2017–18 Liberty Flames basketball team
The 2017–18 Liberty Flames men's basketball team represented Liberty University in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games in Lynchburg, Virginia for the 28th consecutive season at Vines Center, with a capacity of 8,085. The team was led by Ritchie McKay, who was in his fifth season, but third season since his return to the program. They were members of the Big South Conference. They finished the season 22–14, 9–9 in Big South play to finish in a four-way tie for fifth place. They defeated Campbell and UNC Asheville to advance to the championship game of the Big South Tournament where they lost to Radford. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they defeated North Carolina A&T in the first round in a game referred to as the Jim Phelan Classic. They received a second round bye and defeated Central Michigan in the quarterfinals before losing in the semifinals to UIC.
2017–18 Liberty Flames basketball | |
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Jim Phelan Classic champions | |
CIT, Semifinals | |
Conference | Big South Conference |
2017–18 record | 22–15 (9–9 Big South) |
Head coach | Ritchie McKay (3rd (5th Overall) season) |
Assistant coaches |
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Home arena | Vines Center |
2017–18 Big South men's basketball standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UNC Asheville | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 21 | – | 13 | .618 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Radford † | 12 | – | 6 | .667 | 23 | – | 13 | .639 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Winthrop | 12 | – | 6 | .667 | 19 | – | 12 | .613 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Campbell | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 18 | – | 16 | .529 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Liberty | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 22 | – | 15 | .595 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Charleston Southern | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 15 | – | 16 | .484 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
High Point | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 14 | – | 16 | .467 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gardner–Webb | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 14 | – | 18 | .438 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Presbyterian | 4 | – | 14 | .222 | 11 | – | 21 | .344 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Longwood | 3 | – | 15 | .167 | 7 | – | 26 | .212 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
† 2018 Big South Tournament winner |
This was Liberty's final season as members of the Big South Conference, as the school announced on May 17, 2018 that they will be moving to the Atlantic Sun Conference for the 2018–19 season.[1]
Previous season
The Flames finished the 2016–17 season 21–14, 14–4 in Big South play to finish in a third place. They were upset in Quarterfinals of the Big South Tournament by Radford. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they defeated Norfolk State in the First Round to be champions of the Coach John McLendon Classic. In the Second Round they defeated Samford before losing in the Quarterfinals to UMBC.
Departures
Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
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AC Reid | 2 | Guard | 6'5" | 190 | Junior | Spring Branch, Texas | Transferred to Tennessee State |
Xzavier Barmore | 4 | Guard | 6'0" | 165 | Freshman | Seneca, South Carolina | Transferred to College of Central Florida |
Ray Chen | 13 | Guard | 6'1" | 185 | Graduate Student | Miaoli, Taiwan | Graduated |
John Dawson | 22 | Guard | 6'2" | 205 | Senior | Clovis, New Mexico | Graduated |
Josiah Talbert | 34 | Forward | 6'8" | 210 | Freshman | Olathe, Kansas | Transferred to Central Missouri |
2017–18 Newcomers
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
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Elijah Cuffee G |
Poca, West Virginia | Liberty Christian Academy | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | ||
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A | ||||||
