This is an 8* on LIBERTY

This is the Tournament Final in the Atlantic Sun. Liberty has clearly been the best team in the conference all season. This entire tourney has taken place in Jacksonville. Liberty won its first two games by 10 (against Kennesaw State) and 13 (against Stetson). Those were the two lowest seeds in the tournament. North Alabama, the 5 seed, has pulled two upsets to get here, beating North Florida 68-68 (were +3) and Fla Gulf Coast 96-81 (were +2.5). The teams had Saturday off. There was a point late in the season that North Alabama had dropped seven in a row. Then they won the regular season finale against Lipscomb. Three straight upsets and playing with “house money” make them an interesting dog here, but the reality is they’ve got no shot Sunday. Liberty crushed them twice in the regular season, winning by identical 74-54 scores each time. The Flames have not lost since January 15th. I’m aware that Liberty has already punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament as North Alabama is ineligible (transitioning to D-II). But they will want to head into the Big Dance off a convincing victory. Play on LIBERTY

AAA