Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs Liberty Flames Prediction, 2/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs Liberty Flames

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Location: Liberty Arena in Lynchburg, VA

TV: ESPN+

The Liberty Flames (22-3) will play the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (15-11) at Liberty Arena on Saturday.

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers faced Delaware and notched a win by a score of 88-87 in their last contest. In relation to fouls, the Hilltoppers finished with 21 and Delaware accumulated 20 fouls. They also made 8 of 22 tries from distance. Delaware walked away from this one shooting 79.4% at the charity stripe by knocking down 27 of their 34 attempts. In addition, Delaware grabbed 29 boards (6 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Delaware doled out 13 assists and had 8 steals in this game. When it comes to defense, Western Kentucky allowed the other team to shoot 52.0% from the floor on 26 of 50 shooting. They also recorded 18 dimes for the game in addition to forcing the opposition into 8 turnovers and earning 7 steals. With respect to grabbing boards, they earned 30 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. When they shot from the free throw line, the Hilltoppers buried 25 of 31 shots for a rate of 80.6%. Western Kentucky wrapped up the game having earned a 47.4% field goal percentage (27 out of 57) and converted 9 out of their 24 3-point shots.

Teagan Moore is one player who played a role for the matchup. He shot 64.3% from the field but finished the game without an assist. He was on the court for 34 mins and also grabbed 4 rebounds. He notched 27 points on 9 of 14 shooting.

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Western Kentucky will take the court with a win-loss record of 15-11 so far this year. They average 77.9 points per outing (139th in D-1) while shooting 40.0% from the field. The Hilltoppers are hitting 33.0% from downtown (220 of 667) and 75.8% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Western Kentucky is pulling down 40.0 boards per game and has accounted for 340 dimes this season, which is 264th in college in terms of passing the rock. They are losing possession via turnover 10.5 times per game and as a team are committing 19.6 fouls every game.

When they are on defense, the Hilltoppers are able to force 12.7 turnovers per game while drawing 18.5 fouls. They rank 249th in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 374 conceded for the year. The Hilltoppers defensively are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 42.6% (637 of 1,496) and they relinquish 38.2 boards per game as a team. They relinquish 34.4% on shots from downtown while they are 224th in D-1 in points per game from their opponents (75.1).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Liberty Flames walked away with a victory by a final of 73-64 when they played UTEP. In regard to attacking the glass, Liberty permitted UTEP to grab 29 in all (5 offensive). They wrapped up this game 42.1% from three-point range by shooting 8 out of 19 and walked away from this one shooting 8 out of 11 at the charity stripe (72.7%). The Flames permitted UTEP to make 24 of their 50 tries from the field which left them with a rate of 48.0% for the game. Overall, the Flames went 27 out of 54 from the floor which had them at 50.0%. When talking about 3-pointers, Liberty converted 9 of 27 tries (33.3%). They were able to knock down 10 of those for a rate of 55.6%. UTEP earned 16 personal fouls in this contest which got the Flames to the free throw line for a total of 18 tries. They also gave up possession 7 times, while getting 7 steals in the matchup. The Flames pulled down 18 defensive boards and 7 offensive rebounds for a total of 25 in this matchup.

JJ Harper pitched in for the Flames in this game. He knocked down 8 out of 11 in the game giving him a rate of 72.7%, and had 6 rebounds. He recorded 18 points in his 30 mins on the court and accounted for 1 assist in the matchup.

Liberty has a record of 22-3 for the year. In terms of offensive execution, the Flames are shooting 52.1% from the floor, which ranks them 2nd in the nation. Liberty has accounted for 1,973 points so far this year (78.9 per contest) and they pull down 30.0 boards per game. They are getting an assist 17.6 times per contest (26th in the country) and they lose possession via turnover 8.5 times per contest. The Flames commit 13.8 fouls per game while shooting 70.0% from the free throw line.

The Flames on the defensive side of the court are 34th in college hoops in PPG given up with 67.7. They are forcing their opponents into 11.6 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 43.7% from the floor (164th in college). The Liberty defense gives up 35.8% on shots from behind the 3-point line (198 of 553) and their opposition makes 70.4% of their free throw shots. They have conceded 11.8 dimes and 32.9 rebounds on a nightly basis, ranking them 56th and 86th in the nation.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Western Kentucky

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