Liberty (6-4) vs. East Carolina (8-2)
Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina; Friday, 1:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Two guards will be on display as Darius McGhee and Liberty will go up against Tristen Newton and East Carolina. The senior McGhee has scored 27 percent of the team’s points this season and is averaging 19.4 over his last five games. Newton, a sophomore, is averaging 16.6 points and six assists over the last five games.
LEADING THE WAY: East Carolina’s Newton has averaged 17.8 points and 5.1 assists while Brandon Suggs has put up 11.2 points. For the Flames, McGhee has averaged 18.8 points while Shiloh Robinson has put up 7.3 points and 4.5 rebounds.
KEY FACILITATOR: Newton has made or assisted on 49 percent of all East Carolina field goals over the last five games. The sophomore guard has accounted for 28 field goals and 30 assists in those games.
PASSING FOR POINTS: The Pirates have recently used assists to create buckets more often than the Flames. East Carolina has an assist on 48 of 70 field goals (68.6 percent) across its previous three games while Liberty has assists on 50 of 85 field goals (58.8 percent) during its past three games.
GETTING DEFENSIVE: Liberty has held opposing teams to 54.4 points per game this year, the fourth-lowest figure among all Division I teams.
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