2018–19 Liberty Flames basketball team

The 2018–19 Liberty Flames men's basketball team represented Liberty University in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games in Lynchburg, Virginia for the 29th consecutive season at Vines Center, with a capacity of 8,085. The team was led by Ritchie McKay, in his sixth season, but fourth season since his return to the program. They were first-year members of the ASUN Conference. They finished the season 29–7, 14–2 in ASUN play to share the regular season championship with Lipscomb. They defeated Jacksonville, North Florida and Lipscomb to be champions of the ASUN tournament. They received the ASUN's automatic-bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Mississippi State in the first round before losing in the second round to Virginia Tech.

2018–19 Liberty Flames basketball
Atlantic Sun regular season co-champions
Atlantic Sun tournament champions
NCAA tournament, Second Round
ConferenceASUN Conference
Record29–7 (14–2 ASUN)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Brad Soucie (4th (6th) season)
  • Derek Johnston (1st season)
  • Kevin Anderson (1st season)
Home arenaVines Center
Seasons
2018–19 ASUN men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Liberty 14 2   .875 29 7   .806
Lipscomb 14 2   .875 29 8   .784
North Florida 9 7   .563 16 17   .485
Florida Gulf Coast 9 7   .563 14 18   .438
NJIT 8 8   .500 22 13   .629
North Alabama 7 9   .438 10 22   .313
Jacksonville 5 11   .313 12 20   .375
Kennesaw State 3 13   .188 6 26   .188
Stetson 3 13   .188 7 24   .226
2019 ASUN tournament winner

Previous season

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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.

Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Brody Hicks 14 Guard 6'4" 200 Freshman Roanoke, Virginia Transferred
Ryan Hiepler 44 Guard 6'0" 180 Junior Westlake Village, California Transferred to Dominican University
Ryan Kemrite 5 Guard 6'4" 200 Senior Conroe, Texas Graduated
Ezra Talbert 24 Forward 6'8" 190 Junior Olathe, Kansas Graduated

2018-19 Newcomers

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Tytist Dean
G
Saint Paul, Minnesota North High School 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A
Keenan Gumbs
F
Cibolo, Texas Schreiner University 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A
Darius McGhee
G
Roxboro, North Carolina Blue Ridge School 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A
Blake Preston
F
Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte Christian School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A
Josh Price
G
Charlotte, North Carolina Carmel Christian School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A
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:

  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

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2018–19 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 Jr Chaminade Julieen High School Dayton, Ohio
G 1 Caleb Homesley 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Jr Porter Ridge High School Indian Trail, North Carolina
G 2 Darius McGhee 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Fr Blue Ridge School Roxboro, North Carolina
G 3 Lovell Cabbil 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Sr Mansfield Summit High School Arlington, Texas
G 4 Tytist Dean 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr North High School St. Paul, Minnesota
F 5 Keenan Gumbs 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Sr Schreiner University Cibolo, Texas
G/F 10 Elijah Cuffee 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Liberty Christian Academy Poca, West Virginia
G 11 Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jr Deep Run High School Ponce, Puerto Rico
G 15 Zach Farquhar (W) 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 160 lb (73 kg) RS Sr Sycamore High School Cincinnati, Ohio
G/F 20 Keegan McDowell 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Moeller High School Cincinnati, Ohio
G 25 Josh Price   6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Fr Carmel Christian School Charlotte, North Carolina
F 31 Scottie James 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) RS Jr Bradley Tarpon Springs, Florida
F 32 Blake Preston   6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Fr Charlotte Christian School Charlotte, North Carolina
C 55 Brendan Newton 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 235 lb (107 kg) RS Fr 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

