Darius McGhee Leads List of Players to Watch in Atlantic Sun Men’s Basketball Tournament
Here are the five players that will have a huge impact in the Atlantic Sun Men’s Basketball Tournament that starts this afternoon and concludes with the championship game on Sunday, March 7. Liberty is the top seed and two-time defending champion. In the last NCAA Tournament played, the Flames beat Mississippi State in the opening round before falling to Virginia tech in the round of 32.
Meanwhile, congrats to @LibertyMBB_ , cleaning up on #ASUNMBB awards.
Ritchie McKay = Coach of the Year
Darius McGhee = Player of the Year
Elijah Cuffee = Defensive Player of the Year@13Sports https://t.co/llTpRIjrIC— Dave Walls (@DaveWallsWSET) March 4, 2021
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Liberty will need to get past Bellarmine and Lipscomb to punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament. Bellarmine is in its first season of Division I basketball and is ineligible to play in the NCAA Tournament. They ended the regular season with a 13-6 record (10-3 in the Atlantic Sun.
One of the best stories in college basketball this season is being authored by @BUKnightsMBB! New to D-I, the Knights are breaking all the rules, enjoying an incredible season in @ASUN_MBB thanks to a deep team & the dynamic coaching of @Bellarminehoops! #SwordsUpBU #RISE pic.twitter.com/ctbAFXP5vR
— Kevin Connors (@kevconnorsespn) March 4, 2021
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Here are the players to watch in this year’s Atlantic Sun Men’s Basketball Tournament.
1) Darius McGhee Leads Liberty Flames Into Atlantic Sun Men’s Basketball Tournament
McGhee was named Player of the Year in the Conference. A sharpshooter, he is fourth in the country in made three-pointers with 84. He averaged 15.5 points, 4.2 rebounds while shooting 83% from the charity stripe. He had 27 points in helping Liberty clinch the regular-season title against Bellarmine on February 27. That could be a finals preview if the seeds hold true.
He’s always must-see TV 🍿
Your ASUN Player of the Year, @D1McGhee! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/e7gdOWRbCK
— Liberty Men’s Basketball (@LibertyMBB_) March 3, 2021
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2) Ahsan Asadullah Important Cog in Lipscomb’s Atlantic Sun Men’s Basketball Tournament Hopes
Asadullah gets it done on the court and in the classroom. A unanimous First Team selection, Asadullah also is an all academic-team selection with a 3.5 GPA as a finance major. He stuffs the stat sheet as well averaging 14.2 points, 7.9 rebounds (second in the conference), and 3.5 assists per game.
3) Pedro Bradshaw Leads Bellarmine Charge Into Atlantic Sun Men’s Basketball Tournament
A unanimous First Team selection, Bradshaw has led Bellarmine in its first Division I season. He averaged 15.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and shoots 52% from the field and 83% from the charity stripe.
2021 #ASUNMBB First Team All-Conference ➡️ @BUKnightsMBB‘s Pedro Bradshaw 🏀💯
📰 https://t.co/K8jbyuDlj1#ASUNMadness | @PedroBshaw32 | #RISE pic.twitter.com/0QDhlbJiOw
— #ASUNMBB 🏀 (@ASUN_MBB) March 3, 2021
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4) Romeo Ferguson Key Player For Lipscomb
Ferguson shoots 49% from the field and averaged 13.6 points per game earning second-team all-league honors. A graduate student with a 3.4 GPA en rote to his MBA, needless to say, he is a smart player on the floor as well.
5) Experience Matters in the Atlantic Sun Men’s Basketball Tournament and Liberty’s Elijah Cuffee Has Plenty of That
Liberty has won a lot of games the last three years and senior Elijah Cuffee has been around for all of it. He ranks third in the nation for active players with 130 games played. Liberty and Cuffee have won 101 of those games, which ranks second among Division I active players and second in Flames history. Cuffee is averaging 10.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in 24 games this season.