2025–26 Liberty Flames basketball team
| 2025–26 Liberty Flames basketball | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Conference USA |
| Record | 8–3 (0–0 CUSA) |
| Head coach |
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| Associate head coach | Derek Johnston |
| Assistant coaches |
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| Home arena | Liberty Arena |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Mexico State | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 7 | – | 3 | .700 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Middle Tennessee | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 7 | – | 4 | .636 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Liberty | 0 | – | 0 | – | 8 | – | 3 | .727 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIU | 0 | – | 0 | – | 7 | – | 4 | .636 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisiana Tech | 0 | – | 0 | – | 7 | – | 4 | .636 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Kentucky | 0 | – | 0 | – | 7 | – | 4 | .636 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Missouri State | 0 | – | 0 | – | 6 | – | 5 | .545 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jacksonville State | 0 | – | 0 | – | 5 | – | 6 | .455 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Delaware | 0 | – | 0 | – | 4 | – | 7 | .364 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UTEP | 0 | – | 0 | – | 4 | – | 7 | .364 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kennesaw State | 0 | – | 1 | .000 | 8 | – | 4 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sam Houston | 0 | – | 1 | .000 | 7 | – | 4 | .636 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2026 CUSA tournament winner As of December 23, 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2025–26 Liberty Flames basketball team represented Liberty University in the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Flames were led by Ritchie McKay in the eleventh season of his current stint as head coach (13th overall). They played their home games at Liberty Arena in Lynchburg, Virginia members of Conference USA.
Previous season
The Flames finished the 2024–25 season 28–7, 16–5 in C-USA play to finish in first place. As the No. 1 seed in the C-USA tournament they defeated the 8th seed UTEP in the quarterfinals, the 4th seed Kennesaw State in the semifinals, and the 2nd seed Jacksonville State in the championship game to secure their first CUSA championship.[1]
The Flames were a 12-seed in the 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament and faced 5th seed Oregon in Seattle as part of the East Regional. Oregon would eliminate Liberty by 29 points.[2]
Offseason
Departures
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taelon Peter | 2 | G | 6'4" | 210 | Senior | Russellville, Arkansas | Graduated drafted by the Indiana Pacers[3] |
| Bryson Spell | 5 | F | 6'9" | 230 | Junior | Virginia Beach, Virginia | Transferred to Elon[4] |
| Owen Aquino | 8 | F | 6'9" | 220 | Junior | Madrid, Spain | Transferred to High Point[5] |
| Will Gibson | 15 | F | 6'6 | 225 | Freshman | Louisville, Kentucky | Transferred to Cedarville |
| Gaberial McKay | 21 | G | 6'2" | 180 | Senior | Lynchburg, Virginia | Graduated |
| Curtis Blair III | 24 | G | 6'6" | 210 | Freshman | Richmond, Virginia | Transferred to Cedarville |
| Jayvon Maughmer | 32 | G | 6'6" | 205 | Senior | Chillicothe, Ohio | Graduated |
| Kai Yu | 45 | F | 7'0" | 235 | Freshman | Zhuhai, China | Transferred to Bradley[6] |
Incoming transfers
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous college |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JJ Harper[7] | 9 | G | 6'5" | 200 | Senior | Orlando, Florida | West Liberty |
| Ryan Jones Jr.[8] | 21 | F | 6'8" | 240 | Freshman | Gainesville, Florida | Virginia Tech |
2025 recruiting class
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date[9][10][11] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zander Carter G |
Greenup, Kentucky | Paul G. Blazer High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | N/A | Jun 19, 2023 | |
| Recruit ratings: No ratings found | ||||||
| TJ Drain F |
Windermere, Florida | Windermere High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | N/A | Aug 31, 2024 | |
| Recruit ratings: No ratings found | ||||||
| Brady Kester F |
Huntersville, North Carolina | Davidson Day School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | N/A | N/A | |
| Recruit ratings: No ratings found | ||||||
| Andrew Grimes F |
Clayton, North Carolina | Clayton High School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | N/A | Sep 4, 2023 | |
| Recruit ratings: No ratings found | ||||||
| Torr Sorensen F |
Goode, Virginia | Western Reserve Academy | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | N/A | Oct 9, 2023 | |
| Recruit ratings: No ratings found | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: | ||||||
Sources:
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Roster
| 2024–25 Liberty Flames men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[12]
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Schedule and results
| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-conference regular season | |||||||||||
| November 3, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Kentucky Christian | W 98–57 | 1–0 |
29 – Decker Jr. | 10 – Cleveland | 6 – Porter | Liberty Arena (3,431) Lynchburg, Virginia | ||||
| November 7, 2025* 6:00 p.m., YouTube |
Charleston Field of 68 Media Network Tip-Off Event |
W 90–75 | 2–0 |
23 – Porter | 10 – Cleveland | 8 – Cleveland | Liberty Arena (3,998) Lynchburg, Virginia | ||||
| November 9, 2025* 6:00 p.m., YouTube |
Florida Atlantic Field of 68 Media Network Tip-Off Event |
W 88–68 | 3–0 |
28 – Metheny | 10 – Cleveland | 10 – Cleveland | Liberty Arena (3,722) Lynchburg, Virginia | ||||
| November 17, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Carolina | W 98–46 | 4–0 |
15 – Tied | 10 – Cleveland | 9 – Cleveland | Liberty Arena (3,513) Lynchburg, Virginia | ||||
