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USA Today
16-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Oregon Basketball vs Liberty prediction: Our pick for 2025 NCAA Tournament first round
Oregon Basketball vs Liberty prediction: Our pick for 2025 NCAA Tournament first round The Oregon Ducks matchup in the first round of March Madness is set, with the Ducks earning a five-seed and a game against the 12-seed Liberty Flames. Oregon has won eight of their last nine games and Liberty has won 11 of 12, beating Jacksonville State on Saturday in the CUSA Championship to punch their tournament ticket. Liberty is a strong team on both defense and offense. At 39% flat, the Flames have the sixth-best three-point percentage in the country, and they are undefeated when they hold their opponents to 70 points or fewer — something they've done 25 times this season. Oregon and Liberty's football teams faced off a year ago in the 2024 Fiesta Bowl, when the Flames were the best team in the Group of Five. The Ducks won that Fiesta Bowl, defeating the Flames 45-6. No. 5 vs. No. 12 seed matchups are always exciting, and they offer so much upset potential (12-seeds are 55-101 (.353) against 5-seeds since the tournament expanded in 1985). The Ducks were on the flip side of the 5-12 line last year, when they defeated No. 5 South Carolina as the Pac-12 Champion and automatic qualifier. Matchup Overview Liberty plays elite defense and offense, and their stellar three-point shooting can break games open in a hurry. The Flames are led by their senior guards Taieon Peter and Kaden Metheny, who each average over 13 points per game and make major contributions to the Flames' 39.0 three-point percentage. For the Ducks to win, they'll need to limit Liberty's opportunities for easy threes. Where the Ducks may have an advantage is size and strength in the post. Liberty's tallest player who plays more than 20 minutes per game, Owen Aquino, is 6 foot 8 inches and 230 pounds. In contrast, Oregon's starting center, Nate Bittle, is 7 feet tall and 215 pounds. Bittle likes to play with his back to the basket where his size may offer him a big advantage for hook shots and layups. Names to Know Oregon Jackson Shelstad: 13.2 Pts, 2.9 Reb, 2.7 Ast Nate Bittle: 14.1 Pts, 7.4 Reb, 1.9 Ast TJ Bamba: 10.4 Pts, 3.5 Reb, 2.9 Ast Liberty Taeion Peter: 13.9 Pts, 4.1 Reb, 1.1 Ast Kaden Metheny: 13.5 Pts, 2.9 Reb, 2.0 Ast Zach Cleveland: 11.0 Pts, 6.3 Reb, 5.1 Ast Keys to the Game Oregon Tough perimeter defense Get Nate Bittle post touches as often as possible Protect the ball. Finish with fewer than 14 turnovers Liberty Find a rhythm from three-point range early on Handcuff Jackson Shelstad on defense Create driving lanes for G Kaieon Peter, who shoots 76.1% from two-point range Odds and Prediction Moneyline: Oregon: -220 | Liberty: +185 Spread: Oregon: -4.5 points Over/Under: 139.5 points Our Pick: Liberty shoots the ball like crazy and its defense is fantastic, but the Flames haven't played too many teams like the Oregon Ducks this season. Tenacious defense — particularly when closing out jump shots — will be paramount, and on offense, look for Nate Bittle to have a big day. I'll take the Ducks to win and cover.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Liberty takes on Jacksonville State in CUSA Championship game
Jacksonville State Gamecocks (22-11, 14-6 CUSA) vs. Liberty Flames (27-6, 15-5 CUSA) Huntsville, Alabama; Saturday, 8:30 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Flames -6.5; over/under is 130.5 BOTTOM LINE: Liberty takes on Jacksonville State in the CUSA Championship. The Flames are 15-5 against CUSA opponents and 12-1 in non-conference play. Liberty leads the CUSA with 76.5 points and is shooting 49.1%. The Gamecocks' record in CUSA play is 14-6. Jacksonville State is 7-3 in games decided by at least 10 points. Liberty makes 49.1% of its shots from the field this season, which is 8.2 percentage points higher than Jacksonville State has allowed to its opponents (40.9%). Jacksonville State has shot at a 44.7% rate from the field this season, 4.7 percentage points higher than the 40.0% shooting opponents of Liberty have averaged. The teams meet for the third time this season. Liberty won 59-55 in the last matchup on Feb. 28. Kaden Metheny led Liberty with 13 points, and Jao Ituka led Jacksonville State with 14 points. TOP PERFORMERS: Metheny is shooting 38.5% from beyond the arc with 2.9 made 3-pointers per game for the Flames, while averaging 13.2 points. Taelon Peter is averaging 15.