Charleston vs Liberty Odds, Pick
| Charleston Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4.5 -110 | 145.5 -105o / -115u | +170 |
| Liberty Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4.5 -110 | 145.5 -105o / -115u | -210 |
Below, we have Charleston vs Liberty odds and a pick for Friday.
The Field of 68 Tip-Off continues in Boca Raton, Florida as Charleston takes on Liberty.
This event is the first of its kind. Charleston and Liberty are participating, while Florida Atlantic is the host school. All three teams will play two games in three days, round-robin style. This is the second game of a back-to-back for Liberty, and the first game of a back-to-back for Charleston.
Both programs have earned praise as two of the best at the mid-major level in recent years.
Pat Kelsey's Charleston program won 31 games last season. It hasn't been such a hot start this year, though, as the Cougars only returned 39% of their minutes from last year's loaded team. Charleston will have the edge on rest and preparation here, as it's had five days to prep for the Flames.
Meanwhile, Liberty is surely focused on the Florida Atlantic contest first. But that doesn't mean Liberty won't be up for the challenge. Liberty is the better team here by every metric. The Flames have a stellar offense, but they're no slouch defensively either.
Fatigue may be a factor, but they should be mentally ready regardless.
Charleston Cougars
Charleston hasn't been able to keep up the momentum it built last season. The Cougars have losses to Duquesne, Vermont and Wyoming all in the first month of this season.
They did turn things around to pick up an important road win at Kent State, which is a quality opponent. In that game, Charleston made 13 3s, shooting 41% from distance.
It remains to be seen if that was an anomaly or a positive sign of things to come. On the season, Charleston is shooting just 27% from 3. It made just 17 3s combined during its three-game losing streak.
The Cougars will need to get hot from deep to have a chance against Liberty, but that's easier said than done against a Flames defense that holds opponents to 28% shooting from deep.
Liberty Flames
On the other side, Liberty is fueled by an explosive offense. Entering this event, the Flames had the top-ranked effective FG% in the nation (62.1%). They make 40% of their 3-point attempts and 63% of their shots from inside the arc.
There isn't much opposing defenses can take away.
Where the Flames are exploitable is on the defensive end. They don't block many shots and they rarely force turnovers. They rely on forcing teams to make shots, and they've been good at that from outside.
But if Charleston can find its shooting stroke again — like it did against Kent State — it has a chance here.
Charleston vs. Liberty
Betting Pick & Prediction
While Liberty is definitively the better team, this is a tough spot for the Flames, who are playing their second game in two days against a program with a great coach who had an entire week to prep.
As long as Charleston can make a few early 3s, the Cougars are the correct side in this one.
Pick: Charleston +8
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