Liberty Pulled Off The Men’s NCAA Tournament’s Third 12-5 Upset Against Mississippi State

The East Region of the Men’s NCAA Tournament features one of the biggest stars in college sports in Zion Williamson, but it also had a significant upset on Friday night.

The 12-seeded Liberty Flames knocked off 5-seeded Mississippi State, 80-76, in the third 12-5 matchup to end in an upset. Liberty came away with its first ever NCAA Tournament win with an upset over the Bulldogs in San Jose on Friday night, hitting a dozen three-pointers to win in a scrappy contest that energized the tournament’s second day.

Caleb Homesley was a star for the Flames, with 30 points, four rebounds and an assist in the win. He was nearly perfect for Liberty, who exchanged leads with the Bulldogs throughout the night until Liberty was able to finally pull away in the game’s final four minutes.

That pulling away came after trailing by nine with less than seven to play. Homesley was a big part of that comeback effort, as the Bulldogs went completely cold from the field in the closing minutes of the game, going nearly six minutes without a basket down the stretch.

With Mississippi State stuck at 67, Homesley had a three, a dunk and another three to give Liberty its first lead since the first half.

The Bulldogs fought back to take another brief lead, but Lovell Cabbil Jr. hit a three to give Liberty a lead that they’d hold on to this time.

Down four with seconds to play, Mississippi State just couldn’t get a shot to fall, and the Flames kept on dancing.

Liberty will move on to face the winner of the final game of Friday night’s 16-game tilt between Virginia Tech and St. Louis.