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals over the past 10 games. Jaron Pierre Jr. is averaging 21.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Gamecocks. Quel'Ron House is averaging 9.4 points over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Flames: 9-1, averaging 73.9 points, 29.1 rebounds, 16.4 assists, 5.4 steals and 3.4 blocks per game while shooting 48.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 65.0 points per game. Gamecocks: 6-4, averaging 68.5 points, 32.4 rebounds, 9.5 assists, 5.9 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 40.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 67.9 points. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Associated Press
15-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Liberty takes on Jacksonville State in CUSA Championship game
Huntsville, Alabama; Saturday, 8:30 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Flames -6.5; over/under is 130.5 BOTTOM LINE: Liberty takes on Jacksonville State in the CUSA Championship. The Flames are 15-5 against CUSA opponents and 12-1 in non-conference play. Liberty leads the CUSA with 76.5 points and is shooting 49.1%. The Gamecocks' record in CUSA play is 14-6. Jacksonville State is 7-3 in games decided by at least 10 points. Liberty makes 49.1% of its shots from the field this season, which is 8.2 percentage points higher than Jacksonville State has allowed to its opponents (40.9%). Jacksonville State has shot at a 44.7% rate from the field this season, 4.7 percentage points higher than the 40.0% shooting opponents of Liberty have averaged. The teams meet for the third time this season. Liberty won 59-55 in the last matchup on Feb. 28. Kaden Metheny led Liberty with 13 points, and Jao Ituka led Jacksonville State with 14 points. TOP PERFORMERS: Metheny is shooting 38.5% from beyond the arc with 2.9 made 3-pointers per game for the Flames, while averaging 13.2 points. Taelon Peter is averaging 15.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals over the past 10 games. Jaron Pierre Jr. is averaging 21.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Gamecocks. Quel'Ron House is averaging 9.4 points over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Flames: 9-1, averaging 73.9 points, 29.1 rebounds, 16.4 assists, 5.4 steals and 3.4 blocks per game while shooting 48.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 65.0 points per game. Gamecocks: 6-4, averaging 68.5 points, 32.4 rebounds, 9.5 assists, 5.9 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 40.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 67.9 points. ___
Associated Press
15-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Liberty and Middle Tennessee play for CUSA Championship
Huntsville, Alabama; Saturday, 5:30 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: Liberty plays Middle Tennessee in the CUSA Championship. The Flames are 18-2 against CUSA opponents and 6-4 in non-conference play. Liberty scores 72.3 points and has outscored opponents by 12.0 points per game. The Raiders' record in CUSA action is 18-2. Middle Tennessee is 23-2 when it has fewer turnovers than its opponents and averages 12.7 turnovers per game. Liberty averages 8.1 made 3-pointers per game, 2.2 more made shots than the 5.9 per game Middle Tennessee gives up. Middle Tennessee has shot at a 41.6% clip from the field this season, 4.4 percentage points greater than the 37.2% shooting opponents of Liberty have averaged. The teams meet for the third time this season. Liberty won 61-42 in the last matchup on March 7. Bella Smuda led Liberty with 21 points, and Anastasiia Boldyreva led Middle Tennessee with 16 points. TOP PERFORMERS: Smuda is scoring 12.1 points per game and averaging 6.6 rebounds for the Flames. Asia Boone is averaging 11.8 points and 2.9 rebounds over the last 10 games. Jalynn Gregory averages 2.7 made 3-pointers per game for the Raiders, scoring 13.5 points while shooting 36.3% from beyond the arc. Ta'Mia Scott is averaging 18.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Flames: 9-1, averaging 69.8 points, 32.5 rebounds, 14.4 assists, 6.8 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 46.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 57.6 points per game. Raiders: 9-1, averaging 62.6 points, 30.9 rebounds, 12.6 assists, 7.8 steals and 6.8 blocks per game while shooting 43.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 47.1 points. ___