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Nov 4, 2018*
3:00 pm
No. 15 Virginia Tech
Hurricane Relief Exhibition
L 70–86 
 15  Cuffee   6  James   4  Cabbil  Vines Center (4,210)
Lynchburg, VA
Non-conference regular season
Nov 8, 2018*
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Maine Fort Kent W 89–40  1–0
 17  Cabbil   11  James   3  3 tied  Vines Center (3,002)
Lynchburg, VA
Nov 13, 2018*
8:30 pm, ESPN+
Trevecca Nazarene
Commodore Classic
W 93–40  2–0
 15  James   12  Homesley   6  Homesley  Vines Center (2,336)
Lynchburg, VA
Nov 16, 2018*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
at Kent State W 77–70  3–0
 16  Homesley   9  James   4  Tied  MAC Center (2,214)
Kent, OH
Nov 19, 2018*
8:00 pm, SECN
at Vanderbilt
Commodore Classic
L 70–79  3–1
 16  Cabbil   9  James   3  Tied  Memorial Gymnasium (8,493)
Nashville, TN
Nov 23, 2018*
2:00 pm, ESPN+
Alcorn State
Commodore Classic
W 76–54  4–1
 15  Cuffee   9  Tied   4  Cabbil  Vines Center (1,929)
Lynchburg, VA
Nov 25, 2018*
2:00 pm, ESPN+
Savannah State
Commodore Classic
W 82–56  5–1
 15  McGhee   8  Homesley   6  Cabbil  Vines Center (1,943)
Lynchburg, VA
Nov 28, 2018*
7:00 pm
at Navy W 76–58  6–1
 18  McGhee   7  Tied   5  Pacheco-Ortiz  Alumni Hall (489)
Annapolis, MD
Dec 1, 2018*
6:00 pm, ESPN+
Georgia State W 78–52  7–1
 19  Tied   17  James   5  Cuffee  Vines Center (2,966)
Lynchburg, VA
Dec 3, 2018*
6:30 pm, FS2
at Georgetown L 78–88  7–2
 19  McGhee   4  James   4  Gumbs  Capital One Arena (4,011)
Washington, D.C.
Dec 11, 2018*
7:00 pm, ESPN+
South Carolina State W 79–55  8–2
 18  Pacheco-Ortiz   7  James   5  McGhee  Vines Center (1,684)
Lynchburg, VA
Dec 15, 2018*
2:00 pm
Kentucky Christian W 96–55  9–2
 14  Tied   10  Homesley   6  McGhee  Vines Center (2,115)
Lynchburg, VA
Dec 18, 2018*
8:00 pm, SECN+
vs. Alabama
Rocket City Classic
L 75–84  9–3
 23  Homesley   11  James   5  Homesley  Von Braun Center (5,781)
Huntsville, AL
Dec 21, 2018*
12:00 pm
vs. Alabama State
St. Pete Shootout semifinals
W 73–55  10–3
 14  Gumbs   7  Gumbs   2  5 tied  McArthur Center (158)
St. Petersburg, FL
Dec 22, 2018*
2:30 pm
vs. Austin Peay
St. Pete Shootout
L 66–75  10–4
 15  Pacheco-Ortiz   11  James   5  Cuffee  McArthur Center (202)
St. Petersburg, FL
Dec 29, 2018*
6:00pm, P12N
at UCLA W 73–58  11–4
 21  Homesley   7  James   4  Pacheco-Ortiz  Pauley Pavilion (7,456)
Los Angeles, CA
Atlantic Sun Conference regular season
Jan 5, 2019
7:00pm, ESPN+
at FGCU W 81–63  12–4
(1–0)
 18  McGhee   6  Tied   8  James  Alico Arena (3,517)
Fort Myers, FL
Jan 9, 2019
7:00pm, ESPN+
at Stetson W 71–53  13–4
(2–0)
 15  James   8  McGhee   4  Homesley  Edmunds Center (376)
Deland, FL
Jan 12, 2019
2:00pm, ESPN+
Jacksonville W 69–53  14–4
(3–0)
 18  James   11  Homesley   3  Pacheco-Ortiz  Vines Center (2,963)
Lynchburg, VA
Jan 16, 2019
7:00pm, ESPN+
