  11–0
  17 – Homesley   5 – 4 tied   4 – Tied  Talking Stick Resort Arena (5,406)
Phoenix, AZ
Dec 14, 2019*
8:00 pm, SECN+ 		at Vanderbilt W 61–56  12–0
  18 – Baxter-Bell   11 – James   5 – Pacheco-Ortiz  Memorial Gymnasium (9,045)
Nashville, TN
Dec 20, 2019*
5:00 pm, FloHoops 		vs. Towson
DC Holiday Hoops 		W 66–54  13–0
  16 – Pacheco-Ortiz   6 – James   4 – Cuffee  Entertainment and Sports Arena (707)
Washington, D.C.
Dec 21, 2019*
3:30 pm, FloHoops 		vs. Akron
DC Holiday Hoops 		W 80–67  14–0
  16 – Homesley   6 – Tied   6 – Baxter-Bell  Entertainment and Sports Arena (942)
Washington, D.C.
Dec 29, 2019*
1:30 pm, SECN+ 		at LSU L 57–74  14–1
  12 – Tied   4 – Cuffee   6 – Homesley  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (9,193)
Baton Rouge, LA
Atlantic Sun Conference regular season
Jan 2, 2020
5:00 pm, ESPNU 		at FGCU W 59–46  15–1
(1–0) 		 24 – Homesley   6 – Homesley   4 – Baxter-Bell  Alico Arena (3,305)
Fort Myers, FL
Jan 4, 2020
4:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at NJIT W 65–38  16–1
(2–0) 		 20 – Homesley   10 – James   4 – Pacheco-Ortiz  Wellness and Events Center (1,004)
Newark, NJ
Jan 9, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		North Alabama W 63–52  17–1
(3–0) 		 16 – Baxter-Bell   7 – James   3 – 3 tied  Vines Center (2,592)
Lynchburg, VA
Jan 11, 2020
5:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Jacksonville W 54–37  18–1
(4–0) 		 14 – McGhee   9 – James   2 – 4 tied  Vines Center (4,299)
Lynchburg, VA
Jan 18, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Lipscomb W 67–60  19–1
(5–0) 		 21 – Pacheco-Ortiz   11 – James   4 – Homesley  Vines Center (6,008)
Lynchburg, VA
Jan 23, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at North Florida L 70–71  19–2
(5–1) 		 19 – McGhee   6 – Homesley   2 – 3 Tied  UNF Arena (2,371)
Jacksonville, FL
Jan 25, 2020
4:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Stetson L 43–48  19–3
(5–2) 		 12 – Tied   10 – James   7 – Cuffee  Edmunds Center (862)
Deland, FL
Jan 30, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Kennesaw State W 83–45  20–3
(6–2) 		 16 – James   12 – James   4 – Pacheco-Ortiz  Vines Center (3,988)
Lynchburg, VA
Feb 1, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		FGCU W 61–46  21–3
(7–2) 		 16 – Pacheco-Ortiz   8 – Homesley   3 – Homesley  Vines Center (4,413)
Lynchburg, VA
Feb 6, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Jacksonville W 71–62  22–3
(8–2) 		 25 – Homesley   8 – McGhee   4 – Pacheco-Ortiz  Swisher Gymnasium (816)
Jacksonville, FL
Feb 8, 2020
4:30 pm, ESPN+ 		at North Alabama W 74–56  23–3
(9–2) 		 30 – Homesley   9 – Homesley   3 – Homesley  Flowers Hall (957)
Florence, AL
Feb 15, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		NJIT W 62–49  24–3
(10–2) 		 14 – 3 tied   8 – Cuffee   3 – Tied  Vines Center (4,745)
Lynchburg, VA
Feb 20, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		North Florida W 82–77  25–3
(11–2) 		 28 – Homesley   10 – James   4 – McGhee  Vines Center (5,613)
Lynchburg, VA
Feb 22, 2020
5:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Stetson W 77–49  26–3
(12–2) 		 22 – Homesley   7 – Homesley   5 – McGhee  Vines Center (6,762)
Lynchburg, VA
Feb 27, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Kennesaw State W 76–52  27–3
(13–2) 		 26 – Homesley   8 – James   4 – James  KSU Convocation Center (933)
Kennesaw, GA
Feb 29, 2020
5:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Lipscomb L 71–77  27–4
(13–3) 		 17 – McGhee   10 – James   6 – Homesley  Allen Arena (3,625)
Nashville, TN
Atlantic Sun Conference tournament
March 3, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		(1) (8) NJIT
Quarterfinals 		W 55–49  28–4
  14 – Homesley   10 – James   4 – Cuffee  Vines Center (3,042)
Lynchburg, VA
March 5, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		(1) (4) Stetson
Semifinals 		W 66–62  29–4
  26 – Homesley   8 – Homesley   3 – Tied  Vines Center (6,762)
Lynchburg, VA
March 8, 2020
3:00 pm, ESPN 		(1) (3) Lipscomb
Championship 		W 73–57  30–4
  16 – Tied   9 – Homesley   4 – Baxter-Bell  Vines Center (7,728)
Lynchburg, VA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time..

[4]

References

  1. ^ Rexrode, Joe. "Liberty outlasts Lipscomb in Atlantic Sun classic to leave Bisons in misery". The Tennessean. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  2. ^ "Liberty vs. Mississippi State - Game Recap - March 22, 2019 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  3. ^ "Liberty vs. Virginia Tech - Game Recap - March 24, 2019 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  4. ^ "2020-21 Season Men's Basketball Schedule | Liberty Flames". www.liberty.edu.