Basketball Game Preview: Liberty Panthers vs. Hardin-Jefferson Hawks

Liberty is 0-10 against Hardin-Jefferson since February of 2020 but things could change on Friday. The Liberty Panthers will venture away from home to square off against the Hardin-Jefferson Hawks at 6:00 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

It was a proper cat-fight when Liberty took on Livingston on Monday. Liberty took down Livingston 52-36.

Meanwhile, Hardin-Jefferson came tearing into Monday's contest with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 41.8 points) and they left with even more momentum. They put the hurt on the Longhorns with a sharp 60-39 win. The Hawks have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten games by 21 points or more this season.

Hardin-Jefferson's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 15-12. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 70.7 points per game. As for Liberty, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven matches, which provided a massive bump to their 17-10 record this season.

Liberty took a serious blow against Hardin-Jefferson when the teams last played back in December of 2024, falling 72-29. Can Liberty avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.