BYU Cougars vs Arizona Wildcats Prediction, 2/18/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: BYU Cougars vs Arizona Wildcats

Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Location: McKale Memorial Center in Tucson, AZ

TV: ESPN

The BYU Cougars (19-6) are headed to McKale Memorial Center on Wednesday where they will play the Arizona Wildcats (23-2).

The BYU Cougars stepped onto the hardwood against Colorado and went home with a win by a final score of 90-86 in their last game. BYU wrapped up the contest having earned a 46.8% FG percentage (29 out of 62) and made 11 of 22 shots from beyond the arc. At the free throw line, the Cougars knocked down 21 of 27 shots for a rate of 77.8%. When talking about pulling down rebounds, they collected 39 with 6 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 16 assists in this matchup in addition to forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and having 5 steals. With respect to the defense, BYU allowed the other team to go 44.0% from the field on 33 of 75 shooting. Colorado distributed 18 assists and had 6 steals for this contest. On top of that, Colorado snagged 34 rebounds (8 offensive, 26 defensive), but didn't have a block. Colorado shot 61.1% from the charity stripe by knocking down 11 of their 18 shots. They converted 9 of their 32 attempts from long range. In regard to personal fouls, the Cougars ended up finishing with 15 while Colorado accounted for 20 personal fouls.

Robert Wright III is one player who was important for this contest. He ended up going 75.0% from the field and earned 4 assists. He was on the hardwood for 40 minutes played and totaled 5 rebounds. He accumulated 39 points on 12 out of 16 shooting.

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BYU heads into this matchup with a mark of 19-6 for the year. They currently have an average of 86.5 points per game (17th in college) while shooting 48.5% from the field. The Cougars are shooting 35.8% on three-point attempts (226 of 631) and 74.2% from the charity stripe. As a unit, BYU is pulling in 39.5 boards per contest and has tallied 368 assists on the year, which ranks 168th in college in terms of passing. They turn it over 10.7 times per contest and as a team they commit 15.8 fouls per contest.

When they are on defense, the Cougars are forcing their opponents into 11.5 turnovers per game while drawing 19.0 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 231st in college hoops in allowing assists with 361 conceded this season. The Cougars are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 43.4% (674 of 1,554) and they relinquish 34.0 boards per game as a squad. They concede 33.0% on shots from distance while they are 205th in college in PPG from their opponents (74.5).

When they last played, the Arizona Wildcats took a defeat with a final score of 78-75 against Texas Tech. The Wildcats pulled down 27 defensive boards and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 37 for this game. They gave up possession 7 times, while getting 5 steals in this game. Texas Tech was called for 23 fouls for the game which got the Wildcats to the charity stripe for a total of 31 tries. They were able to make 23 of the free throws for a percentage of 74.2%. In terms of 3-point attempts, Arizona made 4 of their 16 attempts (25.0%). When all was said and done, the Wildcats finished 24 for 61 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 39.3%. The Wildcats allowed Texas Tech to make 27 out of 66 tries from the field which left them shooting 40.9% in the matchup. They finished 33.3% from distance by hitting 11 of 33 and ended up shooting 13 out of 19 from the charity stripe (68.4%). In relation to how they attacked the glass, Arizona allowed Texas Tech to pull down 38 in all (11 on the offensive side).

Brayden Burries was important for the Wildcats in the matchup. He made 4 of 12 for the game giving him a rate of 33.3%, and accounted for 5 rebounds. He earned 16 points in his 38 mins on the court and accumulated 2 assists in this contest.

Arizona has a mark of 23-2 on the campaign. The Wildcats are committing 16.3 fouls per contest and they hit 73.1% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 17.8 times per contest (22nd in college) and they are losing possession via turnover 11.4 times per contest. Arizona has scored 2,206 points this year (88.2 per contest) and they average 43.8 rebounds per contest. When it comes to executing on offense, the Wildcats are connecting on 50.8% from the floor, which ranks them 11th in college.

The Wildcats on the defensive end are ranked 57th in college hoops in points given up per game with 68.6. They are able to force 12.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 38.9% from the floor (8th in college). The Arizona defense gives up 31.6% from downtown (183 of 580) and their opposition makes 69.0% of their free throw shots. They give up 12.2 assists and 31.3 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is 90th and 33rd in the nation.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take BYU

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