Friday, November 9th, 8:30 p.m. (et).

FACTS & STATS: Site: Save Mart Center (15,596) -- Fresno, California. Television: Local. Home Record: Liberty 0-0, SDSU 0-0. Away Record: Liberty 0-0, SDSU 0-0. Neutral Record: Liberty 0-0, SDSU 0-0. Conference Record: Liberty 0-0, SDSU 0-0. Series Record: First-ever meeting.

GAME NOTES: New Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay confronts a familiar foe tonight as he and the Flames do battle with the San Diego State Aztecs as part of the World Vision Classic at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. McKay begins his tenure with Liberty, a member of the Big South Conference, after a coaching stint at New Mexico which is, like SDSU, a member of the Mountain West Conference. Last season, the Flames put together a 14-17 record and were an impressive 11-4 at home, but the squad won just three of 14 opportunities on the road, while putting up an 8-6 mark in conference play. As for the Aztecs, a team that continues to operate under the direction of Steve Fisher, they were the favorite to run away with the MWC title a year ago, especially with the top performer in the league in Brandon Heath. However, losing to Colorado State during the conference tournament left SDSU playing in the NIT and after defeating Missouri State, was dismissed by Syracuse on the road. The team finished with a 22-11 record and was 10-6 in league action. Like the Flames, San Diego State played very well at home with a record of 14-2. This round-robin tournament also includes Portland and host school Fresno State, with all four programs playing each other before the weekend ends. With respect to the all-time series between these two schools on the hardwood, this is the first-ever meeting.

Junior guard Anthony Smith is expected to make a lot of noise for the Flames this season after he put up 11.4 ppg as a sophomore a year ago. Smith, who stands 6-4, made almost half of all his field goal attempts and was 39.3 percent accurate behind the three-point line, mainly because opponents were focused so much on Larry Blair and Dwight Brewington who were combining for almost 35 ppg, which was nearly half the team's average overall. As long as Smith can improve upon his 64.3 percent shooting at the free-throw line he will be an important option at all points during the game for the Flames. Now a senior, Alex McLean (14.5 ppg) is the player on the inside for Liberty who can easily dictate the type of game to be played by imposing his will on the glass, following a season in which he recorded nearly nine boards per outing. Senior guard TeeJay Bannister, who was forced to sit out last season after transferring from Virginia, has the potential to be a double-double man every time he steps on the floor based on the fact that he has a knack for finding teammates in great scoring positions.

The loss of Heath and Mohamed Abukar put a serious crimp in SDSU's inside- outside attack this season. Bud the cupboard is not completely bare by any stretch for the Aztecs because the squad still has Lorrenzo Wade and Kyle Spain who are now a year older and wiser as they enter their junior seasons. Wade finished third on the team in scoring in 2006-07 with his 10.5 ppg, although he could have had a slightly better average were it not for his 26 percent accuracy from beyond the arc. More than just an offensive threat, Wade also cleared nearly five and a half rebounds per game, was second on the team in blocks (39) and third in steals (62) and assists (85) during his 24 starts. Spain's offensive outlook should be much brighter than his 6.6 ppg from a year ago, assuming he shoots better than 39.8 percent from the field. Unfortunately, the Aztecs will probably not have the services of junior guard Richie Williams who has been suspended indefinitely due to a violation of team policy. Last season, Williams accounted for seven points and a team-best four and a half assists per game as a sophomore.

Even without Williams on the floor tonight, the Aztecs are still superior to Liberty. Add to that the fact that SDSU is playing right up the road and the Flames have to travel across the country and the win should be in the bag for the Aztecs.

Predicted Outcome

San Diego State 74, Liberty 59