American Eagles vs Lafayette Leopards Prediction, 2/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: American Eagles vs Lafayette Leopards

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Location: Kirby Sports Center in Easton, PA

TV: ESPN+

The American Eagles (15-13) are traveling to Kirby Sports Center on Saturday where they will play the Lafayette Leopards (9-19).

The American Eagles took the court against Bucknell and took home the win by a score of 75-57 in their last contest. American finished the contest with a 40.4% FG percentage (21 out of 52) and buried 8 of their 24 3-pointers. At the free throw line, the Eagles converted 25 of 31 attempts for a percentage of 80.6%. Regarding hauling in boards, they compiled 26 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 10 assists for this contest while forcing the opposition into 15 turnovers and having 7 steals. Pertaining to defense, American allowed their opponent to shoot 44.0% from the floor on 22 out of 50 shooting. Bucknell distributed 14 dimes and had 3 steals for the game. Furthermore, Bucknell collected 30 boards (7 offensive, 23 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Bucknell shot 71.4% when shooting free throws by burying 10 of 14 attempts. They also knocked down 3 of their 17 attempts from downtown. In regard to personal fouls, the Eagles finished with 18 and Bucknell recorded 24 personal fouls.

Madden Collins is one player who was a major factor for this game. He accounted for 16 points on 7 out of 14 shooting. He played for 26 minutes and also totaled 4 rebounds. He went 50.0% from the floor and distributed 2 dimes.

Get all of our NCAA Picks Today

American will enter this contest with a mark of 15-13 on the season. They lose possession by turning the ball over 11.1 times per game and as a group are committing 19.0 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, American is pulling down 32.0 boards per game and has accumulated 382 dimes so far this season, which has them ranked 159th in D-1 in terms of passing. The Eagles are hitting 33.4% on three-point attempts (252 of 754) and 75.7% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 75.0 points per contest (214th in D-1) while connecting on 45.0% from the field.

Defensively, the Eagles are forcing 13.5 turnovers per game while drawing 17.3 fouls. They are 187th in the country in giving up assists to their opponents with 358 relinquished on the campaign. The Eagles are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 45.5% (680 of 1,493) and they surrender 34.2 rebounds per contest as a team. They give up 33.6% on 3-point attempts while they are 116th in college in PPG allowed (71.5).

When they last stepped on the court, the Lafayette Leopards got the win with a final of 86-83 against Holy Cross. When discussing how they attacked the glass, Lafayette allowed Holy Cross to snag 20 overall (2 on the offensive glass). They shot 40.0% from beyond the arc by connecting on 6 of 15 and ended up going 17 out of 22 at the free throw line (77.3%). The Leopards permitted Holy Cross to make 30 out of 53 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 56.6% in this matchup. Overall, the Leopards walked away from this one shooting 32 for 57 from the floor which gave them a rate of 56.1%. With respect to shots from beyond the arc, Lafayette made 8 of their 17 tries (47.1%). They were able to convert 14 of those for a rate of 70.0%. Holy Cross committed 20 fouls for the contest which got the Leopards to the charity stripe for 20 attempts. They also coughed up the ball 13 times, while recording 5 steals in this game. The Leopards earned 19 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds totaling 25 for the game.

Ryan Pettit ended up being important for the Leopards for the game. He had 19 points in his 25 mins of playing time and totaled 1 assist for the contest. He buried 8 out of 14 in the game giving him a rate of 57.1%, and earned 7 rebounds.

Lafayette has a record of 9-19 on the year. In terms of offensive execution, the Leopards are shooting 42.2% from the field, which ranks them 320th in the country. Lafayette has earned 1,931 pts on the season (69.0 per game) and they collect 33.5 rebounds per contest. They are assisting teammates 13.3 times per game (238th in D-1) and they turn it over 10.8 times per game. The Leopards are responsible for committing 16.8 fouls per contest while shooting 68.2% from the free throw line.

The Leopards on defense are ranked 195th in D-1 in PPG allowed with 74.2. They are forcing 11.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 46.0% from the floor (290th in college hoops). The Lafayette defense allows 35.1% on shots from beyond the perimeter (218 of 621) and opponents are making 72.4% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have allowed 15.5 assists and 36.3 rebounds per game, which is 314th and 293rd in the nation.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Lafayette

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.