Dayton Flyers vs George Mason Patriots Prediction, 2/18/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Dayton Flyers vs George Mason Patriots

Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Location: EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, VA

TV: ESPN+

The George Mason Patriots (21-5) are welcoming the Dayton Flyers (16-9) at EagleBank Arena on Wednesday.

The Dayton Flyers took the court against Davidson and went home with a win by a final score of 70-59 in their last game. Dayton ended the game with a 45.8% FG percentage (22 of 48) and knocked down 5 of 15 shots from distance. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Flyers made 21 of their 24 tries for a rate of 87.5%. Regarding grabbing rebounds, they earned 37 with 12 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 16 assists in this contest as well as creating 10 turnovers and earning 7 steals. Regarding the defense, Dayton allowed 44.0% from the floor on 22 of 50 shooting. Davidson earned 12 dimes and had 9 steals in the matchup. On top of that, Davidson grabbed 18 boards (5 offensive, 13 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Davidson finished the game shooting 63.6% when shooting free throws by making 7 of 11 tries. They also knocked down 8 of their 21 attempts from 3-point range. In the matter of personal fouls, the Flyers ended up walking away with 11 and Davidson racked up 21 personal fouls.

De'Shayne Montgomery is a guy who was a contributor for this game. He finished with 13 points on 5 of 10 shooting. He played 29 mins and also grabbed 4 rebounds. He finished 50.0% from the field but wasn't able to get an assist.

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Dayton comes into this matchup with a win-loss record of 16-9 for the year. They are turning it over 12.3 times per game and as a team are committing 16.6 fouls every game. As a unit, Dayton is pulling in 33.0 rebounds per game and has 352 assists on the season, which ranks 222nd in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Flyers are shooting 32.8% on 3-point shots (183 of 558) and 75.7% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 75.8 points per outing (182nd in D-1) while going 44.7% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Flyers are able to force 15.6 turnovers every game while drawing 20.8 personal fouls. They are ranked 96th in college in allowing assists to the opposition with 320 conceded for the year. The Flyers defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 44.0% (616 of 1,401) and they relinquish 34.6 boards per contest as a unit. They relinquish 36.0% on shots from downtown and they are 114th in college hoops in opponents points per game (71.4).

The last time they took the court, the George Mason Patriots took a defeat with a final score of 72-53 when they played George Washington. In reference to rebounding, George Mason permitted George Washington to collect 31 in total (8 on the offensive glass). They shot 34.8% from three-point range by going 8 of 23 and finished the game at 12 out of 14 at the charity stripe (85.7%). The Patriots permitted George Washington to convert 26 out of 52 attempts from the field which had them at 50.0% in this game. Overall, the Patriots walked away from this one shooting 20 for 51 from the floor which gave them a rate of 39.2%. Concerning 3-point attempts, George Mason made 9 of their 26 tries (34.6%). They were able to make 4 of the free throw tries for a rate of 66.7%. George Washington had 9 fouls in this matchup which took the Patriots to the charity stripe for a total of 6 shots. They gave up possession 11 times, while recording 2 steals in the matchup. The Patriots were able to corral 17 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds for a total of 23 for this contest.

Masai Troutman ended up being a major contributor for the Patriots for the matchup. He made 5 out of 8 in the matchup for a field goal percentage of 62.5%, and tallied 5 rebounds. He totaled 15 points in his 31 minutes of playing time and accounted for 2 dimes for this game.

George Mason has a mark of 21-5 for the year. As an offensive unit, the Patriots are hitting on 47.8% from the field, which has them ranked 46th in Division 1. George Mason has tallied 1,938 points this season (74.5 per game) and they average 35.1 rebounds per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 13.0 times per contest (256th in the nation) and they are turning it over 10.8 times per contest. The Patriots commit 15.5 fouls every game while shooting 72.5% from the charity stripe.

The Patriots defensively are ranked 32nd in college hoops in PPG given up with 67.3. They are able to force 11.0 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 42.0% from the field (73rd in the nation). The George Mason defense surrenders 32.2% on shots from beyond the perimeter (208 of 646) and their opposition makes 71.7% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have given up 12.6 assists and 30.8 boards per game, which has them ranked 115th and 23rd in those defensive categories.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Dayton

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