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M Basketball
2 p.m. (MST)
at Baylor
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Grand Canyon University Athletics
Saturday, December 9
Lynchburg, Va.
12 p.m. (MST)
Grand Canyon
at
Liberty
Lopes look to take Liberty of high-profile win
12/8/2023 2:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
GCU hits road to face 2nd consecutive top-50 opponent on ESPNU
Saturday, Dec. 9 | Noon (Phoenix time) | Liberty Arena | Lynchburg, Va. |
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GRAND CANYON
LOPES (7-1)
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at | LIBERTY FLAMES (7-2) |
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| WATCH: ESPNU, ESPN+ | LISTEN: 1580 The Fanatic | STATS: View | ||||
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Grand Canyon has the college basketball world's attention and the chance to keep it.
More than 2,000 miles and four days away from a courtstorming home victory against No. 25 San Diego State, the Lopes get an opportunity to stack nationally impactful wins against top-50 programs on Saturday at Liberty. The game at noon (Phoenix time) will be GCU's second consecutive game broadcast by ESPNU.
The Lopes (7-1) take on the Flames (7-2), who are receiving top-25 votes, and their 20-game home winning streak that ranks as the second longest active home streak in the nation.While GCU is coming off toppling the 2023 national runner-up, Liberty blew out winless Mississippi Valley State 74-39 on Tuesday and is planning a "red out" for its sold-out, 4,000-seat arena. To adjust for their cross-country travel and time change, the Lopes arrived in Lynchburg for a Thursday night practice.
After already moving to No. 48 in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings, GCU can cause another ripple Saturday by playing its second "Quad 1" opponent of the week (No. 39) on the road.
Only Gonzaga, Kansas and Houston have more wins over the past six seasons than Liberty (138), which is coached by Mesa, Arizona, native Ritchie McKay. The Lopes' previous victim, San Diego State, ranks fifth on that list.
"Both teams this week were really tough teams but completely different styles," said GCU head coach Bryce Drew, whose team is off to the program's best eight-game start ever despite going without graduate point guard Jovan Blacksher Jr. "So our guys are going to have to make a really big shift from the last prep to this prep."Liberty is really explosive offensively with a lot of weapons. We're going to try to take away things as best as we can, but we're also going to have to score on our end."
The Flames shoot efficiently with low turnovers, requiring the Lopes to play a strong man-to-man defensive game. Liberty takes 28 shots from 3-point range and connects on 38% with multiple perimeter shooters on the floor at all times.
Senior power forward Kyle Rode, at 6 feet 7, leads the Flames with 14.3 points per game while their small backcourt, 5-foot-9 point guard Colin Porter and 5-foot-10 shooting guard Kaden Metheny, also each average in double figures. Rode and Metheny are making more than 40% of their 3-point shots while Porter has 33 assists to only eight turnovers.
"They're very smart," Lopes graduate power forward Gabe McGlothan said. "We'll have to make sure that we stay solid. We have to stay prepared because they do a lot of things that try to catch you off-guard."Liberty employs the "Pack Line Defense" that Dick Bennett created and employed famously at Washington State and Wisconsin before it caught on with other coaches, including his son Tony at Virginia.
The Flames will pressure the ball-handler and keep four other defenders inside an imaginary arc line that is 16 feet from the rim. It has helped Liberty this season to hold opponents to 62.6 points per game, the 25th-lowest average in the nation.
"San Diego State was just trying to overpower us," GCU junior guard Ray Harrison said. "Liberty is more of a high-IQ team. They capitalize more off your mistakes. This game will have to have less mistakes."
Liberty denies penetration and lane touches, forcing teams to patiently execute offense for uncontested shots. Flames opponents are shooting 29.6% from 3-point range.
The formula has worked for the Flames' NCAA tournament trips in 2019 and 2021 and their 27-9 record last season. Since 2018-19, Liberty is 81-5 entering this game that was created by the WAC/Conference USA schedule initiative.
"It's
an exciting opportunity for us," said Harrison, whose hometown of Greenville, South Carolina, is less than 300 miles away. "They recruited me a little bit when I was in high school, but they never ended up offering. Keep receipts."Only 24 teams in the nation have 8-1 records or better this season, and recording a second consecutive victory against a national top-50 opponent and snapping Liberty's 20-game home winning streak could earn GCU poll votes toward another top 25.
"It's a huge opportunity for our guys to really help us for the rest of the year," Drew said. "These wins carry a lot of weight if can get them.
"There's definitely a lot stacked against us, but you'd rather play in front of a sold-out crowd that an arena that's empty."
In his postgame press conference Tuesday night, McKay talked about knowing Drew for a long time.
"I got the privilege of coaching him when we were with USA Basketball," McKay said. "Love he and his family. He's not only a great coach but a terrific person. They will have their team prepared.
"He's always done a great job wherever he's been. It will be another great test that's on our nonconference schedule. Chalk another one up for an opportunity to grow and get better."
Players Mentioned
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