2019–20 Liberty Flames basketball team
American college basketball season
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
2019-20 Newcomers
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
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
Recruiting 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
Recruiting 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
Recruiting 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
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports :
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:
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