LIBERTY BLOG: Back to the beach

Reporting live from the home office in Carolina Forest ...

The 20-win season has lost a bit of its luster in recent years, especially with teams playing up to 32 games. For a major-conference team, the 20-win plateau isn't as impressive as it once was, especially when you consider the fact that many teams in the six power conferences load up their home schedules with games against low-major competition, money games that are supposed to be automatic victories.

But for schools in leagues like the Big South, Atlantic Sun and Southern, to name a few, getting to 20 is still a big deal, especially in the regular season. If Liberty wins one of its final four games -- Monday at Coastal Carolina, Saturday at Old Dominion, next Tuesday vs. VMI, next Saturday at Radford -- it'll reach the 20-win mark in the regular season for the third time in school history.

Here's a quick recap of the teams that won 20 regular-season games in the Big South:
2008-09 -- VMI (20)
2007-08 -- UNC Asheville (21)
2006-07 -- Winthrop (25), High Point (21)
2005-06 -- Winthrop (20)
2004-05 -- Winthrop (24)
2003-04 -- Birmingham-Southern (20)
2002-03 -- None
2001-02 -- None
2000-01 -- None
1999-00 -- None
1998-99 -- None
1997-98 -- None
1996-97 -- Liberty (21)
1995-96 -- None
1994-95 -- UNC Greensboro (21)
1993-94 -- Towson State (20)
1992-93 -- None
1991-92 -- Liberty (21)
1990-91 -- Coastal Carolina (21), Radford (21)
1989-90 -- Coastal Carolina (21)
1988-89 -- None
1987-88 -- None
1986-87 -- None
1985-86 -- None

So, that's 14 teams with 20 victories in 24 years of Big South basketball. Certainly a large accomplishment.

But, as LU coach Ritchie McKay pointed out Saturday at Charleston Southern, it's not the accomplishment that fuels this particular team. I asked Kyle Ohman about what getting to 20 wins would mean for the Flames. His response:

"We'd be happy with 20 wins, but we're not satisfied. We're still trying to compete for the upper half of the Big South conference standings. We're just taking it one game at a time. Every game is so important to us right now."

Some other quick-hit notes from Saturday.

* Seth Curry's free-throw streak is at 34 right now, and I get the idea he well aware of the run. His second-to-last free throw hit the back of the rim and bounced up before dropping down at CSU, and he gave a pronounced exhale and had a huge smile on his face as it dropped in.

* It'll be interesting to see what Liberty does with Coastal's Joseph Harris tomorrow. Harris has seven straight double-doubles, including his 33-point, 22-rebound showing against VMI Saturday. Harris might be the most underrated player in the conference. He's 6-foot-5, extremely athletic and bouncy and has added a mid-range game to his already strong post game.

* First place is probably out of reach for Liberty. The closing stretch for Liberty -- at Coastal, vs. VMI, at Radford. If LU wins all three, it would finish 13-5 in league. Radford is 12-2 with a closing stretch of at Charleston Southern, at VMI, vs. High Point, vs. Liberty. That means Liberty has to win out and hope for Radford to lose to VMI and either CSU or High Point. HPU is surging right now, but the game is at the Dedmon Center. CSU is winless at home in league play and has no answer whatsoever for RU's bruising post game. If Liberty wins out, it would own the probable tiebreaker over the Highlanders because of a sweep of VMI. But even getting into a tie is a longshot at this point.

VMI finishes at Presbyterian, vs. Radford, at Liberty, at High Point. The Keydets (11-3) can sweep Radford by beating the Highlanders at home next Saturday, but they'll need to go at least 3-1 with a win against RU to gain the title. The good news for local fans, though -- the Big South semifinals will likely be within a two-hour drive of Lynchburg, either at the Dedmon Center or in Cameron Hall.

* A top three finish, though, is a good bet for Liberty. UNC Asheville (8-7) is two games back of Liberty with three to play. The Bulldogs would have to win out at High Point, vs. Coastal Carolina, at Presbyterian and hope for Liberty to lose at least two to forge a tie. As long as Liberty's one victory came against VMI, the Flames would win that tiebreaker because of a season sweep of the Keydets. If Liberty wins at Coastal and moves to 11-5, the worst it can finish is in a tie for third with the Bulldogs.

* The BracketBuster game against Old Dominion is starting to look like a doozy. The Monarchs have won four of five and knocked off rival VCU at home Saturday. ODU is 16-9 and travels to UNC Wilmington Wednesday. The Monarchs beat UNCW by 30 the last time the teams met.

That's all for now. Look for a story on how Seth Curry has adjusted to the trick defenses he's seen over the last month or so in tomorrow's News & Advance.