Halftime Report

Sam Houston and the Flames have shown up to the game, but their offenses sure haven't. Sam Houston is way out in front with a 50-27 lead over the Flames.

Sam Houston came into the match with some extra motivation after the defeat they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We'll see if they're able to flip the script or if it'll just be more of the same.

Who's Playing

Liberty Flames @ Sam Houston Bearkats

Current Records: Liberty 16-9, Sam Houston 14-11

How To Watch

What to Know

Liberty has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They and the Sam Houston Bearkats will face off in a Conference USA battle at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Liberty proved they can win big last Thursday (they won by 35) but on Saturday they proved they can win the close ones too. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Bulldogs and snuck past 65-62. Kudos to the oddsmakers for accurately forecasting both the winner and the close margin.

Meanwhile, winning is just a little bit easier when your three-point shooting is a whole 28.1% better than the opposition, a fact Sam Houston proved on Thursday. They walked away with a 70-56 victory over the Panthers.

Sam Houston can attribute much of their success to Lamar Wilkerson, who scored 14 points along with five rebounds and two steals. Wilkerson didn't help Sam Houston's cause all that much against the Hilltoppers on February 1st but the same can't be said for this matchup.

The Flames pushed their record up to 16-9 with that win, which was their fourth straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 78.3 points per game. As for the Bearkats, their win bumped their record up to 14-11.

This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: Liberty just can't miss this season, having made 46.8% of their shots per game. It's a different story for Sam Houston, though, as they've only made 41.3% of their shots this season. Given Liberty's sizable advantage in that area, the Bearkats will need to find a way to close that gap.

Liberty strolled past the Bearkats in their previous meeting back in January by a score of 82-66. The rematch might be a little tougher for Liberty since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.

Odds

Liberty is a 4.5-point favorite against Sam Houston, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Flames as a 4-point favorite.


The over/under is 138.5 points.

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Series History

Liberty won the only game these two teams have played in the last 0 years.

  • Jan 20, 2024 - Liberty 82 vs. Sam Houston 66