Gardner-Webb Bulldogs vs USC Upstate Spartans Prediction, 2/28/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Gardner-Webb Bulldogs vs USC Upstate Spartans

Date: Saturday, February 28, 2026

Location: G.B. Hodge Center in Spartanburg, SC

TV: ESPN+

G.B. Hodge Center is the location where the USC Upstate Spartans (12-18) will compete against the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs (3-27) on Saturday.

The Gardner-Webb Bulldogs faced UNC Asheville and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 77-71 in their last contest. Gardner-Webb finished the game with a 47.2% field goal percentage (25 out of 53) and knocked down 8 of their 25 shots from 3-point land. From the free throw line, the Bulldogs converted 13 of their 18 attempts for a rate of 72.2%. Regarding hauling in rebounds, they earned 21 with 5 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 12 assists in this contest as well as forcing 10 turnovers and having 5 steals. Concerning the defense, Gardner-Webb let their opponent shoot 49.1% from the field on 27 of 55 shooting. UNC Asheville earned 10 dimes and had 3 steals in the matchup. Moreover, UNC Asheville snagged 35 rebounds (14 offensive, 21 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. UNC Asheville ended up going 62.5% from the charity stripe by burying 15 of 24 tries. They converted 8 of their 22 tries from beyond the perimeter. In the matter of fouls, the Bulldogs finished with 20 while UNC Asheville had 12 fouls.

Jacob Hogarth is someone who came through for the game. He accounted for 13 points on 4 out of 7 shooting. He was on the court for 35 mins and also grabbed 7 rebounds. He finished the game at 57.1% from the field and earned 3 assists.

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Gardner-Webb comes into this contest with a mark of 3-27 so far this year. They have an average of 68.8 points per contest (329th in college) while connecting on 43.1% from the field. The Bulldogs are connecting on 31.1% on shots beyond the perimeter (208 of 669) and 68.2% from the charity stripe. As a team, Gardner-Webb is grabbing 30.5 rebounds per contest and has accumulated 312 dimes this year, which ranks 352nd in the country in terms of passing. They are losing possession via turnover 13.7 times per game and as a unit they are committing 18.0 fouls per contest.

When they are on defense, the Bulldogs have forced 11.1 turnovers per contest and they draw 15.5 personal fouls. They currently rank 358th in D-1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 510 relinquished on the year. The Bulldogs defense is giving up a FG percentage of 49.8% (921 of 1,849) and they surrender 39.4 rebounds per contest as a squad. They are giving up 36.6% on 3-point shots and they are ranked 363rd in the country in PPG allowed (86.8).

The last time they took the court, the USC Upstate Spartans took a loss by a final score of 71-59 against Radford. The Spartans pulled down 24 defensive rebounds and 15 offensive boards totaling 39 for the matchup. They also coughed up the ball 14 times, while getting 9 steals for this contest. Radford earned 12 fouls in this contest which took the Spartans to the charity stripe for 7 attempts. They were able to bury 5 of them for a clip of 71.4%. In reference to shooting from distance, USC Upstate converted 4 out of their 22 attempts (18.2%). When the final whistle blew, the Spartans finished shooting 25 for 67 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 37.3%. The Spartans allowed Radford to bury 22 out of their 51 tries from the floor which had them at 43.1% in this game. They shot 45.5% from beyond the perimeter by hitting 10 of 22 and finished the game at 17 of 24 at the free throw line (70.8%). In relation to how they attacked the glass, USC Upstate allowed Radford to collect 28 overall (7 offensive).

Carmelo Adkins pitched in for the Spartans in this game. He had 15 points in his 40 mins of playing time and tallied 7 dimes for the contest. He knocked down 5 of 20 for the contest for a field goal rate of 25.0%, and tallied 8 rebounds.

USC Upstate has a win-loss mark of 12-18 so far this year. In terms of offensive execution, the Spartans are hitting on 44.0% from the field, which ranks them 259th in the country. USC Upstate has 2,241 pts on the season (74.7 per game) and they pull in 37.0 rebounds per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 12.6 times per game (276th in the country) and they turn it over 12.4 times per contest. The Spartans are committing 18.5 fouls per game and they shoot 68.2% from the charity stripe.

The Spartans defensively are ranked 207th in the nation in points given up per game with 74.4. They are forcing 12.1 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 43.4% from the field (131st in the country). The USC Upstate defense gives up 34.1% on 3-point shots (225 of 659) and opponents are knocking down 69.7% of their foul shots. They have allowed 11.7 assists and 37.5 rebounds per contest, which has them ranked 53rd and 333rd in D-1.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Gardner-Webb

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