Drake Bulldogs vs UNI Panthers Prediction, 2/15/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Drake Bulldogs vs UNI Panthers

Date: Sunday, February 15, 2026

Location: McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, IA

TV: ESPN+

The Drake Bulldogs (12-15) are en route to McLeod Center on Sunday where they will compete against the UNI Panthers (16-10).

The Drake Bulldogs faced off with UIC and took a loss by a score of 80-70 in their last contest. Drake ended the contest with a 42.6% field goal percentage (23 of 54) and made 11 out of their 27 shots from downtown. From the charity stripe, the Bulldogs made 13 of 16 shots for a rate of 81.3%. Regarding rebounding, they compiled a total of 28 with 7 of them being of the offensive sort. They also distributed 11 assists for this game while creating 7 turnovers and having 3 steals. Pertaining to defense, Drake allowed 43.5% from the field on 27 of 62 shooting. UIC doled out 12 dimes and had 9 steals in the matchup. In addition, UIC grabbed 34 rebounds (11 offensive, 23 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. UIC finished the game at 94.4% from the free throw line by burying 17 of their 18 tries. They converted 9 of 21 tries from 3-point range. In relation to fouls, the Bulldogs walked away with 19 while UIC racked up 15 fouls.

Eli Shetlar is one player who was a major contributor for the contest. He ended up shooting 45.5% from the field but finished the game without an assist. He played for 38 minutes and pulled down 5 rebounds. He accounted for 17 points on 5 out of 11 shooting.

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Drake will enter this matchup with a mark of 12-15 this season. They average 77.3 points per contest (153rd in Division 1) while hitting 44.8% from the field. The Bulldogs are hitting 35.2% on shots from beyond the arc (253 of 718) and 72.2% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Drake is pulling in 35.8 rebounds per game and has earned 370 dimes on the campaign, which is 129th in college in terms of passing. They turn it over 10.0 times per game and as a team they are committing 17.3 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Bulldogs are forcing 10.7 turnovers per game while drawing 17.6 fouls. They are giving up 36.3% on shots from downtown while they are 227th in college in points per game allowed (75.1). The Bulldogs are giving up a FG percentage of 43.9% (708 of 1,611) and they concede 36.4 rebounds per game as a team. They are 308th in D-1 in giving up assists with 383 surrendered for the campaign.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the UNI Panthers took a loss by a score of 91-86 against Belmont. The Panthers pulled down 19 defensive rebounds and 4 offensive boards totaling 23 for the contest. They also turned it over 10 times, while earning 8 steals in the game. Belmont committed 17 fouls in the game which got the Panthers to the free throw line for 24 shots. They were able to knock down 23 of them for a rate of 95.8%. With regard to shooting from beyond the arc, UNI buried 9 out of their 24 tries (37.5%). In all, the Panthers finished shooting 27 out of 55 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 49.1%. The Panthers allowed Belmont to convert 31 out of their 54 tries from the floor which had them shooting 57.4% in this contest. They finished the game shooting 46.7% from downtown by going 14 out of 30 and finished the contest at 15 of 18 from the charity stripe (83.3%). Regarding cleaning the glass, UNI permitted Belmont to get 24 in all (3 on the offensive glass).

Leon Bond III ended up being a factor for the Panthers in this contest. He converted 7 of 12 for this contest for a field goal rate of 58.3%, and tallied 7 rebounds. He recorded 21 points in his 35 mins on the court and had 2 assists in the game.

UNI has a mark of 16-10 so far this season. The Panthers are committing 15.2 fouls every game and they shoot 69.5% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 14.5 times per game (151st in the nation) and they turn the ball over 9.4 times per contest. UNI has totaled 1,780 points on the campaign (68.5 per contest) and they pull down 32.8 boards per contest. As an offense, the Panthers are connecting on 46.2% from the field, which is ranked 129th in college.

The Panthers on the defensive end are ranked 1st in college in points allowed per game with 61.2. They are able to force 11.8 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 40.5% from the floor (34th in college). The UNI defense allows 27.6% on 3-pointers (159 of 577) and opponents are connecting on 71.6% of their shots from the charity stripe. They concede 10.7 assists and 33.9 boards on a nightly basis, which is ranked 16th and 151st in D-1.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UNI

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