The Liberty Flames (20-14) face off against the North Carolina A&T Aggies (20-14) in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament at Vines Center. The game can be seen on CBS Sports Network at 6 p.m. ET on Monday, March 12, 2018.
Liberty is an 11.5-point favorite on the opening line, while the game’s Over/Under (O/U) opened at 139.5 points.
North Carolina A&T Aggies vs. Liberty Flames Betting Prediction
The Aggies are hoping for a better outcome after their 96-86 loss to the Hampton Pirates in their last game. Hampton’s turnover percentage was their biggest advantage over North Carolina A&T. The Pirates had a rate of 11.1 (better than their season average of 15.3), while the Aggies posted a mark of 18.2 (above the 15.0 mark opponents have averaged against Hampton this season). North Carolina A&T’s Denzel Keyes played well, contributing 17 points and 14 rebounds.
In the Flames’ last game, they lost a tough one against the Radford Highlanders, 55-52. Radford’s 11.1 turnover percentage was their biggest strength over Liberty, who had a mark of 24.8. The Highlanders’ mark was better than their season average of 16.3, while the Flames’ was above their season average of 16.4. Scottie James put together a solid game for Liberty, leading both teams in scoring with 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting.
Liberty figures to have the advantage on the offensive side of the ball. The Flames rank 60th in effective field goal percentage (0.542), while North Carolina A&T ranks 226th in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.514).
North Carolina A&T comes into the contest with records of 20-14 straight up (SU) and 4-2 against the spread (ATS). Vegas is known to set the total high when the Aggies are involved, as 60.0 percent of their games have finished under the projected point total.
Meanwhile, Liberty owns records of 20-14 SU and 4-4 ATS. Much like North Carolina A&T, games involving the Flames also have a tendency to go under the projected point total (75.0 percent).
Scottie James has averaged 15.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks over the last five games for Liberty.
North Carolina A&T Aggies vs. Liberty Flames Pick
Free College Basketball Pick: SU Winner – Liberty, ATS Winner – Liberty, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
Liberty ranks fifth in rebounds allowed per game (29.2) while North Carolina A&T ranks 150th (34.8).
The Aggies rank 107th in three pointers allowed per game (20.6) while the Flames rank 233rd (23.5).
Liberty ranks 25th in blocks allowed per game (2.5) while North Carolina A&T ranks 86th (3.1).
The Flames rank 125th in assists per game (14.0) while the Aggies rank 175th in assists allowed per game (13.9).
Bettings Trends:
The Aggies have been outscored by an average of 1.6 points in their last five games. On the season, North Carolina A&T has defeated opponents by an average of 0.9 points.
During their last five games, the Flames have scored an average of 61.8 points per game (9.4 below their season average) and allowed an average of 57.2 points per game (6.4 below their season average).
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