| November 24, 2025* 1:30 p.m., ESPNU |
vs. Vermont Terry's Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational |
W 79–73 | 5–0 |
23 – Decker Jr. | 6 – Cleveland | 7 – Cleveland | State Farm Field House (1,315) Kissimmee, Florida | ||||
| November 25, 2025* 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
vs. Towson Terry's Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational |
L 69–72 | 5–1 |
16 – Metheny | 8 – Cleveland | 7 – Cleveland | State Farm Field House (957) Kissimmee, Florida | ||||
| November 26, 2025* 2:30 p.m., ESPNU |
vs. Bradley Terry's Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational |
L 64–74 | 5–2 |
21 – Decker Jr. | 11 – Cleveland | 8 – Cleveland | State Farm Field House (547) Kissimmee, Florida | ||||
| December 6, 2025* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Coppin State | W 92–50 | 6–2 |
20 – Decker Jr. | 7 – Tied | 13 – Cleveland | Liberty Arena (2,878) Lynchburg, Virignia | ||||
| December 10, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ACC Network |
at NC State | L 45–85 | 6–3 |
12 – Tied | 7 – Cleveland | 5 – Cleveland | Lenovo Center (14,515) Raleigh, North Carolina | ||||
| December 16, 2025* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Midway | W 95–57 | 7–3 |
14 – Tied | 5 – Tied | 5 – Tied | Liberty Arena (2,250) Lynchburg, Virginia | ||||
| December 20, 2025* 12:30 p.m., USA Network |
at Dayton | W 64–61 | 8–3 |
16 – Metheny | 16 – Cleveland | 7 – Cleveland | UD Arena (13,407) Dayton, Ohio | ||||
| Conference USA regular season | |||||||||||
| December 28, 2025 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Florida International | Ocean Bank Convocation Center Westchester, Florida | |||||||||
| January 2, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPNU |
Kennesaw State | Liberty Arena Lynchburg, Virginia | |||||||||
| January 4, 2026 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Jacksonville State | Liberty Arena Lynchburg, Virignia | |||||||||
| January 8, 2026 7:00 p.m., CBS Sports Network |
at Louisiana Tech | Thomas Assembly Center Ruston, Louisiana | |||||||||
| January 10, 2026 3:30 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Sam Houston | Bernard Johnson Coliseum Huntsville, Texas | |||||||||
| January 15, 2026 6:00 p.m., CBS Sports Network |
New Mexico State | Liberty Arena Lynchburg, Virginia | |||||||||
| January 17, 2026 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
UTEP | Liberty Arena Lynchburg, Virginia | |||||||||
| January 21, 2026 7:30 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Western Kentucky | E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, Kentucky | |||||||||
| January 24, 2026 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Delaware | Liberty Arena Lynchburg, Virginia | |||||||||
| February 6, 2025 7:00 p.m., CBS Sports Network |
at Middle Tennessee | Murphy Center Murfreesboro, Tennessee | |||||||||
| February 4, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Delaware | Bob Carpenter Center Newark, Delaware | |||||||||
| February 7, 2026 2:00 p.m., CBS Sports Network |
Missouri State | Liberty Arena Lynchburg, Virignia | |||||||||
| February 11, 2026 9:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at New Mexico State | Pan American Center Las Cruces, New Mexico | |||||||||
| February 14, 2026 2:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
at UTEP | Don Haskins Center El Paso, Texas | |||||||||
| February 19, 2026 6:00 p.m., CBS Sports Network |
Florida International | Liberty Arena Lynchburg, Virginia | |||||||||
| March 21, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Kennesaw State | Convocation Center Kennesaw, Georgia | |||||||||
| February 28, 2026 6:00 p.m., ESPNU |
at Jacksonville State | Pete Mathews Coliseum Jacksonville, Alabama | |||||||||
| March 5, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Louisiana Tech | Liberty Arena Lynchburg, Virginia | |||||||||
| March 7, 2026 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Sam Houston | Liberty Arena Lynchburg, Virginia | |||||||||
Sources[13]
References
- ^ Associated Press (March 16, 2025). "Liberty wins first Conference USA title to earn NCAA berth". ESPN. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ^ Crepea, James (March 21, 2025). "Oregon Ducks rout Liberty Flames in 1st round of NCAA Tournament: Live updates rewind". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ^ Wright, Killian (July 30, 2025). "What the Indiana Pacers Can Get Out of Taelon Peter". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ^ Berfield, Benjamin (November 15, 2025). "Transfer additions get accustomed to Elon men's basketball team". Elon News Network. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ^ Sharma, Aman (April 19, 2025). "Flynn Clayman Lands Impact Transfers for High Point in His First Week As Head Coach". College Football Network. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ^ Eminian, Dave (April 27, 2025). "Bradley basketball gets 7-foot center from China via NCAA transfer portal". Journal Star. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ^ Manson, Jon (April 14, 2025). "West Liberty transfer JJ Harper commits to Liberty". A Sea of Red. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ^ Manson, Jon (April 12, 2025). "Former 4-star recruit, VT transfer Ryan Jones, Jr commits to Liberty". A Sea of Red. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ^ "Liberty 2025 Basketball Commits". 247Sports. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ^ Allen, Nick (January 27, 2025). "Liberty signee TJ Drain creating history in final year at Windermere". Spectrum News 13. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ^ Manson, Jon (June 20, 2025). "Torr Sorensen, Brady Kester added to Liberty roster". A Sea of Red. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ^ "2025-26 Men's Basketball Roster". Liberty Flames. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ^ "Schedule". Liberty Flames. Retrieved October 23, 2024.