Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs Liberty Flames Prediction, 3/5/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs Liberty Flames

Date: Thursday, March 5, 2026

Location: Liberty Arena in Lynchburg, VA

TV: ESPN+

The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (16-13) are hitting the road to Liberty Arena on Thursday where they will attempt to defeat the Liberty Flames (24-5).

The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs played FIU and took a loss by a final of 84-76 in their last contest. When discussing fouls, the Bulldogs ended up finishing with 22 and FIU totaled 21 fouls. They made 13 of 23 attempts from downtown. FIU finished 77.8% at the charity stripe by converting 21 of 27 tries. On top of that, FIU snagged 23 rebounds (7 offensive, 16 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. FIU earned 18 dimes and had 7 steals in this contest. Regarding the defense, Louisiana Tech allowed 47.2% from the field on 25 of 53 shooting. They also doled out 15 assists for the matchup as well as forcing the other team into 14 turnovers and earning 9 steals. In regard to hauling in rebounds, they earned 28 with 11 of them being of the offensive variety. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Bulldogs made 19 of 26 attempts for a rate of 73.1%. Louisiana Tech finished having earned a 47.2% FG percentage (25 out of 53) and made 7 of 18 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Jaylen Fenner is one guy who was important in this matchup. He finished 61.5% from the floor and totaled 2 assists. He was on the court for 37 mins and also pulled down 7 rebounds. He finished with 25 points on 8 out of 13 shooting.

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Louisiana Tech will enter this contest with a record of 16-13 this season. They lose possession via turnover 12.9 times per contest and as a team they commit 16.3 fouls every game. As a unit, Louisiana Tech is pulling in 38.7 rebounds per game and has earned 357 dimes so far this year, which ranks 324th in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Bulldogs are connecting on 29.8% on 3-point shots (166 of 557) and 65.3% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 69.3 points per outing (326th in the nation) while connecting on 43.8% from the field.

When they are on the defensive end, the Bulldogs are forcing their opponents into 12.4 turnovers per contest and they draw 16.6 fouls. They are currently ranked 47th in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 350 conceded on the season. The Bulldogs defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 39.4% (633 of 1,608) and they relinquish 33.4 rebounds per contest as a team. They concede 32.9% on 3-pointers while they are 14th in college in points per game allowed (65.3).

In their last game, the Liberty Flames got the victory with a final of 81-78 when they played Jacksonville State. The Flames were able to pull down 20 defensive rebounds and 1 offensive boards for a total of 21 for the game. They also turned it over 8 times, while earning 3 steals for this contest. Jacksonville State earned 16 fouls in this game which took the Flames to the charity stripe for 18 attempts. They were able to make 14 of those for a percentage of 77.8%. In terms of shots from distance, Liberty converted 11 of 25 attempts (44.0%). In all, the Flames ended up shooting 28 out of 50 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 56.0%. The Flames allowed Jacksonville State to make 28 of 55 tries from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 50.9% for this contest. They finished 44.4% from 3-point land by going 8 of 18 and ended up shooting 14 of 20 at the charity stripe (70.0%). In relation to rebounds, Liberty allowed Jacksonville State to grab 26 in total (4 offensive).

Kaden Metheny was important for the Flames for this game. He converted 8 of 13 for the matchup for a rate of 61.5%, and accumulated 2 rebounds. He recorded 24 points in his 38 minutes on the court and tallied 4 assists in this matchup.

Liberty has a win-loss mark of 24-5 on the year. The Flames are responsible for committing 14.0 fouls per contest and they go 70.3% from the charity stripe. They are getting an assist 17.1 times per contest (31st in the country) and they lose possession via turnover 9.0 times per contest. Liberty has tallied 2,282 points on the year (78.7 per game) and they pull down 29.1 boards per contest. When it comes to executing on offense, the Flames are connecting on 52.1% from the field, which ranks 3rd in college hoops.

The Liberty defense surrenders 37.4% on shots from distance (235 of 629) and their opponents are connecting on 72.3% of their foul shots. They have conceded 11.9 assists and 33.1 boards per game, which ranks them 63rd and 98th in the nation. The Flames defensively are ranked 75th in college hoops in PPG given up with 69.9. They are able to force 11.5 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.6% from the floor (210th in college hoops).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Liberty

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