Liberty Flames vs Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Middle Tennessee vs Liberty NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Lynchburg.

Middle Tennessee vs Liberty Prediction

Looking to win big? The Blue Raiders and Flames face off at 6:00 ET on CBSS. The Flames are hosting the game at Liberty Arena in Lynchburg, VA. The over/under for this game is set at 139.5 points, and Liberty is favored by -7.5 vs. Middle Tennessee in a Conference USA conference matchup.

Middle Tennessee vs. Liberty Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Liberty Flames
Where: Lynchburg at Liberty Arena
Date: Saturday, January 4th
Betting Odds LIBRTY -7.5, MTNST +280 | LIBRTY -358 O/U 139.5

Blue Raiders Preview: Will the Blue Raiders Defense Show Up in Lynchburg?

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Recent Game/Games

The Blue Raiders improved to 8-4 on the season with a 73-69 win over FIU on Thursday. Middle Tennessee, who entered the game as -3.5 favorites, covered the spread with the victory.

They trailed 35-32 at halftime but turned things around in the 2nd half, outscoring FIU 41-34. The game’s total points came in at 142, under the O/U line of 150.

Blue Raiders Offense Breakdown

Middle Tennessee put up 73 points in their last game, shooting 45.6% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 50.9%. They hit 31.6% from beyond the arc, going 6-for-19, and connected on 65.2% of their free throws, making 15-of-23 attempts.

Vianney Salatchoum led the way with 21 points, shooting 10-for-14 from the field and hitting his only three-point attempt. Jlynn Counter added 17 points, going 6-for-8 from the floor, while Asim Jones and Camryn Weston each contributed 15 points, with Weston hitting 2-of-6 from deep.

Blue Raiders Team Defense

Middle Tennessee's defense struggled, giving up 69 points on 50% shooting from the field. The Blue Raiders allowed 23 two-point baskets on 42 attempts, equating to 54% shooting.

From beyond the arc, Middle Tennessee allowed 6 threes on 15 attempts, a 40% success rate. They also sent the opposing team to the line 6 times, where they converted 5 free throws, shooting 83%.

Flames Preview: Can the Flames Offense Score Enough at Home?

Liberty Flames Recent Game/Games

The Flames dropped to 9-2 on the season after a 71-70 home loss to Western Kentucky on Thursday. Liberty went into the game as -10 favorites but failed to cover the spread. The total points for the game were 141, falling short of the O/U line of 146.5.

Liberty led 35-21 at halftime but allowed 50 points in the 2nd half while scoring 35. The Flames will need to address their 2nd-half defense to bounce back from this disappointing loss.

Flames Offense Breakdown

Liberty's offense put up 70 points in their last game, shooting 43.5% from the field. They hit 29.6% from three-point range, connecting on 8 of 27 attempts, while their two-point shooting was more efficient at 54.3% (19/35). Their effective field goal percentage stood at 50%.

At the free-throw line, the Flames struggled, making just 8 of 16 attempts. They grabbed 7 offensive rebounds and dished out 15 assists. Zach Cleveland and Julius Thedford both scored 18 points, with Cleveland adding 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Kaden Metheny contributed 17 points, hitting 4 of 10 from beyond the arc.

Flames Team Defense

Liberty's defense gave up 71 points in their last game, with opponents shooting 43% from the field on 27 of 62 attempts. Inside the arc, they allowed 54% shooting, with the other team hitting 19 of 35 two-point shots.

From three-point range, Liberty's defense held their opponents to 29% shooting, as they made 8 of 27 attempts. The other team also struggled at the free-throw line, going 8 for 16, while Liberty gave up 7 offensive rebounds.

Blue Raiders vs Flames Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

When looking at their past three road matchups, Middle Tennessee has an ATS record of 2-0-1 while averaging 72 per game. The team went 1-2 overall in these games.
Across their last five home contests, Liberty has been good against the spread posting a mark of 3-2. Their overall mark in these games was 3-2, while averaging 66 points per game.
Looking back on the team's last three games as the underdog, the Blue Raiders have a straight up record of 1-2. Their record vs the spread in these games was 2-0-1.
The last ten games that Liberty was favored, they have an ATS mark of 4-6 while going 6-4 straight up.