Liberty Flames vs UTEP Miners Prediction, 2/14/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Liberty Flames vs UTEP Miners

Date: Saturday, February 14, 2026

Location: Don Haskins Center in El Paso, TX

TV: ESPN2

The Liberty Flames (21-3) are en route to Don Haskins Center on Saturday where they will go up against the UTEP Miners (10-15).

The Liberty Flames stepped onto the hardwood against New Mexico State and went home with a win by a final score of 77-75 in their last contest. Liberty wrapped up the contest with a 43.9% field goal percentage (29 of 66) and converted 11 of their 32 shots from distance. From the charity stripe, the Flames knocked down 8 of 9 attempts for a percentage of 88.9%. With regard to grabbing rebounds, they earned a total of 30 with 8 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 14 assists for this contest as well as forcing 9 turnovers and earning 5 steals. When it comes to the defense, Liberty allowed the other team to shoot 47.6% from the field on 30 out of 63 shooting. New Mexico State dished out 14 dimes and had 5 steals for the game. On top of that, New Mexico State collected 35 rebounds (8 offensive, 27 defensive), but didn't notch a block. New Mexico State went 100.0% when shooting free throws by burying 7 of 7 tries. They made 8 of their 27 tries from distance. In reference to personal fouls, the Flames ended up finishing with 12 while New Mexico State totaled 12 personal fouls.

JJ Harper is a player who was important for the contest. He totaled 19 points on 7 of 11 shooting. He saw the court for 33 minutes and collected 1 rebound. He finished the contest at 63.6% from the field and earned 4 assists.

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Liberty comes into this matchup with a mark of 21-3 on the season. They currently have an average of 79.2 pts per game (116th in the country) while shooting 52.2% from the floor. The Flames are hitting 40.5% on three-point attempts (253 of 625) and 70.7% from the charity stripe. As a team, Liberty is snagging 30.1 rebounds per contest and has earned 422 dimes this season, which ranks 43rd in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. They are turning it over 8.6 times per contest and as a team are committing 13.8 fouls per game.

When they are on defense, the Flames are forcing their opponents into 11.5 turnovers per game while drawing 15.6 fouls. They concede 35.6% on three-point shots and they are 45th in college hoops in points per game allowed (67.9). The Flames defensively are allowing a shooting percentage of 43.6% (601 of 1,379) and they concede 33.0 boards per game as a team. They are currently ranked 58th in Division 1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 286 conceded for the year.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the UTEP Miners took home the win by a final score of 69-64 against Jacksonville State. The Miners snagged 19 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive boards for a total of 25 in this contest. They turned the ball over 9 times, while recording 11 steals for this game. Jacksonville State had 15 personal fouls for this game which got the Miners to the free throw line for 19 attempts. They were able to knock down 14 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 73.7%. Pertaining to shots from 3-point land, UTEP converted 11 out of their 25 attempts (44.0%). In all, the Miners went 22 for 47 from the field which had them shooting 46.8%. The Miners allowed Jacksonville State to bury 24 out of their 49 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 49.0% for this contest. They went 44.4% from beyond the perimeter by going 8 out of 18 and ended up shooting 8 of 14 at the free throw line (57.1%). Concerning attacking the glass, UTEP allowed Jacksonville State to get 25 in all (6 on the offensive glass).

Caleb Blackwell ended up being a factor for the Miners for this contest. He racked up 16 points in his 34 minutes on the court and had 6 dimes for this contest. He buried 6 of 12 for this contest giving him a rate of 50.0%, and added 4 rebounds.

UTEP has a record of 10-15 this season. On the offensive side of the court, the Miners are shooting 42.7% from the field, which is ranked 308th in the country. UTEP has scored 1,751 points on the campaign (70.0 per contest) and they collect 32.8 boards per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 12.5 times per contest (291st in the nation) and they are losing possession via turnover 11.8 times per game. The Miners are responsible for committing 18.4 personal fouls every game while shooting 69.5% from the charity stripe.

The Miners on the defensive side of the court are 123rd in D-1 in points given up per game with 71.8. They are forcing 13.2 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 44.6% from the field (223rd in the country). The UTEP defense concedes 34.7% on shots from beyond the arc (173 of 498) and opponents are making 70.6% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have given up 12.8 assists and 36.1 rebounds per contest, which is ranked 132nd and 277th in the country.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Liberty

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