The Eastern Kentucky University men’s basketball team is set to face off against Liberty University in the ASUN Conference Tournament semifinals on Thursday. The Colonels earned their spot in the semifinals by dispatching No. 6 seed North Alabama at home on Tuesday, while Liberty secured their position with a win against No. 8 Bellarmine.
The game between the two teams will begin at 7 p.m. ET and will be aired live on ESPN+. Fans who prefer to listen to the radio broadcast can tune in to WCYO 100.7 FM if they are in the Richmond area, or listen worldwide on EKUSports.com.
Liberty currently leads the all-time series against EKU with a 4-3 record, and the two teams met twice this season. The first meeting, which took place on January 8th in Richmond, saw EKU come out on top with a 62-59 victory. However, Liberty avenged their loss in the second meeting on February 11th in Lynchburg, defeating EKU 83-73. In that game, Devontae Blanton led EKU with 26 points, while Darius McGhee finished the night with 28 points for Liberty.
The Colonels come into this game with a 20-12 overall record and a 12-6 ASUN record. They advanced to the semifinals by beating North Alabama 73-48 in the quarterfinals. EKU is currently first in the nation with 13.94 offensive rebounds per game, and they out-rebounded North Alabama by 31, grabbing 57 rebounds to UNA’s 26. The Colonels also had 20 rebounds off the offensive glass, out-scoring UNA 20-1 in second-chance points. Isaiah Cozart has been a force on defense this season, ranking sixth in the NCAA in total blocks with 81.
Liberty, on the other hand, has a 25-7 overall record and finished the ASUN regular season with a 15-3 record, earning them the No. 2 seed in the tournament. They have won their last four games, including their quarterfinal win against Bellarmine. McGhee had a standout performance in that game, finishing with 29 points, six assists, and three steals. McGhee is the 2022-23 ASUN Player of the Year and is now the all-time leading scorer in ASUN history. He is currently third in the country with 22.5 points per game, and is second in the nation in 3-pointers with 148.
Thursday’s matchup between EKU and Liberty promises to be an exciting one, with both teams looking to advance to the ASUN Conference Tournament finals. Fans of both teams, as well as basketball fans in general, won’t want to miss this game.
