Halftime Report

Only one more half stands between Liberty and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have jumped out to a quick 40-31 lead against Middle Tennessee.

If Liberty keeps playing like this, they'll bump their record up to 15-9 in no time. On the other hand, Middle Tennessee will have to make due with an 8-15 record unless they turn things around (and fast).

Who's Playing

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders @ Liberty Flames

Current Records: Middle Tennessee 8-14, Liberty 14-9

How To Watch

What to Know

After three games on the road, Liberty is heading back home. They and the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders will face off in a Conference USA battle at 7:00 p.m. ET on Thursday at Liberty Arena. Middle Tennessee took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Liberty, who comes in off a win.

Last Saturday, the Flames had just enough and edged the Miners out 67-65.

Meanwhile, Middle Tennessee's game on Saturday was all tied up 38-38 at the half, but sadly for them it didn't stay that way. They ended up on the wrong side of a painful 88-65 walloping at the hands of the Hilltoppers. Middle Tennessee found out winning isn't easy when your shooting is a whole 16.7% worse than the opposition.

The Flames' victory ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 14-9. As for the Blue Raiders, their defeat was their 12th straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 8-14.

Thursday's contest is shaping up to be a scrappy game: Liberty haven't given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 9.6 turnovers per game. It's a different story for Middle Tennessee, though, as they've been averaging 14.7 turnovers per game. Given Liberty's sizable advantage in that area, the Blue Raiders will need to find a way to close that gap.

Going forward, Liberty is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 11 points. This contest will be their sixth straight as the favorites (so far over this stretch they are 1-4 against the spread).

Odds

Liberty is a big 11-point favorite against Middle Tennessee, according to the latest college basketball odds.

Bettors have moved against the Flames slightly, as the game opened with the Flames as a 12.5-point favorite.


The over/under is set at 131 points.

See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.