New Mexico State Aggies vs Liberty Flames Prediction, 1/15/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: New Mexico State Aggies vs Liberty Flames

Date: Thursday, January 15, 2026

Location: Liberty Arena in Lynchburg, VA

TV: CBSSN

The New Mexico State Aggies (9-6) are hitting the road to Liberty Arena on Thursday where they will take on the Liberty Flames (13-3).

The New Mexico State Aggies took the court against MTSU and ended up losing by a score of 59-55 in their last contest. New Mexico State walked away from the game with a 34.6% field goal percentage (18 of 52) and converted 6 out of their 25 shots from beyond the perimeter. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Aggies buried 13 of 22 shots for a percentage of 59.1%. With respect to pulling down rebounds, they collected 35 with 8 of them being of the offensive sort. They also dished out 11 assists in this game as well as forcing 7 turnovers and getting 5 steals. With respect to defense, New Mexico State let their opponent shoot 40.0% from the floor on 20 out of 50 shooting. MTSU earned 12 assists and had 7 steals in this contest. Additionally, MTSU had 33 rebounds (5 offensive, 28 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. MTSU finished the contest at 62.5% from the charity stripe by knocking down 15 of their 24 tries. They also made 4 of 19 attempts from distance. In the matter of fouls, the Aggies ended up walking away with 17 and MTSU finished the game with 14 fouls.

Jemel Jones is a player who came through for the game. He finished 50.0% from the floor and also recorded 2 assists. He saw the court for 22 minutes and totaled 5 boards. He ended up with 16 points on 5 of 10 shooting.

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New Mexico State enters this contest with a win-loss mark of 9-6 so far this season. They currently have an average of 76.3 pts per contest (203rd in the country) while going 43.8% from the floor. The Aggies are shooting 32.9% on shots beyond the perimeter (113 of 343) and 71.9% from the charity stripe. As a unit, New Mexico State is snagging 38.3 rebounds per contest and has tallied 202 dimes on the campaign, which is 330th in the country in terms of passing the ball. They turn it over 11.7 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 20.6 personal fouls every game.

On defense, the Aggies are forcing their opponents into 13.3 turnovers per contest while drawing 18.2 fouls. They rank 5th in the nation in giving up assists with 156 relinquished this year. The Aggies defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 38.5% (320 of 831) and they relinquish 34.3 rebounds per game as a unit. They relinquish 29.1% on 3-pointers and they rank 59th in D-1 in points per game allowed (68.1).

The last time they took the court, the Liberty Flames walked away with a victory by a final of 82-74 when they faced Sam Houston State. The Flames were able to pull down 19 defensive rebounds and 1 offensive rebounds totaling 20 for the contest. They also turned it over 11 times, while getting 8 steals in the game. Sam Houston State was called for 18 fouls for this contest which took the Flames to the free throw line for a total of 23 attempts. They were able to convert 18 of the free throw tries for a rate of 78.3%. In relation to shots from distance, Liberty knocked down 6 of 18 attempts (33.3%). When the final whistle blew, the Flames went 29 out of 51 from the floor which had them shooting 56.9%. The Flames allowed Sam Houston State to knock down 27 of their 62 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 43.5% for the game. They shot 37.5% from beyond the perimeter via 9 out of 24 and ended up shooting 11 of 14 at the free throw line (78.6%). In relation to team rebounding, Liberty permitted Sam Houston State to collect 33 overall (11 on the offensive side).

Zach Cleveland ended up having an impact for the Flames in this game. He made 11 of 16 in this contest for a field goal percentage of 68.8%, and totaled 7 rebounds. He scored 23 points in his 38 minutes of playing time and had 10 assists for the game.

Liberty has a record of 13-3 this year. When it comes to executing on offense, the Flames are hitting on 52.2% from the field, which ranks 6th in the nation. Liberty has totaled 1,292 points this year (80.8 per contest) and they grab 31.8 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 17.9 times per game (32nd in college) and they turn it over 9.1 times per contest. The Flames commit 14.5 fouls per game and they connect on 68.7% from the charity stripe.

The Liberty defense gives up 33.6% on shots from beyond the perimeter (118 of 351) and opponents are converting on 73.0% of their foul shots. They allow 11.7 assists and 34.4 boards per contest, which has them ranked 57th and 178th in Division 1. The Flames defensively are ranked 50th in college in points per game surrendered with 67.8. They are forcing 11.7 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 41.8% from the field (91st in the nation).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take New Mexico State

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