Liberty vs. George Mason Prediction, Odds, Key Player to Watch for NIT 1st Round

Don't let the First Four distract you from the NIT, which is also set to begin tonight with some fascinating matchups. The first of which is a showdown between the Liberty Flames and the George Mason Patriots.

Liberty was by far the best team in the Conference USA, but was upset by Missouri State in the conference tournament, keeping them out of the NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile, George Mason was a solid Atlantic-10 Team, finishing in fifth place in the regular season.

Let's take a look at the odds and my best bet for this game tonight.

Liberty vs. George Mason Odds, Spread, and Total

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Spread

Liberty +4.5 (-110)
George Mason -4.5 (-110)

Moneyline

Liberty +168
George Mason -205

Total

OVER 144.5 (-110)
UNDER 144.5 (-110)

Liberty vs. George Mason How to Watch

Date: Tuesday, March 17
Game Time: 6:00 pm ET
Venue: EagleBank Arena
How to Watch (TV): ESPN2
Liberty Record: 25-7
George Mason Record: 23-9

Liberty vs. George Mason Betting Trends

Liberty is 1-6 ATS in its last seven games
The OVER is 9-3 in Liberty's last 12 games
The UNDER is 4-1 in George Mason's last five games
George Mason is 1-10 ATS in its last 11 games vs. C-USA teams

Liberty vs. George Mason Key Player to Watch

Brett Decker Jr., G - Liberty Flames

Brett Decker Jr. is the best scorer on this Liberty Flames team, leading the team in points, averaging 16.8, while sporting a 3-point field goal percentage of 48.1%. If Liberty wants to pull off the upset tonight, they need Decker Jr. to have a strong performance.

Liberty vs. George Mason Prediction and Pick

Liberty is a dangerous shooting team, ranking in the top five in the country in effective field goal percentage, but there's enough there in other areas for me not to trust them as underdogs against a solid George Mason team.

The Patriots rank 89th in opponent 3-point field goal percentage and 85th in overall defensive efficiency, which means they're well-suited to slow down the hot shooting of the Flames.

Keep an eye on rebounding tonight. Liberty ranks 355th in rebounding percentage, grabbing just 44.8% of boards. Now they have to face an extremely good rebounding team, George Mason, which ranks 57th in that metric while grabbing 52.6% of rebounds.

Pick: George Mason -4.5 (-110)

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