Is Liberty the best of the 64 teams in the WNIT?
Now, we suspect Jacksonville State objects to his notion. Yet when one sizes up each squad’s overall body of work, it’s hard to top the one produced by these Lady Flames, who will open tournament play at home against former Big South rival Campbell (23-7) Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Among the highlights:
- The most wins (27) in the 64-team field;
- The highest winning percentage (87.1) among WNIT teams;
- The tournament’s best poll ranking. Liberty is 27th in the latest USA Today/WCBA coaches poll; the 26 teams ahead of the Lady Flames are all in the NCAA Tournament.
- One of the two best victories among WNIT teams. On Dec. 7 – a date that will live in infamy in Blacksburg – Liberty knocked off Virginia Tech, which finished 10th in the NET rankings. Mizzou, also in the WNIT, defeated No. 1 seed South Carolina.)
Come to think of it, a better question is, why isn’t this team in the NCAA Tournament?
Of course, resumes mean nothing once play begins. And we’ll admit it’s a bit strange foisting a favorite’s role on a program still in search of its first-ever WNIT win (Liberty is 0-2 lifetime in this event but has never hosted a game).
Liberty has won nine straight meetings with Campbell and is led by Mya Berkma, named ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year and First Team All-Conference. The Lady Flames’ leading scorer and rebounder ranks third nationally in field goal percentage (66.8).
But based on what they’ve done so far, anything, including a deep postseason run, seems imminently possible for the Lady Flames. Click here for a complete preview of Wednesday’s Cambell-Liberty matchup.
Photo courtesy of Liberty Athletics