Liberty Flames vs MTSU Blue Raiders Prediction, 1/29/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Liberty Flames vs MTSU Blue Raiders

Date: Thursday, January 29, 2026

Location: Murphy Center in Murfreesboro, TN

TV: ESPN+

The Liberty Flames (17-3) are traveling to Murphy Center on Thursday where they will play the MTSU Blue Raiders (11-8).

The Liberty Flames faced off with Delaware and took home the win by a score of 67-51 in their last game. Liberty walked away from the game with a 47.1% FG percentage (24 of 51) and converted 11 of their 30 three-point shots. At the charity stripe, the Flames converted 8 of their 13 attempts for a percentage of 61.5%. Concerning getting rebounds, they collected a total of 28 with 5 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 21 assists for the contest in addition to forcing the other team into 15 turnovers and having 10 steals. In the matter of defense, Liberty allowed the other team to shoot 46.3% from the field on 19 of 41 shooting. Delaware earned 6 assists and had 6 steals for this contest. Furthermore, Delaware snagged 25 rebounds (1 offensive, 24 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Delaware finished 53.8% from the charity stripe by making 7 of 13 attempts. They buried 6 out of their 16 shots from 3-point range. When it comes to fouls, the Flames ended up walking away with 11 and Delaware accumulated 11 fouls.

Brett Decker Jr. is one player who was a major contributor for this game. He finished the contest at 50.0% from the field and recorded 2 assists. He played 34 minutes played and collected 4 boards. He totaled 25 points on 8 out of 16 shooting.

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Liberty will take the court with a mark of 17-3 for the season. They have an average of 79.4 points per game (124th in D-1) while connecting on 52.1% from the field. The Flames are hitting 40.8% from downtown (214 of 525) and 69.5% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Liberty is pulling down 30.7 boards per contest and has accounted for 352 assists on the campaign, which ranks 41st in the country in terms of passing the ball. They are turning it over 8.7 times per contest and as a squad are committing 13.7 fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Flames are able to force 11.8 turnovers per contest and they draw 15.6 fouls. They are ranked 55th in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 234 conceded on the year. The Flames defensively are giving up a shooting percentage of 42.9% (495 of 1,155) and they concede 33.2 rebounds per contest as a group. They concede 35.5% on shots from distance and they are ranked 39th in the country in points per game allowed (67.2).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the MTSU Blue Raiders walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 75-58 when they played Jacksonville State. Regarding how they cleaned up the glass, MTSU allowed Jacksonville State to pull down 31 in total (6 offensive). They finished shooting 60.0% from three-point range via 9 of 15 and ended up going 16 out of 19 at the free throw line (84.2%). The Blue Raiders permitted Jacksonville State to make 25 of 51 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 49.0% for this contest. When the final whistle blew, the Blue Raiders went 21 for 55 from the field which gave them a percentage of 38.2%. Pertaining to three-point attempts, MTSU made 8 of their 23 attempts (34.8%). They were able to convert 8 of the free throws for a percentage of 57.1%. Jacksonville State was called for 13 fouls in this matchup which took the Blue Raiders to the free throw line for 14 attempts. They turned it over 7 times, while getting 3 steals in the matchup. The Blue Raiders were able to snag 19 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive boards totaling 25 in the game.

Kamari Lands ended up having an impact for the Blue Raiders in this game. He earned 15 points in his 34 mins on the hardwood and accumulated 3 assists in this matchup. He converted 4 out of 13 for the matchup for a rate of 30.8%, and earned 3 rebounds.

MTSU has a win-loss mark of 11-8 for the year. As an offensive team, the Blue Raiders are connecting on 44.2% from the field, which has them ranked 249th in D-1. MTSU has accounted for 1,419 points so far this year (74.7 per contest) and they grab 36.8 rebounds per game. They are earning an assist 14.3 times per game (179th in college) and they turn it over 11.5 times per game. The Blue Raiders have committed 17.8 personal fouls every game and they shoot 68.7% from the charity stripe.

The Blue Raiders are ranked 92nd in college hoops in points given up per game with 70.1. They are able to force 11.6 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 42.3% from the floor (100th in college). The MTSU defense allows 30.1% on shots from distance (112 of 372) and opponents are converting on 71.9% of their free throw shots. They surrender 11.7 assists and 35.6 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is 63rd and 254th in the nation.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take MTSU

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