Liberty Basketball returns to the Mountain with Monday’s doubleheader

 Liberty University’s men’s and women’s basketball teams will look to get off to a hot start for their respective 2023-2024 campaigns next week in both teams’ inaugural seasons as members of Conference USA.

The teams will tip off the season with a doubleheader on Nov. 6 at Liberty Arena, with the Lady Flames opening the day with a bout against Frostburg State at 3 p.m. before the Flames take the court at 7 p.m. against Mid-Atlantic Christian.

Both teams attended the 2023 CUSA Basketball Tipoff and Media Day event on Oct. 16 at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala., joining CUSA Commissioner Judy MacLeod and the head coaches and student-athletes from all men’s and women’s hoops programs in the conference. Huntsville is also the host city for the 2024 Conference USA Men’s & Women’s Basketball Championships at Propst Arena March 12-16.

“There’s a lot of credibility within the conference and a lot of well-coached teams. We certainly respect this conference, and it’s a great opportunity (for Liberty). We’re honored to be a part of this outstanding conference,” Lady Flames Head Coach Carey Green said at CUSA Media Day, noting the previous success the conference has had in women’s basketball.

Both teams hope to continue their dominance at home, with the Flames finishing last season with a 19-1 record and the Lady Flames boasting a 14-1 record at Liberty Arena. In three seasons at Liberty Arena, the Flames hold a 44-4 record while the Lady Flames maintain a similar 42-3 record at home.

The Flames will look to replicate the overall conference success that they found in the ASUN as they transition to Conference USA competition, after winning three conference championships (2019, 2020, 2021) in five seasons.

The Flames finished the 2022-2023 campaign with a 27-9 record, including a 15-3 conference record. The squad’s championship aspirations were extinguished with a narrow 67-66 loss to No. 1 Kennesaw State in the ASUN Championship title game. In lieu of the NCAA Tournament, the team competed in its first National Invitational Tournament (NIT) and won in the first round against Villanova before falling to Wisconsin.

The women’s team finished last season 24-9 overall with a stellar 16-2 conference record, highlighted by an 88-78 overtime win over FGCU, its first-ever win over the Eagles. Liberty lost once in the regular season to FGCU and then again in the ASUN Championship title game (the team’s fourth championship game appearance in five years). The Lady Flames accepted a bid for their second consecutive trip to the WNIT.

In the 2023-2024 campaign, both teams aim to replace the void left by their 2022-2023 lead scorers, Darius McGhee (22.8 points per game) and Mya Berkman (14.7 ppg).  Redshirt senior forward Kyle Rode will return for his fifth season with the Flames after averaging 10.9 points per game last season, good for second best on the team. For the Lady Flames, redshirt junior guard Emma Hess is the team’s top returning scorer (8.5 ppg) and hit a team high 63 three-pointers. Rode and Hess were named to the CUSA Preseason All-Conference Team.

On Jan. 6, the Flames and Lady Flames will tip off their conference schedules against Western Kentucky, with the men playing in Bowling Green, Ky., and the women at Liberty Arena. The Flames are tied with Middle Tennessee State as preseason co-favorites to win the conference and the Lady Flames are projected to tie for second with Western Kentucky.

“The preseason prediction is a reflection a little bit of what Kyle and some of his teammates have done in the past with being in a completely different league and not knowing the playing styles,” Flames Head Coach Ritchie McKay said. “There’s a part of me that feels honored because of the reputation of the conference with its success and tradition. As far as expectations, we’ve had to live with those for a while now, and I don’t think that there would be anyone that could place more expectation on us than ourselves.”

McKay is entering the ninth season of his second stint at the helm of the Flames with an overall record of 226-113 with the team in 11 seasons. Green (547-217 record) is entering his 25th season leading the Lady Flames.

Fans can purchase tickets for both men’s and women’s basketball games at Liberty.edu/Tickets.