UTEP Miners vs Liberty Flames Prediction, 1/17/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UTEP Miners vs Liberty Flames

Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026

Location: Liberty Arena in Lynchburg, VA

TV: ESPN+

The UTEP Miners (5-11) are en route to Liberty Arena on Saturday where they will try to defeat the Liberty Flames (13-3).

The UTEP Miners stepped onto the hardwood against Western Kentucky and ended up losing by a score of 68-56 in their last game. In the matter of fouls, the Miners ended up with 17 while Western Kentucky totaled 15 fouls. They converted 5 out of their 19 attempts from three-point range. Western Kentucky finished shooting 59.1% at the charity stripe by making 13 of 22 tries. On top of that, Western Kentucky grabbed 43 rebounds (17 offensive, 26 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Western Kentucky doled out 11 dimes and had 13 steals in the game. When it comes to the defense, UTEP let their opponent shoot 39.1% from the field on 25 of 64 shooting. They also dished out 9 assists for this game while forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and getting 6 steals. Concerning grabbing rebounds, they earned 32 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. At the free throw line, the Miners knocked down 17 of their 22 attempts for a percentage of 77.3%. UTEP walked away from the contest with a 32.1% field goal percentage (17 out of 53) and converted 5 of 22 three-point attempts.

Jamal West Jr. is a player who played a role for this game. He ended up finishing with 15 points on 5 of 11 shooting. He played for 36 mins and grabbed 6 rebounds. He ended up shooting 45.5% from the floor and also recorded 2 dimes.

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UTEP will enter this game with a win-loss mark of 5-11 on the year. They are averaging 69.8 points per contest (316th in college hoops) while going 42.6% from the field. The Miners are shooting 31.2% on shots from beyond the arc (104 of 333) and 67.4% from the free throw line. As a unit, UTEP is pulling down 33.4 boards per game and has totaled 194 dimes so far this year, which has them ranked 343rd in college in terms of passing the rock. They turn the ball over 12.7 times per contest and as a team they are committing 19.8 personal fouls every game.

On the defensive end of the court, the Miners are able to force 14.0 turnovers every game and they draw 17.3 personal fouls. They currently rank 94th in the country in allowing assists to their opponents with 212 surrendered this season. The Miners defensively are allowing a field goal percentage of 45.1% (385 of 853) and they relinquish 35.8 rebounds per contest as a unit. They are giving up 34.6% from beyond the arc and they are 156th in college in PPG allowed (72.6).

The last time they took the court, the Liberty Flames walked away with a victory by a final of 82-74 against Sam Houston State. When it comes to attacking the glass, Liberty allowed Sam Houston State to pull down 33 in total (11 on the offensive glass). They finished 37.5% from downtown by connecting on 9 of 24 and ended up going 11 out of 14 at the free throw line (78.6%). The Flames permitted Sam Houston State to convert 27 of 62 tries from the field which had them shooting 43.5% for the game. At the conclusion of this game, the Flames shot 29 for 51 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 56.9%. Regarding 3-point attempts, Liberty knocked down 6 of 18 tries (33.3%). They were able to bury 18 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 78.3%. Sam Houston State earned 18 personal fouls in the game which got the Flames to the free throw line for 23 attempts. They also gave up possession 11 times, while recording 8 steals in this contest. The Flames were able to snag 19 defensive rebounds and 1 offensive rebounds totaling 20 in this contest.

Zach Cleveland was important for the Flames for the game. He converted 11 out of 16 for this game giving him a rate of 68.8%, and had 7 rebounds. He earned 23 points in his 38 mins of playing time and had 10 assists for the matchup.

Liberty has a win-loss record of 13-3 on the campaign. As an offense, the Flames are hitting on 52.2% from the field, which is 5th in the country. Liberty has accounted for 1,292 points so far this year (80.8 per contest) and they collect 31.8 rebounds per game. They are getting an assist 17.9 times per game (30th in college) and they cough up possession 9.1 times per contest. The Flames commit 14.5 fouls per game and they go 68.7% from the charity stripe.

The Liberty defense allows 33.6% on shots from beyond the perimeter (118 of 351) and opponents are making 73.0% of their foul shots. They have allowed 11.7 assists and 34.4 rebounds on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 55th and 177th in college hoops. The Flames on the defensive end are ranked 49th in the country in points given up per game with 67.8. They are forcing 11.7 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 41.8% from the field (83rd in D-1).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take UTEP

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