2017β18 Liberty Flames basketball | |
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Jim Phelan Classic champions | |
CIT, semifinals | |
Conference | Big South Conference |
Record | 22β15 (9β9 Big South) |
Head coach |
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Assistant coaches |
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Home arena | Vines Center |
Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UNC Asheville | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 21 | – | 13 | .618 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Radford β | 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
GardnerβWebb | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 14 | – | 18 | .438 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Presbyterian | 4 | – | 14 | .222 | 11 | – | 21 | .344 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Longwood | 3 | – | 15 | .167 | 7 | – | 26 | .212 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
β
2018 Big South tournament winner |
The 2017β18 Liberty Flames men's basketball team represented Liberty University in the 2017β18 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 22β14, 9β9 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.
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 ASUN Conference for the 2018β19 season. [1]
The Flames finished the 2016β17 season 21β14, 14β4 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.
Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AC Reid | 2 | Guard | 6'5" | 190 | Junior | Spring Branch, TX | Transferred to Tennessee State |
Xzavier Barmore | 4 | Guard | 6'0" | 165 | Freshman | Seneca, SC | 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, NM | Graduated |
Josiah Talbert | 34 | Forward | 6'8" | 210 | Freshman | Olathe, KS | Transferred to Central Missouri |
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Elijah Cuffee G |
Poca, WV | Liberty Christian Academy | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | ||
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A | ||||||
Keegan McDowell G |
Cincinnati, OH | Moeller High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | ||
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A | ||||||
Jay Barber G |
Lynchburg, VA | Liberty Christian Academy | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | ||
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A | ||||||
Brendan Newton C |
Roanoke, VA | Faith Christian School | 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | ||
Recruiting star ratings:
Scout:
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||||
Isaiah Williams F |
Dayton, OH | Akron | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources:
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2017β18 Liberty Flames men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
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Exhibition | |||||||||||
October 26, 2017* 7:00 p.m. |
at
VCU Hurricane Relief Exhibition |
W 85β69 | β |
23 β Talbert | 8 β James | 4 β Cuffee |
Siegel Center (3,497) Richmond, VA | ||||
Non-conference regular season | |||||||||||
November 10, 2017* 7:00 p.m. |
Clarks Summit Paradise Jam campus game |
W 87β42 | 1β0 |
13 β tied | 7 β Cabbil | 3 β Kemrite |
Vines Center (4,094) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
November 14, 2017* 7:00 p.m., ACCN Extra |
at Wake Forest | W 79β66 | 2β0 |
22 β Cabbil | 14 β James | 4 β Williams |
LJVM Coliseum (5,213) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||
November 17, 2017* 12:00 p.m. |
Mercer Paradise Jam first round |
L 48β63 | 2β1 |
15 β Cabbil | 6 β James | 4 β Cabbil | Vines Center (1,022) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
November 18, 2017* 12:00 p.m. |
Houston Paradise Jam consolation |
L 66β68 | 2β2 |
16 β Pacheco-Ortiz | 7 β James | 3 β Williams | Vines Center (815) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
November 19, 2017* 12:00 p.m. |
vs.
Quinnipiac Paradise Jam 7th-place game |
W 84β72 | 3β2 |
21 β James | 8 β James | 2 β 5 tied | Vines Center (640) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
November 25, 2017* 2:00 p.m. |
Toccoa Falls | W 96β50 | 4β2 |
18 β Baxter-Bell | 10 β James | 6 β Homesley | Vines Center (1,675) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
November 27, 2017* 7:00 p.m., ESPN3 |
Howard | W 75β55 | 5β2 |
17 β Pacheco-Ortiz | 10 β James | 4 β tied | Vines Center (2,169) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
December 2, 2017* 1:00 p.m., ESPN3 |
UNC Greensboro | L 75β76 3OT | 5β3 |
19 β James | 15 β James | 3 β Cabbil | Vines Center (2,294) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
December 4, 2017* 7:00 p.m., ESPN3 |
at Georgia State | W 77β74 OT | 6β3 |
17 β James | 9 β James | 5 β Cabbil |
GSU Sports Arena (1,074) Atlanta, GA | ||||
December 8, 2017* 7:00 p.m., ESPN3 |
Maryland Eastern Shore | W 71β49 | 7β3 |
12 β Kemrite | 7 β James | 4 β 3 tied | Vines Center (2,380) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
December 16, 2017* 1:00 p.m. |
Kentucky Christian | W 96β40 | 8β3 |
21 β Cabbil | 8 β Homesley | 5 β Cabbil | Vines Center (2,063) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
December 21, 2017* 11:00 a.m. |
vs.
Fort Wayne New Orleans Classic |
L 64β75 | 8β4 |
15 β 3 tied | 12 β James | 4 β tied |
Xavier University Academic Convocation Center (300) New Orleans, LA | ||||
December 22, 2017* 1:00 p.m. |
vs.
