Hoops and Hopes: Liberty fans get set for March Madness showdowns

Fresh off sweeping the 2025 CUSA Championships, Liberty University’s men’s and women’s basketball teams are preparing to take the courts on Friday in the NCAA National Basketball Championships. As they do so, Flames Nation remains ready to cheer them to victory.

The excitement is building around campus, as this season marks the third time in program history (and first since 2013) that the Flames and Lady Flames both earned conference tournament titles in the same season.

The No. 13 seed Lady Flames take on No. 4 seed University of Kentucky at noon EST at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. The men’s team (No. 12) follows with a battle against No. 5 seed University of Oregon at 10:10 p.m. EST at Climate Pledge Area in Seattle, Wash.

“Liberty is one of only 27 schools to have both its men’s and women’s basketball teams advance to the NCAA tournament, and one of only three schools to have both teams win regular season and tournament conference championships,” Vice President and Director of Athletics Ian McCaw said this week. “This would not be possible without the incredible support we receive from President Dondi Costin, Chancellor Jonathan Falwell and Flames Nation.”

At Wednesday’s Convocation, a basketball hype video was shown before Costin took the stage to encourage support for the teams. He said they are even grabbing attention outside the sports world, citing Inside Higher Ed’s imaginary bracket that took a different twist on the schools headed to the Big Dance and placed the men’s basketball team in the Final Four of this year’s field if results were determined by academic success rate instead of athletic prowess.

The support has continued throughout the Liberty community and the Commonwealth. Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a basketball fan in his own right who played for Rice University, congratulated Virginia teams in the Big Dance:

For fans not headed to Seattle or Lexington, Liberty is hosting a watch party in Liberty Arena for both games. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. for the women’s game and 9:30 p.m. for the men’s game. The event is free and open to the public. Concessions will be available.

The men’s game will be broadcast on TruTV, and the women’s game is on ESPN.

The teams landed at the tournament sites on Wednesday and held their first open practices on Thursday.

With tipoff for both games right around the corner, Liberty fans around the country are counting down the days until they see their teams compete on the national stage. Alumnus Jeremiah Flinchum (’17, ’20), who traveled from his home near Nashville to Huntsville, Ala., for the CUSA Tournament, also plans to watch the Lady Flames take on Kentucky in person on Friday.

“Seeing both Liberty’s men’s and women’s basketball punch their tickets to the Big Dance in person was an amazing experience,” he said. “I love seeing Coach Green, his staff, and the women persevere and get back for the first time since 2018. This is a special group, especially with the likes of Bella (Smuda) and Emma (Hess), who are program-defining players. Getting to see them in Huntsville, and this weekend in Lexington, is super exciting. I’m very blessed to be able to check off a bucket list item, going to an NCAA tourney game, to support my alma mater on a national stage. … It’s truly one of the greatest blessings to have the opportunity to travel with and represent the university and teams that I love, something I do not take for granted.”

The men’s team last competed in the NCAA Tournament as a No.13 seed in 2021, when the squad was upended by No. 4 Oklahoma State. In 2019, the No. 12-seeded Flames earned their first ever March Madness victory with an upset of No. 5 Mississippi State before losing in the second round to Virginia Tech.

Head Coach Ritchie McKay is in his 12th overall season at the helm of the Flames and recently became the winningest coach in program history. During his tenure, Liberty has now earned four conference titles.

“It’s a privilege just to have a chance to be in the NCAA Tournament,” he said in a press conference after Selection Sunday. “The anticipation after we won the conference championship was like waiting for Christmas when you were a kid and opening up the presents. Then I saw the draw and (came) back to reality because Coach Dana Altman is phenomenal. He’s a Hall of Famer and I’ve watched them a few times this year … We’ll have our work cut out for us, but it’s the NCAA Tournament and you can expect nothing less.”

Senior guard Kaden Metheny earned 2025 CUSA Championship MVP honors for his play in the conference tournament, averaging 20.3 ppg while shooting 51.6% from beyond the arc.

The Lady Flames punched their ticket to March Madness with a close 53-48 victory over Middle Tennessee State on Saturday for their first conference title since 2018 (and first CUSA title).

Led by 26th-year Head Coach Carey Green, Liberty looks for its first win at the NCAA Tournament since its run to the Sweet 16 in 2005. To do so, the Lady Flames will rely in part on the play of CUSA Tournament MVP center Bella Smuda, who recorded 9 points-per-game, 8 rebounds-per-game, and 2.7 blocks-per-game in the conference tournament. Smuda, a redshirt senior, also notched a double-double in the championship game with 10 points and a season-high 13 rebounds.

“It’s an exciting time, and we just want to celebrate with (the team),” Green said in a press conference after Selection Sunday. “They’ve earned it. They have worked very hard, starting after the loss in the (2024) conference championship. I’m totally excited they’ll be on a national platform to honor God through our efforts. We’ll help them as much as we can. The lights get a little bit brighter, but the game is still the same. We’ll be prepared against a very good team playing at home, so those are challenges. As you get into this tournament, nothing is easy at this point.”