Delaware Blue Hens vs Jacksonville State Gamecocks Prediction, 2/26/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Delaware Blue Hens vs Jacksonville State Gamecocks

Date: Thursday, February 26, 2026

Location: Pete Mathews Coliseum in Jacksonville, AL

TV: ESPN+

The Jacksonville State Gamecocks (13-14) will play the Delaware Blue Hens (9-18) at Pete Mathews Coliseum on Thursday.

The Delaware Blue Hens stepped onto the hardwood against MTSU and went home with a loss by a final score of 78-66 in their last contest. Delaware walked away from the game having earned a 47.7% FG percentage (21 out of 44) and buried 6 out of their 20 shots from 3-point land. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Blue Hens made 18 of their 21 attempts for a rate of 85.7%. In terms of hauling in boards, they collected 22 with 2 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 5 assists in this contest in addition to forcing 5 turnovers and earning 4 steals. In the matter of defending, Delaware allowed the other team to shoot 43.5% from the field on 27 out of 62 shooting. MTSU dished out 14 dimes and had 8 steals for this game. In addition, MTSU pulled down 35 rebounds (13 offensive, 22 defensive), but didn't notch a block. MTSU walked away from this one shooting 89.5% at the charity stripe by converting 17 of 19 tries. They also buried 7 of their 29 attempts from beyond the arc. When it comes to personal fouls, the Blue Hens finished with 14 and MTSU finished the game with 13 personal fouls.

Justyn Fernandez is someone who had an impact in the matchup. He scored 22 points on 5 of 14 shooting. He was on the court for 40 minutes and also snagged 6 boards. He finished shooting 35.7% from the field and earned 1 assist.

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Delaware enters this one with a win-loss record of 9-18 this season. They are averaging 67.6 pts per game (340th in the nation) while shooting 45.1% from the field. The Blue Hens are shooting 35.6% on shots from beyond the arc (226 of 634) and 77.5% from the free throw line. As a unit, Delaware is snagging 31.1 rebounds per game and has 330 dimes for the campaign, which ranks 324th in Division 1 in terms of passing. They cough up possession 11.9 times per game and as a team are committing 14.5 fouls per contest.

Defensively, the Blue Hens are able to force 8.9 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 14.3 personal fouls. They are giving up 33.6% on three-point shots and they rank 142nd in D-1 in PPG allowed (72.7). The Blue Hens are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 42.8% (680 of 1,587) and they relinquish 34.3 boards per game as a group. They are 251st in college in allowing assists to the opposition with 395 conceded on the campaign.

When they last stepped on the court, the Jacksonville State Gamecocks took a defeat with a final score of 82-78 against Sam Houston State. The Gamecocks earned 20 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive boards totaling 26 for the matchup. They also gave up possession of the ball 5 times, while getting 6 steals in the game. Sam Houston State earned 14 personal fouls for this contest which got the Gamecocks to the free throw line for a total of 18 shots. They were able to knock down 14 of those for a percentage of 77.8%. Pertaining to shooting from downtown, Jacksonville State made 8 of their 21 attempts (38.1%). In all, the Gamecocks finished shooting 28 out of 58 from the field which gave them a rate of 48.3%. The Gamecocks permitted Sam Houston State to make 26 of their 53 tries from the floor which had them at 49.1% in this contest. They finished shooting 35.0% from beyond the arc via 7 of 20 and ended up shooting 23 of 28 at the free throw line (82.1%). In reference to cleaning up the glass, Jacksonville State permitted Sam Houston State to snag 32 overall (9 on the offensive glass).

Mostapha El Moutaouakkil ended up being a major contributor for the Gamecocks in this matchup. He scored 38 points in his 32 minutes on the court, but wasn't able to notch an assist. He converted 14 out of 23 in this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 60.9%, and earned 3 rebounds.

Jacksonville State has a record of 13-14 this season. When it comes to executing on offense, the Gamecocks are shooting 43.9% from the floor, which ranks them 269th in the nation. Jacksonville State has scored 1,965 points on the campaign (72.8 per game) and they grab 36.5 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 12.1 times per contest (309th in the nation) and they turn the ball over 11.6 times per contest. The Gamecocks have committed 17.2 fouls every game and they go 68.5% from the charity stripe.

The Gamecocks on the defensive side of the court are 40th in the nation in PPG surrendered with 67.8. They have forced 11.5 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 40.6% from the floor (32nd in college hoops). The Jacksonville State defense concedes 30.7% on shots from 3-point land (198 of 646) and their opponents are making 73.8% of their free throw attempts. They allow 11.6 assists and 33.6 total rebounds per game, which has them ranked 43rd and 131st in D-1.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Delaware

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