Keegan McDowell G |
Cincinnati, Ohio | Moeller High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | ||
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A | ||||||
Jay Barber G |
Lynchburg, Virginia | Liberty Christian Academy | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | ||
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A | ||||||
Brendan Newton C |
Roanoke, Virginia | Faith Christian School | 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | ||
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||||
Isaiah Williams F |
Dayton, Ohio | Akron | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources:
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Roster
2017–18 Liberty Flames men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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- 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 | |||
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Exhibition | |||||||||||
Oct 26, 2017* 7:00 pm |
at VCU Hurricane Relief Exhibition |
W 85–69 | – |
23 – Talbert | 8 – James | 4 – Cuffee | Siegel Center (3,497) Richmond, VA | ||||
Non-conference regular season | |||||||||||
Nov 10, 2017* 7:00 pm |
Clarks Summit Paradise Jam campus game |
W 87–42 | 1–0 |
13 – Tied | 7 – Cabbil | 3 – Kemrite | Vines Center (4,094) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
Nov 14, 2017* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra |
at Wake Forest | W 79–66 | 2–0 |
22 – Cabbil | 14 – James | 4 – Williams | LJVM Coliseum (5,213) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||
Nov 17, 2017* 12:00 pm |
Mercer Paradise Jam first round |
L 48–63 | 2–1 |
15 – Cabbil | 6 – James | 4 – Cabbil | Vines Center (1,022) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
Nov 18, 2017* 12:00 pm |
Houston Paradise Jam consolation |
L 66–68 | 2–2 |
16 – Pacheco-Ortiz | 7 – James | 3 – Williams | Vines Center (815) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
Nov 19, 2017* 12:00 pm |
vs. Quinnipiac Paradise Jam 7th place game |
W 84–72 | 3–2 |
21 – James | 8 – James | 2 – 5 tied | Vines Center (640) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
Nov 25, 2017* 2:00 pm |
Toccoa Falls | W 96–50 | 4–2 |
18 – Baxter-Bell | 10 – James | 6 – Homesley | Vines Center (1,675) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
Nov 27, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 |
Howard | W 75–55 | 5–2 |
17 – Pacheco-Ortiz | 10 – James | 4 – Tied | Vines Center (2,169) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
Dec 2, 2017* 1:00 pm, ESPN3 |
UNC Greensboro | L 75–76 3OT | 5–3 |
19 – James | 15 – James | 3 – Cabbil | Vines Center (2,294) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
Dec 4, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 |
at Georgia State | W 77–74 OT | 6–3 |
17 – James | 9 – James | 5 – Cabbil | GSU Sports Arena (1,074) Atlanta, GA | ||||
Dec 8, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 |
Maryland Eastern Shore | W 71–49 | 7–3 |
12 – Kemrite | 7 – James | 4 – 3 tied | Vines Center (2,380) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
Dec 16, 2017* 1:00 pm |
Kentucky Christian | W 96–40 | 8–3 |
21 – Cabbil | 8 – Homesley | 5 – Cabbil | Vines Center (2,063) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
Dec 21, 2017* 11:00 am |
vs. Fort Wayne New Orleans Classic |
L 64–75 | 8–4 |
15 – 3 tied | 12 – James | 4 – Tied | Xavier University Academic Convocation Center (300) New Orleans, LA | ||||
Dec 22, 2017* 1:00 pm |
vs. Alabama State New Orleans Classic |
W 87–70 | 9–4 |
19 – Pacheco-Ortiz | 8 – James | 7 – Pacheco-Ortiz | Xavier University Academic Convocation Center (250) New Orleans, LA | ||||
Big South regular season | |||||||||||
Dec 30, 2017 7:00 pm |
at Gardner–Webb | L 55–58 | 9–5 (0–1) |
11 – James | 13 – James | 4 – Pacheco-Ortiz | Paul Porter Arena (1,250) Boiling Springs, NC | ||||
Jan 2, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 |
Charleston Southern | W 70–53 | 10–5 (1–1) |
27 – Pacheco-Ortiz | 15 – James | 5 – Cuffee | Vines Center (1,688) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
Jan 6, 2018 4:00 pm, ESPN3 |
Presbyterian | W 60–48 | 11–5 (2–1) |
14 – Pacheco-Ortiz | 12 – James | 4 – Pacheco-Ortiz | Vines Center (2,216) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