Alabama State New Orleans Classic |
W 87β70 | 9β4 |
19 β Pacheco-Ortiz | 8 β James | 7 β Pacheco-Ortiz | Xavier University Academic Convocation Center (250) New Orleans, LA | ||||
Big South regular season | |||||||||||
December 30, 2017 7:00 p.m. |
at GardnerβWebb | L 55β58 | 9β5 (0β1) |
11 β James | 13 β James | 4 β Pacheco-Ortiz |
Paul Porter Arena (1,250) Boiling Springs, NC | ||||
January 2, 2018 7:00 p.m., ESPN3 |
Charleston Southern | W 70β53 | 10β5 (1β1) |
27 β Pacheco-Ortiz | 15 β James | 5 β Cuffee | Vines Center (1,688) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
January 6, 2018 4:00 p.m., ESPN3 |
Presbyterian | W 60β48 | 11β5 (2β1) |
14 β Pacheco-Ortiz | 12 β James | 4 β Pacheco-Ortiz | Vines Center (2,216) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
January 9, 2018 7:00 p.m., ESPN3 |
at Winthrop | W 73β70 | 12β5 (3β1) |
19 β Cabbil | 6 β tied | 5 β Cabbil |
Winthrop Coliseum (1,085) Rock Hill, SC | ||||
January 12, 2018 7:00 p.m., ESPN3 |
Longwood | L 51β58 | 12β6 (3β2) |
10 β Cabbil | 6 β James | 3 β Pacheco-Ortiz | Vines Center (1,989) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
January 15, 2018 7:00 p.m., ESPN3 |
at Radford | L 57β59 OT | 12β7 (3β3) |
14 β Cabbil | 4 β Cabbil | 4 β Pacheco-Ortiz |
Dedmon Center (1,493) Radford, VA | ||||
January 18, 2018 7:00 p.m. |
at High Point | L 60β71 | 12β8 (3β4) |
17 β Baxter-Bell | 10 β James | 3 β Cabbil |
Millis Athletic Center (1,214) High Point, NC | ||||
January 21, 2018 2:00 p.m., Stadium |
UNC Asheville | L 68β84 | 12β9 (3β5) |
19 β James | 8 β Homesley | 5 β Homesley | Vines Center (2,426) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
January 23, 2018 7:00 p.m., ESPN3 |
Campbell | L 85β94 | 12β10 (3β6) |
24 β Pacheco-Ortiz | 6 β Kemrite | 4 β Pacheco-Ortiz | Vines Center (2,452) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
January 27, 2018 4:00 p.m. |
at Presbyterian | W 81β66 | 13β10 (4β6) |
21 β Kemrite | 7 β James | 6 β Pacheco-Ortiz |
Templeton Center (493) Clinton, SC | ||||
February 1, 2018 7:00 p.m., ESPN3 |
Winthrop | W 77β61 | 14β10 (5β6) |
21 β James | 8 β James | 5 β Pacheco-Ortiz | Vines Center (2,422) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
February 3, 2018 2:00 p.m. |
at Longwood | W 67β55 | 15β10 (6β6) |
26 β James | 10 β James | 4 β Homesley |
Willett Hall (1,807) Farmville, VA | ||||
February 7, 2018 7:30 p.m., ESPN3 |
at Charleston Southern | L 75β87 | 15β11 (6β7) |
15 β Cabbil | 6 β James | 4 β Pacheco-Ortiz |
CSU Field House (725) North Charleston, SC | ||||
February 10, 2018 7:00 p.m., ESPN3 |
GardnerβWebb | W 77β65 | 16β11 (7β7) |
15 β tied | 9 β tied | 7 β Cabbil | Vines Center (3,197) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
February 15, 2018 7:00 p.m. |
at UNC Ahseville | W 82β69 OT | 17β11 (8β7) |
23 β James | 15 β James | 6 β Cuffee |
Kimmel Arena (1,719) Asheville, NC | ||||
February 18, 2018 2:00 p.m., ESPN3 |
at Campbell | L 69β79 | 17β12 (8β8) |
14 β Kemrite | 6 β tied | 4 β 3 tied |
Gore Arena (2,126) Buies Creek, NC | ||||
February 22, 2018 7:00 p.m., ESPN3 |
Radford | L 50β63 | 17β13 (8β9) |
15 β James | 4 β Pacheco-Ortiz | 6 β Cabbil | Vines Center (2,669) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
February 24, 2018 2:00 p.m., ESPN3 |
High Point | W 65β45 | 18β13 (9β9) |
21 β James | 7 β James | 5 β Pacheco-Ortiz | Vines Center (3,517) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
Big South tournament | |||||||||||
March 1, 2018 9:30 p.m., ESPN3 |
(5) | vs. (4) Campbell Quarterfinals |
W 73β59 | 19β13 |
14 β tied | 9 β James | 2 β 3 tied | Kimmel Arena (2,276) Asheville, NC | |||
March 2, 2018 8:30 p.m., ESPN3 |
(5) | at (1) UNC Asheville Semifinals |
W 69β64 | 20β13 |
18 β James | 14 β James | 3 β Cabbil | Kimmel Arena (2,318) Asheville, NC | |||
March 4, 2018 1:00 p.m., ESPN |
(5) | at (2) Radford Championship |
L 52β55 | 20β14 |
20 β James | 13 β James | 7 β Cabbil | Dedmon Center (3,859) Radford, VA | |||
CIT | |||||||||||
March 12, 2018* 6:00 p.m., CBSSN |
North Carolina A&T First round β Jim Phelan Classic |
W 65β52 | 21β14 |
16 β Homesley | 12 β James | 3 β tied | Vines Center (486) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
March 24, 2018* 2:00 p.m. |
Central Michigan Quarterfinals |
W 84β71 | 22β14 |
20 β James | 9 β James | 13 β Cabbil | Vines Center (476) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
March 28, 2018* 7:00 p.m., CBSSN |
UIC Semifinals |
L 51β67 | 22β15 |
13 β Cabbil | 9 β tied | 3 β tied | Vines Center (2,248) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
Source: [2]