The 6-seed Villanova Wildcats (17-16) face the 3-seed Liberty Flames (26-8) Tuesday in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament. Tip from Liberty Arena in Lynchburg, Va., is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET (ESPN2). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Villanova vs. Liberty odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
It was an up-and-down season for Villanova in the 1st season under the leadership of coach Kyle Neptune. However, the new coach had this team playing hard down the stretch, and Villanova really jelled as a group.
The Wildcats head on the road for this NIT game, but could easily be favored. It won its final 2 road games outright, and Villanova is a solid 7-4 ATS in the last 11 games overall.
Liberty was stunned by Kennesaw State Owls in the final seconds of the Atlantic Sun Championship. The Flames and Owls saw 9 lead changes, and 10 times the teams were tied in the title game. With just 0.7 seconds left, a shooting foul was called on Liberty’s Isiah Warfield, and the Owls took advantage with a successful free throw to snuff out the Flames.