APSU Men’s Basketball hosts Liberty, Thursday – Clarksville Online

Austin Peay (8-15 | 2-8 ASUN) vs. Liberty (18-5 | 9-1 ASUN)
Thursday, 02/02/2023 | 7:00 p.m. CT
Clarksville, Tennessee | Dunn Center

Clarksville, Tennessee – On Military Appreciation Day, the Austin Peay State University (APSU) men’s basketball team will host the league-leading Liberty for an ASUN conference competition Thursday at the Winfield Dunn Center. The game starts at 7:00 p.m.

Austin Peay (8-15, 2-8 ASUN) starts the week 13th in the conference with Central Arkansas and is looking for his first win in the last seven games. On the other hand, Liberty (18-5, 9-1 ASUN) is tied for first place in the conference with Kennesaw State and is looking forward to a seventh straight win as it faces the governors for the first time in the ASUN conference Action.

Thursday’s game against Liberty is sponsored by the Altra Federal Credit Union, which is giving away Austin Peay State University military-style jerseys while supplies last. For Military Appreciation Day at the Dunn Center, the cue ball will be supplied by the Sabalauski Air Assault School of Fort Campbell, and the Tennessee National Guard will also have a third-floor weapons display. Also, Austin Peay ROTC’s Eli Castillo will sing the national anthem before the tip against the Flames.

Thursday’s game against Liberty will be streamed on ESPN+ with Barry Gresham and Bob Belvin.

About the Freedom Flames

Liberty was selected to win the ASUN in the Preseason Coaches and Media Polls, is 18-5 overall and currently ranked 9th in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll.

KenPom.com ranks the Flames as the 45th best team in the country with an adjusted efficiency margin of +14.89. Liberty also has the 33rd best defense in the nation, according to Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings, keeping his opponents at just 95.8 points per 100 possessions.

Liberty ranks fifth in the NCAA in point defense (57.9 ppg) and fourth in scoring (+16.8) — leading the ASUN in both cases.

Liberty’s 11.3 three-pointers per game ranks fourth nationally, and 19.4 three-pointers attempted per game ranks fifth.

The Flames rank 10th nationally in assists per game (17.5) and 5th in assists-to-turnover ratio (1.64).

Reigning ASUN Player of the Year Darius McGhee is averaging 21.0 points per game, leading the ASUN and ranked 15th in the NCAA.

McGhee leads the ASUN, ranking second in threes (104), threes per game (4.5), and threes attempts (250) — he also ranks 28th in the NCAA and third in the ASUN in threes -Points Percentage (0.416). .

Series history and permanent meeting

The fourth meeting in a series dating back to 2013, Austin Peay State University leads the all-time series 2-1, winning the only meeting in Clarksville in 2013.

In the last meeting, Terry Taylor scored 32 points to send Austin Peay to a 75-66 victory over Liberty at the St. Pete Shootout Championship on December 22, 2018 at the McArthur Center – on the campus of Eckerd College – in St Petersburg, Florida. Taylor went 12-on-17 from the floor, 4-on-7 from three-point range, and 4-on-4 from the free-throw line; He also recorded two rebounds, an assist and two blocks. Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz led the Flames by 15 points in the last meeting; Darius McGhee also scored seven points for LU.

In Liberty’s final trip to Dunn Center, APSU picked up a 77-71 win on December 14, 2013. Travis Betran led the Govs with 23 points while Chris Horton hit a 21-point double-double with 11 rebounds to go with four blocked shots. Damarius Smith dished out 12 assists as team leader and duo Will Triggs and Ed Dyson added 12 and 10 points, respectively.

APSU Especially

Austin Peay State University’s defense ranks third in ASUN conference for steals per game (7.1) and three-point defense (.322) and seventh for scoring defense (71.6 ppg).

Governors rank fourth in the ASUN and 52nd in the NCAA in terms of revenue margin (+2.3), they also rank third in the ASUN and 75th in the NCAA in terms of revenue per game forced turnovers (14.5).

Austin Peay State is shooting 73.8 percent from the free throw line this season, a mark that ranks third in the ASUN Conference and 85th in the NCAA.

The APSU Govs also rank third in the ASUN in free throws per game (12.4) and fifth in free throws attempted per game (16.8).

Austin Peay State University flips the ball just 12.2 times per competition, which ranks sixth in the ASUN conference and 130th in the country.

APSU governments average 10.0 offensive rebounds per game, ranking sixth in the conference.

Austin Peay State University has fielded 11 different starting lineups this season, ranking seventh in the NCAA. The Govs have had a different starting XI in each of their last five games.

The Governors are still 6-5 at home this season, and a dozen of Nate James’ 20 victories at Austin Peay State University have come at Dave Loos Court.

Sean Durugordon is the only governor to have grappled with Liberty in the past, when he was a redshirt freshman in Missouri. Durugordon recorded two points, three rebounds and one assist in the Flames’ 66-45 win over the Tigers on December 2, 2021 at Liberty Arena in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Liberty ranks #9 in CollegeInsider.com’s Mid-Major poll. The Governors are targeting their first win of the season and Nate James Era against a team in the mid-major top 25.

Liberty is also No. 45 on the NCAA NET rankings, giving the APSU Govs a chance to claim their first Quadrant II win of the season and their second Quad I/Quad II win of the James Era.

tickets

Season and Single Game Tickets for the 2022-23 Men’s Basketball Season are on Sale! Fans can purchase their tickets for last season at the Winfield Dun Center online at LetsGoPeay.com/BuyTickets or call the Austin Peay Ticket Office at 931.221.PEAY (7329).

APSU Govs Online

For the latest Austin Peay State University Athletics news and information, visit LetsGoPeay.com or follow us on Facebook. To keep up with the APSU men’s basketball team, follow us Twitter and Instagram (@GovsMBB). Live statistics will be available on PeayStats.com during all home games and selected away games.

In addition, all Austin Peay State University home games, ASUN games and select road games will be broadcast on ESPN+ this season. Visit the men’s basketball schedule at LetsGoPeay.com for a complete broadcast schedule.

Next for APSU men’s basketball

The Austin Peay State University men’s basketball team completes a quick two-game homestand when they host Queens Saturday at 3:00 p.m. on APSU College of STEM Day at the Winfield Dunn Center.

Austin Peay State University then heads to two games against North Alabama on February 9th and Central Arkansas on February 11th.