Liberty vs. Oklahoma State Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
The projected first-overall pick in this year’s NBA draft led the Cowboys to a Big 12 final berth, only to fall short to Texas last Saturday. Meanwhile the Flames enter on a 12-game heater which included their third-straight Athletic Sun Tournament title.
Tip-off in Indianapolis is slated for 6:25 p.m. EST.
Liberty vs. Oklahoma State NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
Cunningham’s Cowboys were monsters against the spread to close the season, covering in eight of their last nine, and are favoured by 7.5 points against a Liberty team that’s dropped their last seven games versus Big 12 opponents.
A trend to consider has to do with Oklahoma State’s tendency for high-scoring bouts against teams who have won over .600 of their games. When this is the case, which it will be Friday, the under has hit just four times in 26 opportunities. The Cowboys averaged over 77 points a contest this season, while Liberty managed to score just under 75 a night. The total’s set at 142.
Liberty Flames
At just 5’9, junior guard Darius McGhee is who this Flames offence runs through. McGhee averaged a career-best 15.6 points per game in 2020–21, easily leading Liberty in scoring while knocking down over 40 per cent of his 93 attempted threes. Guard Chris Parker finished with 10.3 points a night, second to McGhee as the team’s only two scorers averaging double-digits.
With a top-five scoring defence in the nation, the Flames managed to outscore their opponents by over 15 points a game but with one big caveat: they played the 327th hardest-schedule in the nation and didn’t face a ranked team. Whereas only two college basketball teams had more difficult schedules than the Cowboys, who beat nine top 25 clubs.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Cunningham’s 20.2 points a game topped the Cowboys roster, but it’s the talent around the star freshman that makes them a potential sleeper Final Four pick. Avery Anderson III picked up 11.87 points and four rebounds a night, and Kalib Boone and Isaac Likekele both averaged just under 10 points a contest too.
Oklahoma State’s also proven they can hang with anyone by knocking off all of Kansas, Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Baylor this season. The Baylor one, coming last Friday, was the most impressive as Cunningham notched 25 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. In the Big 12 final Cunningham tied a season-high 29 points, albeit in a loss.
