Charleston Cougars vs Hampton Pirates Prediction, 2/26/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Charleston Cougars vs Hampton Pirates

Date: Thursday, February 26, 2026

Location: Convocation Center in Hampton, VA

TV: ESPN+

The Hampton Pirates (12-16) will try to defeat the Charleston Cougars (19-10) at Convocation Center on Thursday.

The Charleston Cougars played Monmouth and went home with a win by a final score of 74-63 in their last game. In reference to personal fouls, the Cougars ended up with 13 while Monmouth accounted for 19 personal fouls. They converted 8 of 23 attempts from beyond the perimeter. Monmouth finished the game shooting 77.8% when shooting free throws by knocking down 7 of their 9 shots. On top of that, Monmouth grabbed 32 rebounds (6 offensive, 26 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Monmouth totaled 15 assists and had 4 steals in this matchup. With respect to the defense, Charleston allowed 42.9% from the field on 24 of 56 shooting. They also dished out 21 assists in this game in addition to forcing 13 turnovers and earning 10 steals. In relation to grabbing rebounds, they collected 34 with 9 of them being offensive. From the charity stripe, the Cougars buried 15 of 22 shots for a rate of 68.2%. Charleston finished the game having earned a 45.8% FG percentage (27 out of 59) and knocked down 5 out of their 17 3-point attempts.

Christian Reeves is a guy who was a contributor in this game. He finished the contest at 80.0% from the field and also totaled 2 assists. He played 29 mins and also grabbed 10 rebounds. He finished with 19 points on 8 out of 10 shooting.

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Charleston heads into this one with a record of 19-10 so far this year. They are averaging 75.6 pts per contest (190th in D-1) while going 44.5% from the field. The Cougars are connecting on 29.6% on shots from beyond the arc (190 of 642) and 73.8% from the free throw line. As a unit, Charleston is pulling in 37.8 boards per game and is sitting with 385 assists for the campaign, which has them ranked 201st in the country in terms of passing. They turn the ball over 11.0 times per contest and as a squad they commit 16.8 personal fouls per game.

When they are on defense, the Cougars are forcing their opponents into 10.3 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 19.5 fouls. They surrender 31.5% on 3-pointers and they are 156th in D-1 in points per game allowed (73.1). The Cougars defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 41.6% (768 of 1,848) and they relinquish 37.1 boards per contest as a team. They currently rank 269th in Division 1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 404 conceded for the year.

For their last game, the Hampton Pirates walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 79-72 when they played Stony Brook. In reference to rebounding, Hampton allowed Stony Brook to collect 26 in all (3 offensive). They went 39.1% from distance by shooting 9 out of 23 and walked away from this one shooting 20 out of 27 from the free throw line (74.1%). The Pirates permitted Stony Brook to make 25 of their 46 tries from the field which had them shooting 54.3% in this contest. When the final whistle blew, the Pirates went 25 for 59 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 42.4%. Concerning shots from 3-point land, Hampton converted 8 of their 21 attempts (38.1%). They were able to knock down 14 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 73.7%. Stony Brook committed 16 personal fouls in this matchup which got the Pirates to the charity stripe for a total of 19 attempts. They coughed it up 13 times, while getting 12 steals for the contest. The Pirates snagged 18 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 26 for this game.

Michael Eley ended up being important for the Pirates in this contest. He earned 17 points in his 19 minutes on the court, but wasn't able to get an assist. He buried 6 out of 14 for this game for a field goal percentage of 42.9%, and had 5 rebounds.

Hampton has a record of 12-16 this season. When it comes to offensive execution, the Pirates are connecting on 41.4% from the field, which ranks 338th in college hoops. Hampton has tallied 1,937 pts on the season (69.2 per game) and they grab 36.7 boards per contest. They are assisting teammates 12.1 times per game (307th in the country) and they are losing possession via turnover 11.7 times per game. The Pirates are committing 18.9 fouls per game and they shoot 71.1% from the free throw line.

The Hampton defense surrenders 31.4% on shots from behind the 3-point line (164 of 522) and their opponents are making 66.9% of their free throw attempts. They have surrendered 12.1 assists and 34.0 total boards per game, which is ranked 77th and 158th in those defensive categories. The Pirates on the defensive side of the court are 69th in the country in PPG surrendered with 69.5. They are forcing 11.9 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.7% from the field (222nd in college hoops).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Charleston

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