# 2023–24 Liberty Flames basketball team

The 2023–24 Liberty Flames basketball team represented Liberty University in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Flameswere are led by Ritchie McKay in the ninth season of his current stint as head coach (11th overall). They played their home games at Liberty Arena in Lynchburg, Virginia as first-year members of Conference USA.

## Previous season

The Flames finished the 2022–23 season 24–7, 15–2 in 2022–23 ASUN Play to tie for first place in conference standings. They defeated Bellarmine and Eastern Kentucky before losing to Kennesaw State in the champion title match in the ASUN tournament. They received an at-large bid to the NIT tournament where they defeated Villanova in the first round before losing to Wisconsin in the second round.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Darius McGhee | 2 | G | 5'9" | 180 | RS Senior | Roxboro, NC | Graduated/undrafted in 2023 NBA draft; signed with the Indiana Pacers |
| Isiah Warfield | 3 | G | 6'5" | 180 | Junior | Monaca, PA | Transferred to Howard |
| Stephen Burggraf | 4 | G | 6'0" | 160 | Senior | Lynchburg, VA | Walk-on; graduated |
| Jonathan Jackson | 11 | G | 6'4" | 180 | Junior | Dallas, TX | Transferred to UT Tyler |
| Blake Preston | 32 | F | 6'9" | 230 | RS Senior | Charlotte, NC | Graduated transferred to Northwestern |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous college |
| Kaden Metheny | 3 | G | 5'11" | 180 | RS Junior | Morgantown, WV | Bowling Green |
| Zander Yates | 10 | F | 6'7" | 225 | RS Sophomore | Germantown, TN | Creighton |

### 2023 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Curtis Blair III SG | Richmond, VA | The Steward School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Mar 9, 2022 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ||||||
| Jaylen Davis SF | Richmond, KY | Madison Central High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Hong Kai Yu C | Branson, MO | Link Academy | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

### 2024 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2024 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Brett Decker PG | Elizabethtown, KY | Central Hardin High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | Oct 23, 2022 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: |||||||
| Will Gibson PF | Louisville, KY | DeSales High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | N/A | Oct 23, 2022 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

### 2025 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2025 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Zander Carter PG | Ashland, KY | Paul G. Blazer High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | N/A | Jun 19, 2023 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: |||||||
| Andrew Grimes PF | Clayton, NC | Clayton High School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | N/A | Sep 4, 2023 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2025 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

