Liberty has only made the NCAA Tournament three times in their program's history. Every time they were seeded at the No. 16 line with a match-up against a No. 1.
Now they are back in the tournament for a fourth time in 2019 and they are a No. 12 seed.
The Flames rightfully earned their seeding this year as they transitioned to the Atlantic Sun from the Big South. After winning the tournament title and their seed, it appears that their move was a good one. Not only were they in the tournament conversation, so was Lipscomb.
Wins against Lipscomb and UCLA proved to be their best victories on the season. Both of which has given the program their best positioning ever heading into March Madness.
They've relied on a balanced roster in a traditional scheme that slows the pace down throughout the game. In KenPom's adjusted tempo rankings, they are 349th out of 353. Only UNC Asheville, Manhattan, Siena and Virginia score at a more trepid pace.
Six deep, they do have players that can score, but are led by Scottie James. A 6-8 junior, James has the potential already to be a Grayson Allen-type once the tournament hits. Just look at this flop in the A-Sun Championship Game. No one was fooled.
Winning 18 of their last 20 games and under head coach Ritchie McKay, the Flames are in the favorable No. 12 seed line.
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It would not be surprising to see their symmetry in scoring carry them to an upset over No. 5 Mississippi State on Friday at 7:27 on TruTV.
Record:
28-6 (14-2 Atlantic Sun)
Seed:
No. 12, East (won Atlantic Sun title)
First Round Opponent:
No. 5 Mississippi State
Path to the Final Four:
No. 5 Mississippi State, No. 4 Virginia Tech, No. 1 Duke, No. 2 Michigan State
Top Players:
Scottie James (13.1 ppg, 8.8 rpg - A-Sun First Team)
Caleb Homesley (12.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg - A-Sun First Team)
Lovell Cabbil (11.5 ppg, 44.5 3-point percentage)
MORE NCAA NEWS:
- March Madness 2019: Five upset picks to make
- Upsets to Avoid: Don't make these first-round picks
- Path to a Final Four: 5 teams with the easiest journey
- March Memories: Best Buzzer-Beaters since 2010
- 2019 NBA Draft: Pre-Tournament Mock Draft
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