Liberty Flames vs Jacksonville State Gamecocks Prediction, 2/28/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Liberty Flames vs Jacksonville State Gamecocks

Date: Saturday, February 28, 2026

Location: Pete Mathews Coliseum in Jacksonville, AL

TV: ESPNU

The Jacksonville State Gamecocks (14-14) will try to beat the Liberty Flames (23-5) at Pete Mathews Coliseum on Saturday.

The Liberty Flames took the court against Kennesaw State and went home with a loss by a final score of 74-65 in their last game. Regarding fouls, the Flames ended up with 13 while Kennesaw State totaled 17 fouls. They also buried 11 of their 18 tries from beyond the perimeter. Kennesaw State finished the game at 58.3% from the charity stripe by knocking down 7 of their 12 tries. Additionally, Kennesaw State totaled 28 rebounds (8 offensive, 20 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Kennesaw State doled out 14 dimes and had 8 steals in the game. In the matter of the defense, Liberty allowed the other team to go 50.9% from the field on 28 of 55 shooting. They also doled out 11 assists in the matchup as well as forcing the opposition into 12 turnovers and getting 8 steals. When talking about hauling in rebounds, they earned a total of 18 with 0 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Flames buried 19 of 23 shots for a rate of 82.6%. Liberty finished the contest with a 45.2% field goal percentage (19 out of 42) and made 8 of their 22 three-point shots.

Brett Decker Jr. is a guy who was a major factor for the game. He finished shooting 55.6% from the field and also dished out 2 dimes. He saw the court for 38 minutes and also snagged 3 boards. He accounted for 15 points on 5 of 9 shooting.

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Liberty comes into this matchup with a mark of 23-5 this season. They have an average of 78.6 points per outing (120th in the country) while hitting 51.9% from the field. The Flames are connecting on 40.1% on shots from downtown (290 of 723) and 70.0% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Liberty is collecting 29.3 boards per contest and is sitting with 481 assists for the campaign, which is 43rd in the nation in terms of passing the rock. They are giving up possession 9.0 times per game and as a team they are committing 13.9 personal fouls per game.

When they are on the defensive end, the Flames are forcing their opponents into 11.6 turnovers per contest while drawing 16.0 personal fouls. They rank 57th in college hoops in allowing assists with 333 surrendered for the year. The Flames defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 44.4% (716 of 1,614) and they relinquish 33.2 rebounds per game as a team. They give up 37.2% on shots from beyond the arc and they are ranked 70th in the country in points per game allowed (69.6).

In their last game, the Jacksonville State Gamecocks walked away with a victory by a final of 80-70 against Delaware. The Gamecocks corralled 27 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive boards for a total of 35 in the matchup. They coughed up the ball 9 times, while earning 5 steals in the game. Delaware was called for 17 personal fouls for the matchup which took the Gamecocks to the free throw line for 18 attempts. They were able to bury 17 of the free throw tries for a clip of 94.4%. In regard to shooting from beyond the arc, Jacksonville State made 11 out of their 24 tries (45.8%). When all was said and done, the Gamecocks shot 26 for 56 from the floor which had them at 46.4%. The Gamecocks allowed Delaware to convert 22 out of their 55 tries from the floor which had them shooting 40.0% for this game. They went 36.7% from downtown by going 11 out of 30 and finished the contest at 15 of 19 at the charity stripe (78.9%). Regarding cleaning up the glass, Jacksonville State permitted Delaware to snag 24 overall (5 on the offensive side).

Jamar Franklin was important for the Gamecocks for the contest. He buried 8 out of 16 for the contest giving him a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and accounted for 1 rebound. He totaled 24 points in his 40 mins on the hardwood and earned 1 assist in this game.

Jacksonville State has a record of 14-14 for the season. The Gamecocks are committing 17.1 fouls per game and they hit 69.2% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 12.4 times per contest (295th in college) and they are giving up possession 11.5 times per contest. Jacksonville State has earned 2,045 pts so far this year (73.0 per contest) and they average 36.5 rebounds per contest. In terms of offensive execution, the Gamecocks are shooting 44.0% from the floor, which ranks them 262nd in Division 1.

The Jacksonville State defense surrenders 30.9% on shots from beyond the arc (209 of 676) and opponents are knocking down 74.0% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have given up 11.5 dimes and 33.5 rebounds per contest, ranking them 41st and 124th in those categories. The Gamecocks on the defensive side of the court are 40th in college in points given up per game with 67.9. They are forcing their opponents into 11.5 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 40.6% from the field (28th in D-1).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Liberty

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