IPFW Mastodons vs Northern Kentucky Norse Prediction, 2/18/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: IPFW Mastodons vs Northern Kentucky Norse

Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Location: Truist Arena in Highland Heights, KY

TV: ESPN+

Truist Arena is where the Northern Kentucky Norse (16-11) will play the IPFW Mastodons (15-12) on Wednesday.

The IPFW Mastodons played IU Indy and took home the win by a score of 83-78 in their last contest. In the matter of fouls, the Mastodons ended up finishing with 12 while IU Indy had 21 fouls. They made 10 of 35 attempts from downtown. IU Indy finished the game shooting 85.7% from the charity stripe by converting 12 of their 14 tries. Furthermore, IU Indy pulled down 41 boards (11 offensive, 30 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. IU Indy earned 15 dimes and had 4 steals in the game. Regarding defense, IPFW allowed 41.8% from the field on 28 of 67 shooting. They also recorded 12 assists for this game while forcing the opposition into 13 turnovers and earning 10 steals. Concerning hauling in boards, they earned a total of 31 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. At the free throw line, the Mastodons converted 14 of 30 tries for a percentage of 46.7%. IPFW ended the game having earned a 54.2% field goal percentage (32 of 59) and converted 5 out of their 11 three-point shots.

Corey Hadnot II is a guy who came through for the matchup. He walked away with 31 points on 14 of 20 shooting. He played for 33 mins and collected 4 rebounds. He shot 70.0% from the field and totaled 5 dimes.

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IPFW heads into this game with a mark of 15-12 on the campaign. They are turning it over 9.8 times per game and as a team they are committing 15.3 fouls per game. As a team, IPFW is pulling in 29.8 rebounds per game and is sitting with 379 assists this season, which is 145th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. The Mastodons are shooting 35.5% on shots from beyond the arc (257 of 724) and 71.7% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 78.6 points per game (126th in the country) while hitting 46.9% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Mastodons are forcing their opponents into 14.2 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 15.9 fouls. They give up 36.1% on shots from beyond the arc and they are ranked 263rd in college hoops in points per game from their opponents (76.9). The Mastodons defensively are allowing a shooting percentage of 46.4% (745 of 1,605) and they surrender 37.3 rebounds per game as a team. They currently rank 308th in D-1 in giving up assists with 398 relinquished for the season.

For their last game, the Northern Kentucky Norse walked away with a victory by a final of 84-81 when they played IU Indy. The Norse were able to snag 18 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive boards totaling 30 for this game. They also gave up possession 12 times, while getting 6 steals in this game. IU Indy was called for 25 personal fouls in the matchup which took the Norse to the free throw line for 30 shots. They were able to knock down 19 of the free throw tries for a clip of 63.3%. Concerning shooting from beyond the arc, Northern Kentucky buried 9 of their 21 tries (42.9%). Overall, the Norse finished 28 out of 54 from the field which gave them a percentage of 51.9%. The Norse permitted IU Indy to knock down 32 out of their 68 attempts from the floor which gave them a rate of 47.1% in this contest. They went 29.4% from beyond the arc by going 5 of 17 and finished the game at 12 of 15 from the free throw line (80.0%). With respect to cleaning up the glass, Northern Kentucky allowed IU Indy to collect 35 in all (14 offensive).

Donovan Oday ended up being a factor for the Norse for this game. He made 10 out of 15 in the matchup for a field goal rate of 66.7%, and accounted for 3 rebounds. He accumulated 26 points in his 34 minutes on the court and added 3 dimes for this contest.

Northern Kentucky has a record of 16-11 for the year. In terms of offensive execution, the Norse are connecting on 46.8% from the field, which is 92nd in the country. Northern Kentucky has 2,239 pts on the campaign (82.9 per contest) and they pull in 35.1 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 15.5 times per game (93rd in college hoops) and they turn it over 12.0 times per contest. The Norse commit 18.2 personal fouls per game and they go 71.7% from the free throw line.

The Norse on the defensive side of the court are 261st in college hoops in points allowed per game with 76.8. They are able to force 14.3 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 45.6% from the floor (269th in D-1). The Northern Kentucky defense allows 35.5% from downtown (222 of 625) and their opponents are knocking down 69.4% of their shots from the charity stripe. They give up 14.0 assists and 35.1 rebounds on a nightly basis, which ranks them 236th and 227th in the country.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Northern Kentucky

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