Furman Paladins vs Mercer Bears Prediction, 2/11/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Furman Paladins vs Mercer Bears

Date: Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Location: Hawkins Arena in Macon, GA

TV: ESPN+

The Mercer Bears (15-10) will compete against the Furman Paladins (16-9) at Hawkins Arena on Wednesday.

The Furman Paladins took the court against UNC Greensboro and took a loss by a score of 67-64 in their last contest. In reference to personal fouls, the Paladins ended up walking away with 18 while UNC Greensboro had 18 personal fouls. They also converted 10 of their 19 tries from 3-point range. UNC Greensboro finished the contest at 68.4% at the free throw line by converting 13 of 19 shots. In addition, UNC Greensboro snagged 28 rebounds (5 offensive, 23 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. UNC Greensboro distributed 11 assists and had 7 steals for this game. Regarding defense, Furman allowed the other team to go 41.5% from the field on 22 out of 53 shooting. They also recorded 13 assists in the game as well as forcing 9 turnovers and getting 7 steals. With respect to pulling down rebounds, they earned 31 with 6 of them being on the offensive end. At the free throw line, the Paladins made 13 of 17 attempts for a percentage of 76.5%. Furman finished the game having earned a 43.4% field goal percentage (23 out of 53) and buried 5 of 19 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Cooper Bowser is one player who was a factor in the matchup. He ended up with 20 points on 8 of 12 shooting. He played 31 mins and also snagged 6 rebounds. He ended up going 66.7% from the floor and recorded 2 assists.

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Furman steps onto the hardwood with a record of 16-9 so far this year. They turn it over 12.6 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 14.9 fouls per game. As a team, Furman is collecting 38.6 boards per contest and has earned 412 dimes on the season, which ranks 41st in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Paladins are connecting on 32.1% on shots from 3-point land (223 of 695) and 67.1% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 76.8 points per outing (166th in Division 1) while going 47.8% from the field.

On defense, the Paladins are forcing their opponents into 10.1 turnovers every game while drawing 17.0 personal fouls. They are conceding 32.2% from 3-point land while they are 89th in college hoops in opponents PPG (70.3). The Paladins defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 42.0% (634 of 1,508) and they concede 32.5 rebounds per contest as a unit. They are ranked 139th in Division 1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 311 relinquished on the campaign.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Mercer Bears walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 69-49 when they faced Samford. When talking about cleaning up the glass, Mercer allowed Samford to collect 36 in all (4 on the offensive glass). They shot 31.6% from beyond the perimeter by going 6 out of 19 and finished the game at 15 out of 20 at the charity stripe (75.0%). The Bears allowed Samford to convert 24 of their 50 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 48.0% in the game. Overall, the Bears finished shooting 16 out of 59 from the floor which gave them a rate of 27.1%. In relation to three-point attempts, Mercer knocked down 4 out of 17 tries (23.5%). They were able to convert 13 of them for a rate of 76.5%. Samford was called for 16 personal fouls for this contest which took the Bears to the free throw line for 17 shots. They gave up possession of the ball 8 times, while recording 4 steals in this game. The Bears were able to snag 24 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive boards totaling 32 in this matchup.

Baraka Okojie ended up having an impact for the Bears in the game. He recorded 25 points in his 35 mins on the court and earned 2 assists in this game. He converted 9 out of 17 for the contest giving him a rate of 52.9%, and accounted for 4 rebounds.

Mercer has a win-loss mark of 15-10 this season. As an offensive team, the Bears are hitting on 45.5% from the field, which is ranked 165th in D-1. Mercer has accumulated 2,099 pts for the season (84.0 per game) and they average 39.3 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 14.6 times per contest (145th in college hoops) and they turn it over 10.8 times per contest. The Bears commit 15.5 fouls per game while shooting 73.8% from the charity stripe.

The Bears on defense are ranked 236th in D-1 in PPG given up with 75.5. They are forcing their opponents into 13.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 42.9% from the floor (118th in Division 1). The Mercer defense concedes 34.2% on 3-point shots (226 of 661) and opponents are knocking down 72.7% of their foul shots. They give up 12.8 dimes and 36.8 total rebounds per game, which is 139th and 309th in Division 1.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Mercer

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