Jan 9, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 |
at Winthrop | W 73–70 | 12–5 (3–1) |
19 – Cabbil | 6 – Tied | 5 – Cabbil | Winthrop Coliseum (1,085) Rock Hill, SC | ||||
Jan 12, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 |
Longwood | L 51–58 | 12–6 (3–2) |
10 – Cabbil | 6 – James | 3 – Pacheco-Ortiz | Vines Center (1,989) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
Jan 15, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 |
at Radford | L 57–59 OT | 12–7 (3–3) |
14 – Cabbil | 4 – Cabbil | 4 – Pacheco-Ortiz | Dedmon Center (1,493) Radford, VA | ||||
Jan 18, 2018 7:00 pm |
at High Point | L 60–71 | 12–8 (3–4) |
17 – Baxter-Bell | 10 – James | 3 – Cabbil | Millis Athletic Center (1,214) High Point, NC | ||||
Jan 21, 2018 2:00 pm, Stadium |
UNC Asheville | L 68–84 | 12–9 (3–5) |
19 – James | 8 – Homesley | 5 – Homesley | Vines Center (2,426) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
Jan 23, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 |
Campbell | L 85–94 | 12–10 (3–6) |
24 – Pacheco-Ortiz | 6 – Kemrite | 4 – Pacheco-Ortiz | Vines Center (2,452) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
Jan 27, 2018 4:00 pm |
at Presbyterian | W 81–66 | 13–10 (4–6) |
21 – Kemrite | 7 – James | 6 – Pacheco-Ortiz | Templeton Center (493) Clinton, SC | ||||
Feb 1, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 |
Winthrop | W 77–61 | 14–10 (5–6) |
21 – James | 8 – James | 5 – Pacheco-Ortiz | Vines Center (2,422) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
Feb 3, 2018 2:00 pm |
at Longwood | W 67–55 | 15–10 (6–6) |
26 – James | 10 – James | 4 – Homesley | Willett Hall (1,807) Farmville, VA | ||||
Feb 7, 2018 7:30 pm, ESPN3 |
at Charleston Southern | L 75–87 | 15–11 (6–7) |
15 – Cabbil | 6 – James | 4 – Pacheco-Ortiz | CSU Field House (725) North Charleston, SC | ||||
Feb 10, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 |
Gardner–Webb | W 77–65 | 16–11 (7–7) |
15 – Tied | 9 – Tied | 7 – Cabbil | Vines Center (3,197) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
Feb 15, 2018 7:00 pm |
at UNC Ahseville | W 82–69 OT | 17–11 (8–7) |
23 – James | 15 – James | 6 – Cuffee | Kimmel Arena (1,719) Asheville, NC | ||||
Feb 18, 2018 2:00 pm, ESPN3 |
at Campbell | L 69–79 | 17–12 (8–8) |
14 – Kemrite | 6 – Tied | 4 – 3 tied | Gore Arena (2,126) Buies Creek, NC | ||||
Feb 22, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 |
Radford | L 50–63 | 17–13 (8–9) |
15 – James | 4 – Pacheco-Ortiz | 6 – Cabbil | Vines Center (2,669) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
Feb 24, 2018 2:00 pm, ESPN3 |
High Point | W 65–45 | 18–13 (9–9) |
21 – James | 7 – James | 5 – Pacheco-Ortiz | Vines Center (3,517) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
Big South Tournament | |||||||||||
Mar 1, 2018 9:30 pm, ESPN3 |
(5) | vs. (4) Campbell Quarterfinals |
W 73–59 | 19–13 |
14 – Tied | 9 – James | 2 – 3 tied | Kimmel Arena (2,276) Asheville, NC | |||
Mar 2, 2018 8:30 pm, ESPN3 |
(5) | at (1) UNC Asheville Semifinals |
W 69–64 | 20–13 |
18 – James | 14 – James | 3 – Cabbil | Kimmel Arena (2,318) Asheville, NC | |||
Mar 4, 2018 1:00 pm, ESPN |
(5) | at (2) Radford Championship game |
L 52–55 | 20–14 |
20 – James | 13 – James | 7 – Cabbil | Dedmon Center (3,859) Radford, VA | |||
CIT | |||||||||||
Mar 12, 2018* 6:00 pm, CBSSN |
North Carolina A&T First round – Jim Phelan Classic |
W 65–52 | 21–14 |
16 – Homesley | 12 – James | 3 – Tied | Vines Center (486) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
Mar 24, 2018* 2:00 pm |
Central Michigan Quarterfinals |
W 84–71 | 22–14 |
20 – James | 9 – James | 13 – Cabbil | Vines Center (476) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
Mar 28, 2018* 7:00 pm, CBSSN |
UIC Semifinals |
L 51–67 | 22–15 |
13 – Cabbil | 9 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Vines Center (2,248) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time.. |
References
- "Liberty Moving to ASUN Conference for 2018-19 Season". Liberty Flames. May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
- "Liberty Announces 2017-18 Men's Basketball Non-Conference Schedule | Liberty Flames". www.liberty.edu. Retrieved 2017-07-27.