A pair of teams on a roll meet in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament when the 13th-seeded Liberty Flames take on the fourth-seeded Vaqueros del estado de Oklahoma on Friday. Liberty (23-5), which won the Atlantic Sun Conference with an 11-2 mark, also won the ASUN Tournament crown with a 79-75 victory over North Alabama. Oklahoma State (20-8), which finished fifth in the Big 12 Conference at 11-7, lost to Texas 91-86 in the Big 12 Tournament championship. Liberty has won 12 in a row, while Oklahoma State has won eight of 10.
Tip-off from Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis is set for 6:25 p.m. ET. This will be the first-ever meeting between the schools. The Cowboys are seven-point favorites in the latest Liberty vs. Oklahoma State odds from William Hill Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 139.5. Before making any Oklahoma State vs. Liberty picks, check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past four-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $2,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. It has also returned almost $500 on all top-rated college basketball picks this season. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Oklahoma State vs. Liberty en el Torneo de la NCAA 2021. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Liberty vs. Oklahoma State:
- Liberty vs. Oklahoma State spread: Oklahoma State -7
- Liberty vs. Oklahoma State over-under: 139.5 points
- Liberty vs. Oklahoma State money line: Liberty +280, Oklahoma State -350
- LIB: Nine of the Flames’ 12 straight wins have been by double digits. Liberty has a plus-14.8 point differential during that stretch
- OSU: Is back in the NCAA Tournament for the 29th time, with its best seed since 2005
Why Oklahoma State can cover
The Cowboys are led by projected No. 1 Draft de la NBA pick and Big 12 Player of the Year Cade Cunningham. The freshman guard, who is second among Division 1 freshmen at 20.2 points per game, also averages 6.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Cunningham has won a school-record nine Big 12 weekly awards and is just the fourth player to earn Big 12 Player and Freshman of the Year honors in the same season. He has reached double figures in scoring in all but one game, and has registered 13 20-point performances.
Also powering Oklahoma State is sophomore guard Avery Anderson III, who is averaging 11.7 points, four rebounds, two assists and 1.3 steals per game. He is connecting on 48.2 percent of his field goals, including 34 percent from 3-point range, and 85.3 percent from the free throw line. He was named to the Big 12 All-Tournament Team, along with Cunningham, after an impressive stretch of double-digit scoring in seven of his last eight games, while averaging 16.1 points per game over that span. His best game was a 31-point performance in the regular-season finale at West Virginia on March 6.
Why Liberty can cover
The Flames have a balanced offensive attack with six players averaging 6.9 points per game or better. Junior guard Darius McGhee leads the way, averaging 15.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He has reached double digits 21 times, including a career-high 34 points at Bellarmine on Feb. 27. Since Feb. 13, McGhee is averaging 22.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game during that stretch. He has made 93 3-pointers, which is the third-most in the country this season.
Another big reason for Liberty’s success has been the play of Chris Parker, a transfer from Henderson State University. The senior guard has reached double figures 17 times, including in three of the past four games. Parker, who scored a season-high 19 points at Bellarmine on Feb. 27, is averaging 10.3 points, 3.5 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game. He is connecting on 81.8 percent of his free throws.
How to make Liberty vs. Oklahoma State picks
The model is leaning over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 148 points. It also says one side of the spread hits in well over 70 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Liberty vs. Oklahoma State? And which side of the spread hits well over 70 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its college basketball picks.
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