Albany Great Danes vs UMBC Retrievers Prediction, 2/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Albany Great Danes vs UMBC Retrievers

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Location: Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena in Baltimore, MD

TV: ESPN+

The UMBC Retrievers (16-8) will try to defeat the Albany Great Danes (9-17) at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena on Saturday.

The Albany Great Danes stepped onto the hardwood against Binghamton and notched a win by a score of 77-74 in their last game. In reference to fouls, the Great Danes ended up finishing with 18 and Binghamton racked up 20 fouls. They made 7 of 19 shots from distance. Binghamton finished the contest at 79.3% at the charity stripe by knocking down 23 of 29 tries. Furthermore, Binghamton pulled down 26 rebounds (5 offensive, 21 defensive), but didn't have a block. Binghamton earned 11 dimes and had 11 steals in the matchup. Concerning defending, Albany allowed the other team to go 44.9% from the field on 22 of 49 shooting. They also doled out 11 assists in this matchup as well as forcing 10 turnovers and getting 7 steals. When it comes to getting rebounds, they compiled 37 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Great Danes knocked down 23 of 30 attempts for a rate of 76.7%. Albany ended having earned a 45.1% FG percentage (23 of 51) and made 8 of their 21 three-point shots.

Amir Lindsey is one player who was a major factor for the contest. He walked away from this one shooting 50.0% from the field and earned 4 assists. He was on the court for 40 mins played and also grabbed 4 rebounds. He ended up finishing with 23 points on 5 out of 10 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Parlay Picks

Albany comes into this matchup with a record of 9-17 so far this season. They are turning it over 12.1 times per game and as a unit they are committing 17.2 personal fouls per contest. As a unit, Albany is collecting 34.3 boards per game and has totaled 366 assists on the season, which ranks 201st in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Great Danes are shooting 32.6% on shots from beyond the arc (188 of 577) and 65.8% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 72.5 pts per game (267th in Division 1) while connecting on 46.4% from the floor.

When they are on defense, the Great Danes have forced 11.2 turnovers every game and they draw 13.9 fouls. They rank 211th in college in allowing assists with 363 surrendered for the year. The Great Danes defense is allowing a FG percentage of 45.0% (669 of 1,486) and they concede 33.1 rebounds per game as a team. They are giving up 35.1% on shots from downtown and they rank 192nd in college in PPG allowed (73.9).

When they last played, the UMBC Retrievers took home the win by a final score of 85-63 when they faced New Hampshire. The Retrievers snagged 28 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds for a total of 34 in this contest. They turned it over 8 times, while getting 7 steals for this contest. New Hampshire was called for 13 fouls for the game which took the Retrievers to the free throw line for 19 attempts. They were able to make 16 of them for a percentage of 84.2%. When talking about shooting from 3-point land, UMBC converted 9 of 24 attempts (37.5%). When this game wrapped up, the Retrievers finished shooting 30 out of 58 from the field which gave them a rate of 51.7%. The Retrievers allowed New Hampshire to make 21 out of 55 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 38.2% for this contest. They finished shooting 26.7% from three-point range by going 8 of 30 and finished the game at 13 out of 20 from the free throw line (65.0%). In reference to attacking the glass, UMBC permitted New Hampshire to collect 31 overall (8 offensive).

DJ Armstrong ended up having an impact for the Retrievers in this matchup. He converted 6 out of 10 in this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 60.0%, and tallied 1 rebound. He accumulated 17 points in his 27 mins on the court and had 3 assists in the game.

UMBC has a record of 16-8 on the year. When it comes to offense, the Retrievers are connecting on 46.7% from the floor, which is ranked 99th in college. UMBC has totaled 1,804 pts so far this year (75.2 per contest) and they pull down 34.9 boards per contest. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 12.7 times per game (279th in college hoops) and they are turning it over 10.0 times per game. The Retrievers have committed 13.7 fouls per game while shooting 74.6% from the free throw line.

The UMBC defense concedes 31.6% on shots from beyond the arc (160 of 506) and opponents are converting on 67.7% of their shots from the free throw line. They surrender 11.1 dimes and 33.9 boards every game, which is 28th and 145th in the country. The Retrievers are ranked 63rd in the country in points allowed per contest with 68.9. They are forcing their opponents into 10.3 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 43.4% from the floor (142nd in college).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Albany

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get college basketball picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.