The top-seeded Liberty Flames look to secure their third straight Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament championship when they face the fifth-seeded North Alabama Lions on Sunday. The Flames (22-5) won the regular-season conference title with an 11-2 record and have won 11 games in a row, tied for the third-longest winning streak in the country. The Lions (13-10) were fifth in the league at 7-8, but have won three in a row. North Alabama is ineligible for the NCAA Tournament because it is in its four-year Division I transition.
Tip-off from UNF Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., is set for 2 p.m. ET. Liberty leads the all-time series 6-0, including 2-0 this season. The Flames are 13.5-point favorites in the latest North Alabama vs. Liberty odds from William Hill Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 132.5. Before making any North Alabama vs. Liberty picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven 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 $2,600 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. It has also returned over $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 Liberty vs. North Alabama in the Atlantic Sun Championship Game 2021. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for North Alabama vs. Liberty:
- North Alabama vs. Liberty spread: Liberty -13.5
- North Alabama vs. Liberty over-under: 132.5 points
- North Alabama vs. Liberty money line: North Alabama +700, Liberty -1100
- NA: Was 19-of-24 from the free throw line in the ASUN semifinal win over Florida Gulf Coast
- LU: Looking to become the second team ever to win three straight ASUN Tournament titles.
Why Liberty can cover
The Flames dominated the first two meetings in part because of the play of junior guard Darius McGhee. McGhee scored 29 and 24, and finished the regular season with 10 games with 20 or more points, including a 34-point effort in a win at Bellarmine on Feb. 27. He has reached double figures in 20 games. In Friday's semifinal win over Stetson, McGhee scored 13 points and dished out nine assists. For the season, he is averaging 15.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, while connecting on 83.7 percent of his free throws. He is hitting 45.6 percent of his field goals, including 41 percent from 3-point range.
Senior guard Chris Parker is also a solid scoring option for the Flames, averaging 10.4 points per game. He also averages 3.4 assists and 2.1 rebounds. He is a solid free throw shooter, connecting on 81.3 percent from the charity stripe. He has reached double figures in three consecutive games, including a season-high 19-point performance against Bellarmine on Feb. 27.
Why North Alabama can cover
Like Liberty, the Lions can also put up solid offensive numbers as six players average seven points or better per game. Sophomore forward Mervin James leads the way, averaging 14 points on 46.2 percent shooting from the floor. He is second on the team, averaging 7.2 rebounds, while adding one assist and 0.7 steals per game. In the two games against Liberty, James averaged 10 points and 7.5 rebounds.
Also averaging double figures for the Lions is junior guard Jamari Blackmon, who scored 16 points on Friday. He is averaging 10 points per game, including 8.5 points against Liberty this season. He also averages 2.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.9 steals. He has reached double figures 12 times this year, including a pair of 20-plus games. He had a season-high 21 points in a win at Kennesaw State on Jan. 16.
How to make North Alabama vs. Liberty picks
The model is leaning over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 142 points. It also says one side of the spread hits well over 50 percent of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Liberty vs. North Alabama? And which side of the spread hits well over 50 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.
