Halftime Report
Only one more half stands between Liberty and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead Western Kentucky 35-21.
Liberty entered the matchup having won nine straight and they're just one half away from another. Will they make it ten, or will Western Kentucky step up and spoil it? We'll know soon.
Who's Playing
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers @ Liberty Flames
Current Records: Western Kentucky 9-4, Liberty 12-1
How To WatchWhen: Thursday, January 2, 2025 at 7 p.m. ETWhere: Liberty Arena -- Lynchburg, VirginiaTV: CBS Sports NetworkFollow: CBS Sports AppWatch on Connected TV: CBS Sports App on Roku and Fire TVLive Stream: CBSSports.com or fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)Ticket Cost: $17.00What to Know
Western Kentucky is preparing for their first Conference USA matchup of the season on Thursday. They and the Liberty Flames will face off at 7:00 p.m. ET at Liberty Arena. The Hilltoppers are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 80.6 points per game this season.
Western Kentucky is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Michigan just ended the team's six-game winning streak on Sunday. There's no need to mince words: Western Kentucky lost to the Wolverines, and Western Kentucky lost bad. The score wound up at 112-64. The contest marked the Hilltoppers' lowest-scoring match so far this season.
Western Kentucky's loss came about despite a quality game from Don McHenry, who posted 18 points in addition to two steals.
Western Kentucky struggled to work together and finished the game with only five assists. That's the fewest assists they've posted since back in November of 2023.
Meanwhile, Liberty had already won eight in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 28 points) and they went ahead and made it nine two weeks ago. Everything went their way against the Mavericks as they made off with a 79-56 win. The Flames have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight games by 20 points or more this season.
Liberty got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Kaden Metheny out in front who went 7 for 13 from beyond the arc en route to 25 points plus five assists. The dominant performance gave Metheny a new career-high in threes. Another player making a difference was Taelon Peter, who went 7 for 11 en route to 18 points.
Western Kentucky's defeat dropped their record down to 9-4. As for Liberty, they pushed their record up to 12-1 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season.
Keep an eye on the arc in Thursday's matchup: Western Kentucky has made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having averaged 8.9 threes per game. However, it's not like Liberty struggles in that department as they've been averaging 11.2. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Western Kentucky is hoping to beat the odds on Thursday, as the experts think they're headed for a loss.
Odds
Liberty is a big 8.5-point favorite against Western Kentucky, 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 9.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 146 points.
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Series History
Liberty and Western Kentucky both have 1 win in their last 2 games.
Mar 09, 2024 - Liberty 82 vs. Western Kentucky 79Jan 06, 2024 - Western Kentucky 70 vs. Liberty 68