Liberty Basketball: Pursuit of one last championship banner to end ASUN era
By Shea Irish
The Liberty Flames have become one of the most accomplished mid-major programs in the country in recent memory, backed by six straight 20+ win seasons under the guidance of Head Coach Ritchie McKay. Before this remarkable rise, the Flames had won 20 or more games in just two seasons over the previous quarter-century.
The Flames will now head into their last season in the ASUN having won 4 straight conference regular-season titles and 3 of the last 4 conference tournament championships. During that span, they have averaged 26 wins per season and won 82% of their conference matchups.
The program began to reach new heights in the 2018-19 season, culminated by an upset of 5 seed Mississippi State in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. They piggybacked that with a historic 30-4 season the following year, which would have led to a chance at another NCAA Tournament win if not for the pandemic canceling the tournament.
The Flames returned to March Madness in 2021, giving Cade Cunningham’s Oklahoma State Cowboys a scare in the first round by jumping out to a 30-27 halftime lead. They ultimately fell short in the upset bid of the eventual #1 overall NBA draft pick’s team, but the momentum this program has created in recent years has fans eager for another opportunity in 2023.
After the 2022-23 season, Liberty will be taking a step up in competition by transitioning to Conference USA. Ritchie McKay’s established mid-major powerhouse will certainly be in pursuit of ending the school’s ASUN era with another sweep of the conference championships and a return to the big dance next March.