Liberty Flames vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Prediction, 3/8/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Liberty Flames vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Date: Saturday, March 8, 2025

Location: E.A. Diddle Arena in Amherst, MA

TV: ESPN+

E.A. Diddle Arena is the site where the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (16-13) will compete against the Liberty Flames (23-6) on Saturday.

The Liberty Flames stepped onto the hardwood against Kennesaw State and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 85-80 in their last contest. Liberty ended the game with a 45.8% field goal percentage (22 out of 48) and converted 9 out of their 24 3-point shots. At the free throw line, the Flames converted 27 of 36 attempts for a rate of 75.0%. In terms of grabbing boards, they collected a total of 26 with 2 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 15 assists in the matchup while forcing 10 turnovers and getting 5 steals. In relation to defending, Liberty allowed their opponent to shoot 50.8% from the floor on 32 of 63 shooting. Kennesaw State doled out 17 assists and had 6 steals for the matchup. Additionally, Kennesaw State pulled down 35 boards (6 offensive, 29 defensive), but didn't have a block. Kennesaw State finished shooting 76.9% at the free throw line by making 10 of their 13 shots. They also made 11 out of their 29 shots from 3-point range. When talking about fouls, the Flames finished with 16 and Kennesaw State accumulated 24 fouls.

Kaden Metheny is one player who was a major factor for this contest. He finished with 16 points on 4 out of 11 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 32 minutes but did not grab any boards. He finished shooting 36.4% from the field but didn't record a dime.

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Liberty comes into this matchup with a mark of 23-6 for the season. They have an average of 75.4 points per contest (135th in Division 1) while shooting 48.5% from the field. The Flames are shooting 37.8% on 3-point shots (297 of 786) and 65.4% from the charity stripe. As a team, Liberty is grabbing 33.3 boards per contest and has 477 assists for the campaign, which is 56th in college hoops in terms of passing the ball. They are losing possession via turnover 10.2 times per game and as a squad they are committing 12.7 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Flames are able to force 12.6 turnovers per contest and they draw 14.2 fouls. They concede 27.7% on 3-pointers and they are ranked 7th in Division 1 in opponents PPG (61.7). The Flames defense is giving up an opponent FG percentage of 40.0% (670 of 1,676) and they surrender 34.0 rebounds per game as a squad. They currently rank 3rd in Division 1 in giving up assists with 269 relinquished on the year.

The last time they took the court, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers took a defeat with a final score of 65-47 when they played New Mexico State. The Hilltoppers corralled 23 defensive rebounds and 2 offensive rebounds totaling 25 for the matchup. They also gave up possession of the ball 9 times, while recording 7 steals in this game. New Mexico State had 12 fouls for this game which got the Hilltoppers to the free throw line for 17 attempts. They were able to convert 11 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 64.7%. In terms of 3-pointers, Western Kentucky converted 8 out of their 32 attempts (25.0%). When all was said and done, the Hilltoppers shot 14 for 52 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 26.9%. The Hilltoppers allowed New Mexico State to bury 22 of their 59 tries from the floor which had them shooting 37.3% in the game. They shot 24.0% from distance by going 6 of 25 and ended up going 15 out of 23 from the charity stripe (65.2%). When it comes to how they rebounded, Western Kentucky permitted New Mexico State to pull down 48 overall (14 offensive).

Tyrone Marshall ended up being a factor for the Hilltoppers for the matchup. He buried 5 of 17 for the game giving him a rate of 29.4%, and accumulated 3 rebounds. He tallied 16 points in his 35 mins on the hardwood and had 3 assists in this matchup.

Western Kentucky has a mark of 16-13 for the campaign. The Hilltoppers commit 18.2 personal fouls every game and they go 73.0% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 12.0 times per game (297th in college) and they are losing possession via turnover 11.3 times per game. Western Kentucky has scored 2,197 points on the campaign (75.8 per contest) and they pull down 37.1 rebounds per contest. In terms of offensive execution, the Hilltoppers are connecting on 42.7% from the floor, which ranks 298th in college hoops.

The Western Kentucky defense gives up 30.9% on shots from 3-point land (239 of 773) and opponents are making 74.1% of their free throw shots. They relinquish 13.7 dimes and 40.3 boards per game, which is 232nd and 361st in those categories on the defensive end. The Hilltoppers on the defensive side of the court are 267th in the country in PPG given up with 74.9. They are able to force 13.0 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 40.9% from the floor (41st in college hoops).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Liberty

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