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Oregon Ducks vs. Liberty Flames Preview: TV Channel, Betting Odds, NCAA Tournament

Preview, TV channel, and betting odds for the men's basketball matchup between the Oregon Ducks and the Liberty Flames on Friday, March 21 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Are the Ducks a March Madness Cinderella team?

Arden Cravalho

Oregon guard TJ Bamba celebrates as the game winds down as the Oregon Ducks host the Indiana Hoosiers Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore.
Oregon guard TJ Bamba celebrates as the game winds down as the Oregon Ducks host the Indiana Hoosiers Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The No. 5 Oregon Ducks (24-9) don't have to go far (Seattle) in their opening round matchup of the Men's NCAA Tournament to play the Conference USA champion No. 12 Liberty Flames (28-6). Tip-off is set for Friday, March 21 at 7:10 p.m. PT at the Climate Pledge Arena. The game will be broadcast on TruTV.

Preview

Liberty is undefeated this season at 25-0 when they keep their opponent under 70 points, and they are one of the hottest teams entering the NCAA Tournament field (won 11 of their last 12 matchups). Majority of that success is due to junior forward Zach Cleveland in thanks to his versatility on both sides of the floor.

Liberty forward Zach Cleveland (25) scores during the second half of their game against Wisconsin
Liberty forward Zach Cleveland (25) scores during the second half of their game against Wisconsin during the second round of the National Invitation Tournament on Sunday March 19, 2023 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. / Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Besides the 10.9 points per game contribution, he leads the team in both rebounds at 6.3 per game as well as assists at 5.1 per game. Even further, he can protect the rim with his 1.0 blocks per game. The complete game changer when it comes to Flames coach Ritchie McKay's strategy.

McKay has been apart of the university's transition from the Atlantic Sun Conference to Conference USA back in 2023. In both leagues, he has found major success with this being his third NCAA Tournament invitation since 2018-19. Although, preparing for Oregon is no easy task compared to the level of competition in Conference USA.

"I've watched them a few times this year. Nate Bittle is one of my favorite players, very versatile. TJ Bamba is one of the best forwards in the country. Then they have a miniature Payton Pritchard in Jackson Shelstad. We'll have our work cut out for us, but it's the NCAA Tournament and you can't expect anything less."

- Ritchie McKay on Oregon

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Another key threat from McKay's roster is senior guard Taelon Peter who leads the team at 13.9 points per game on a high shooting clip of 58.6 field goal percentage and 46.0 three-point percentage. His background is different from most Division-I college basketball players, starting out with Tennessee Tech in 2020-21 before having to drop down to Division-II at Arkansas Tech.

Liberty doesn't play at a fast pace and is smaller than most programs but they have one of the better tempos for their offense at the mid-major level. They take care of the ball and rank No. 24 in the country with 16.9 assists per game.

Negatives for this group come at the free throw line (66.1 percent) and with the lack of ability when crashing the offensive boards. 6.4 per game ranks No. 353 out of the 355 Division-I college basketball programs.

Liberty guard Taelon Peter (2) shoots the ball as Middle Tennessee guard Jlynn Counter (2) jumps to try and block the shot
Liberty guard Taelon Peter (2) shoots the ball as Middle Tennessee guard Jlynn Counter (2) jumps to try and block the shot during the Mens’ Basketball game at MTSU, on Thursday, March 6, 2025. / HELEN COMER/The Daily News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Defensively, the Flames are one of the best in the nation. Liberty's 62.9 points allowed per game ranks No. 11 while permitting just 40.1 field goal percentage which puts them at No. 19 in college basketball. This group is very well balanced on both sides of the ball.

"Coach Altman is a Hall of Famer. He's tremendous. I've followed his program and career. They will make it hard for you. They'll try to take away what you do best. Mixing defenses. They have an offensive system that they will try and exploit what they think is your weakest point."

- Ritchie McKay on Dana Altman

According to FanDuel, Oregon is a -6.5 favorite over Liberty. The over/under is set at 139.5. The money line for the Ducks is -295, the Flames at +235. Since 2018 in the Round of 64 results, the No. 5 seed has a winning record against the No. 12 seed, 16-8. With that being said, coach Dana Altman has never lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as the Oregon coach (8-0).

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Published
Arden Cravalho
ARDEN CRAVALHO

Arden Cravalho has been covering Oregon football and basketball for Sports Illustrated's Oregon site since June 2024. Arden has been writing extensively about college athletics beginning in 2018. His other work can be seen on "The Slipper Still Fits" at SB Nation. Arden is a graduate of Gonzaga University and brings a deep understanding of college sports to his writing. Residing in San Francisco, CA, Arden continues to follow his passion for college sports with a focus on the Ducks. His experience and dedication to covering Oregon's athletic programs are evident in his insightful articles and analysis

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