at Kennesaw State W 62–41  15–4
(4–0)
 12  Tied   12  James   5  Cabbil  KSU Convocation Center (843)
Kennesaw, Ga
Jan 19, 2019
7:00pm, ESPN+
North Florida W 70–64  16–4
(5–0)
 18  James   7  Homesley   4  Tied  Vines Center (4,958)
Lynchburg, VA
Jan 21, 2019
7:00pm, ESPN+
North Alabama W 72–47  17–4
(6–0)
 20  Cabbil   9  Homesley   5  Baxter-Bell  Vines Center (2,716)
Lynchburg, VA
Jan 27, 2019
2:00pm, ESPN+
at Jacksonville W 69–59  18–4
(7–0)
 19  Homesley   6  James   4  Tied  Swisher Gymnasium (718)
Jacksonville, FL
Jan 29, 2019
7:00pm, ESPN+
Lipscomb L 59–79  18–5
(7–1)
 12  Homesley   6  Baxter-Bell   2  Tied  Vines Center (5,053)
Lynchburg, VA
Feb 2, 2019
7:00pm, ESPN+
NJIT W 77–57  19–5
(8–1)
 18  Pacheco-Ortiz   10  James   5  Cabbil  Vines Center (3,782)
Lynchburg, VA
Feb 5, 2019
7:00pm, ESPN+
Stetson W 57–54  20–5
(9–1)
 19  Cabbil   6  Homesley   5  Baxter-Bell  Vines Center (2,244)
Lynchburg, VA
Feb 9, 2019
7:00pm, ESPN+
FGCU W 74–67  21–5
(10–1)
 13  Homesley   14  James   4  Tied  Vines Center (4,400)
Lynchburg, VA
Feb 13, 2019
7:30pm, ESPN+
at Lipscomb W 74–66  22–5
(11–1)
 17  James   10  Homesley   3  Tied  Allen Arena (3,437)
Nashville, TN
Feb 16, 2019
4:00pm, ESPN+
at North Alabama W 80–70  23–5
(12–1)
 30  Cabbil Jr.   14  James   4  Cabbil Jr.  Flowers Hall (967)
Florence, AL
Feb 23, 2019
5:00pm, ESPN+
at North Florida L 70–75  23–6
(12–2)
 18  Homesley   14  James   4  Pacheco-Ortiz  UNF Arena (2,169)
Jacksonville, Fl
Feb 26, 2019
7:00pm, ESPN+
Kennesaw State W 76–59  24–6
(13–2)
 16  Cuffee   9  Homesley   6  Cabbil Jr.  Vines Center (3,376)
Lynchburg, VA
Mar 1, 2019
7:00pm, ESPN+
at NJIT W 57–51  25–6
(14–2)
 19  James   11  James   2  James  Wellness and Events Center (945)
Newark, NJ
Atlantic Sun Conference tournament
March 4, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPN3
(2) (7) Jacksonville
Quarterfinals
W 72–58  26–6
 16  Pacheco-Ortiz   7  Homesley   5  Homesley  Vines Center (1,738)
Lynchburg, VA
March 7, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPN3
(2) (3) North Florida
Semifinals
W 71–63  27–6
 24  James   9  James   3  Homesley  Vines Center (2,319)
Lynchburg, VA
March 10, 2019
3:00 pm, ESPN
(2) at (1) Lipscomb
Championship
W 74–68  28–6
 17  James   8  James   8  Homesley  Allen Arena (5,687)
Nashville, TN
NCAA tournament
March 22, 2019*
7:27 pm, truTV
(12 E) vs. (5 E) Mississippi State
First Round
W 80–76  29–6
 30  Homesley   6  James   5  Cabbil Jr.  SAP Center (12,824)
San Jose, CA
March 24, 2019*
7:10 pm, TBS
(12 E) vs. (4 E) No. 16 Virginia Tech
Second Round
L 58–67  29–7
 15  McGhee   9  Homesley   3  Tied  SAP Center (14,802)
San Jose, CA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
E=East.
All times are in Eastern Time.

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References

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