Ben Byrum, Producer 94.3 The Game/The Patrick Johnson Show
The Pirates return to action after a lengthy layoff due to final exams Friday afternoon, as they battle the 6-4 Liberty Flames in Charlotte, NC in the first-ever Naismith Hall of Fame Shootout at the Spectrum Center. Tipoff for that matchup is scheduled for 1:30 PM ET. Tune in to live play-by-play on 94.3 The Game beginning at 1:00 PM ET or check out our very own Patrick Johnson and veteran ECU broadcaster Si Seymour on ESPN+.
Darius McGhee Is Money From Deep
One of the best players the Pirates will play in non-conference is undoubtedly 5’9 senior guard and Roxboro native, Darius McGhee. The reigning A-Sun Player of the Year is looking to have his best season statistically on what will be his final season with Liberty, averaging 18.8 PTS, 2.5 AST, 3.1 REB on 46% FG. Possibly one of the more deadly weapons in McGhee’s arsenal is his perimeter shooting. McGhee averages 37% from beyond the arc in his four year career with the Flames and is coming off a historical year, where he lit up the A-Sun, shooting nearly 41% 3FG in the 2020-2021 season. It’ll be a huge test for the Pirates to try to limit McGhee from the three as ECU has struggled with perimeter defense at times. The Pirates rank 193rd in the country among NCAA D1 schools and have allowed their opponents to make 82 three pointers on 249 attempts for a 32.9% 3FG through 10 games.
Liberty Will Bring The Heat On Defense
Besides the mind-boggling numbers of Darius McGhee, one major statistic that has stood-out when it comes to the Liberty Flames is their lockdown defense. Liberty has held opponents to 54.4 points per game this year and this is not due to a cookie cutter non-conference schedule. For the Regent VA’s & Del State’s that the Flames have torched this year, there’s also been tough matchups against the likes of #19 LSU, Missouri, Iona and Stephen F. Austin. Liberty’s stunning defensive numbers is enough for them to be ranked the fourth lowest in all of D1 basketball in average points per game allowed. The Flames are also seventh in all of D1 basketball in field goal percentage defense and are third in the nation in scoring defense.
Pirates Seeking Redemption Against Flames
The Pirates lead the all-time series against Liberty 5-3 but have struggled in their recent meetings dropping three straight. ECU hasn’t defeated the Flames in this century even, the Pirates last win coming off a 80-56 blowout back on November 28th, 1999 in Lynchburg. In their last matchup, Liberty convincingly pummeled the Pirates, 77-57 in Minges Coliseum with 6’6 Flames guard Caleb Homesley dropping 25 points along with 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Darius McGhee also showed out for the Flames in that game, notching 15 points with 3 rebounds and an assist. Pirate forward Jayden Gardner had a vintage Gardner performance as he led all scorers with 26 points and was able to grab 11 boards and 2 assists.