Liberty Basketball looks to slow down Cade Cunningham and Oklahoma State
By William Cash
Liberty Basketball had a very good season in 2021 after what was supposed to be a “rebuilding year” for the Flames. Liberty went 23-5 and swept the A-Sun winning the regular season and the A-Sun Tournament title. The Flames got power five wins over Mississippi St. and South Carolina. The Flames dominated the A-Sun and haven’t lost a game in a month.
This year Liberty was led by A-Sun player of the year Darius McGhee who averaged 15 points, four rebounds, and two assists on 45% shooting. McGhee was also named to the A-Sun first team as well.
The second-leading scorer for the Flames is Division 2 transfer Chris Parker who averaged 10 points, two rebounds, and three assists on 46% shooting. Following Parker is Elijah Cuffee who averaged nine points, three rebounds, and one assist on 47% shooting. Cuffee was named A-Sun defensive player of the year and to the All A-Sun second team.
Liberty has had success in recent memory in the NCAA Tournament. In the 2019 NCAA Tournament, Liberty as a 12 seed upset 5 seed Mississippi St. then stayed pace with Virginia Tech in the Round of 32 until the Hokies finally pulled away in the end. There is reason to believe that the A-Sun coach of the year in Ritchie McKay could pull off another upset. Here are three keys I think Liberty has to do to win this game.