## 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 6, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Mid-Atlantic Christian | W 103–43 | 1–0 | 20 – Peebles | 9 – Tied | 5 – Porter | Liberty Arena (3,664) Lynchburg, VA |
| November 10, 2023* 4:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | vs. Charlotte He Gets Us Hall of Fame Series | W 71–59 | 2–0 | 23 – Rode | 8 – Venzant | 3 – Cleveland | Spectrum Center (6,783) Charlotte, NC |
| November 16, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | vs. Furman Myrtle Beach Invitational quarterfinals | W 88–74 | 3–0 | 19 – Rode | 6 – Cleveland | 8 – Porter | HTC Center (1,499) Conway, SC |
| November 17, 2023* 9:00 p.m., ESPNU | | vs. Wichita State Myrtle Beach Invitational semifinals | W 83–66 | 4–0 | 31 – Rode | 9 – Cleveland | 4 – Tied | HTC Center (1,281) Conway, SC |
| November 19, 2023* 5:30 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. Vermont Myrtle Beach Invitational final | W 71–61 | 5–0 | 21 – Cleveland | 9 – Cleveland | 7 – Metheny | HTC Center (1,228) Conway, SC |
| November 25, 2023* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Maryland Eastern Shore | W 99–62 | 6–0 | 20 – Metheny | 11 – Venzant | 8 – Rode | Liberty Arena (2,524) Lynchburg, VA |
| November 30, 2023* 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at No. 13 Florida Atlantic Field of 68 Tip-Off | L 58–83 | 6–1 | 16 – Porter | 6 – Cleveland | 3 – Rode | Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena (3,161) Boca Raton, FL |
| December 1, 2023* 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | | vs. Charleston Field of 68 Tip-Off | L 67–76 | 6–2 | 18 – Rode | 11 – Venzant | 4 – Metheny | Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena Boca Raton, FL |
| December 5, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Mississippi Valley State | W 74–39 | 7–2 | 11 – Peebles | 8 – Venzant | 4 – Tied | Liberty Arena (2,942) Lynchburg, VA |
| December 9, 2023* 2:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Grand Canyon C–USA/WAC Alliance | L 64–69 | 7–3 | 13 – Cleveland | 11 – Venzant | 3 – Tied | Liberty Arena (4,052) Lynchburg, VA |
| December 13, 2023* 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Tennessee State | W 74–52 | 8–3 | 18 – Rode | 12 – Venzant | 9 – Cleveland | Liberty Arena (2,311) Lynchburg, VA |
| December 16, 2023* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | St. Andrews | W 99–26 | 9–3 | 23 – Tied | 7 – Tied | 6 – Southerland | Liberty Arena (2,230) Lynchburg, VA |
| December 20, 2023* 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Utah Valley C–USA/WAC Alliance | W 79–63 | 10–3 | 19 – Cleveland | 8 – Venzant | 8 – Cleveland | UCCU Center (1,407) Orem, UT |
| December 30, 2023* 2:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | | vs. Alabama C.M. Newton Classic | L 56–101 | 10–4 | 14 – Metheny | 6 – Cleveland | 5 – Cleveland | Legacy Arena (6,912) Birmingham, AL |
| January 1, 2024* 11:00 a.m., ESPN+ | | Boyce | W 88–46 | 11–4 | 25 – Peebles | 10 – Southerland | 7 – Cleveland | Liberty Arena (2,655) Lynchburg, VA |
| Conference USA regular season |||||||||
| January 6, 2024 6:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at Western Kentucky | L 68–70 | 11–5 (0–1) | 23 – Cleveland | 8 – Rode | 5 – Metheny | E. A. Diddle Arena (5,057) Bowling Green, KY |
| January 10, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Jacksonville State | L 51–61 | 11–6 (0–2) | 15 – Metheny | 8 – Venzant | 5 – Porter | Liberty Arena (2,384) Lynchburg, VA |
| January 14, 2024 3:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Louisiana Tech | L 76–80 $^{OT}$ | 11–7 (0–3) | 20 – Rode | 8 – Venzant | 7 – Porter | Thomas Assembly Center (2,348) Ruston, LA |
| January 18, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | FIU | W 78–69 | 12–7 (1–3) | 19 – Rode | 9 – Cleveland | 6 – Tied | Liberty Arena (3,247) Lynchburg, VA |
| January 20, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Sam Houston | W 82–66 | 13–7 (2–3) | 19 – Rode | 9 – Porter | 8 – Porter | Liberty Arena (4,005) Lynchburg, VA |
| January 27, 2024 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Jacksonville State | L 62–73 | 13–8 (2–4) | 17 – Rode | 7 – Venzant | 5 – Porter | Pete Mathews Coliseum (2,835) Jacksonville, AL |
| February 1, 2024 9:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at New Mexico State | L 73–79 $^{OT}$ | 13–9 (2–5) | 23 – Cleveland | 8 – Cleveland | 7 – Cleveland | Pan American Center Las Cruces, NM |
| February 3, 2024 9:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at UTEP | W 67–65 | 14–9 (3–5) | 21 – Metheny | 6 – Venzant | 7 – Cleveland | Don Haskins Center (5,028) El Paso, TX |
| February 8, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Middle Tennessee | W 88–53 | 15–9 (4–5) | 21 – Peebles | 12 – Rode | 6 – Rode | Liberty Arena (3,241) Lynchburg, VA |
| February 10, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Louisiana Tech | W 65–62 | 16–9 (5–5) | 21 – Metheny | 6 – Cleveland | 5 – Cleveland | Liberty Arena (3,696) Lynchburg, VA |
| February 17, 2024 7:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Sam Houston | L 73–83 | 16–10 (5–6) | 19 – Metheny | 7 – Cleveland | 4 – Metheny | Bernard Johnson Coliseum (1,547) Huntsville, TX |
| February 22, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at FIU | L 71–76 | 16–11 (5–7) | 21 – Metheny | 6 – Rode | 3 – Rode | Ocean Bank Convocation Center (1,008) Miami, FL |
| February 29, 2024 9:00 p.m., CBSSN | | New Mexico State | W 83–58 | 17–11 (6–7) | 22 – Cleveland | 9 – Venzant | 7 – Cleveland | Liberty Arena (3,262) Lynchburg, VA |
| March 2, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | UTEP | L 51–67 | 17–12 (6–8) | 15 – Metheny | 10 – Cleveland | 3 – Porter | Liberty Arena (3,643) Lynchburg, VA |
| March 5, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Middle Tennessee | L 61–69 | 17–13 (6–9) | 17 – Cleveland | 13 – Rode | 3 – Tied | Murphy Center (2,806) Murfreesboro, TN |
| March 9, 2024 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Western Kentucky | W 82–79 | 18–13 (7–9) | 31 – Rode | 8 – Cleveland | 7 – Cleveland | Liberty Arena (3,023) Lynchburg, VA |
| Conference USA Tournament |||||||||
| March 14, 2024 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ | (4) | vs. (5) UTEP Quarterfinals | L 57–66 | 18–14 | 20 – Metheny | 8 – Tied | 6 – Cleveland | Von Braun Center (2,265) Huntsville, AL |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern. |||||||||
Sources