Jacksonville Dolphins vs Florida Gulf Coast Eagles Prediction, 2/18/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Jacksonville Dolphins vs Florida Gulf Coast Eagles

Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Location: Alico Arena in Fort Myers, FL

TV: ESPN+

Alico Arena is the site where the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (12-15) will compete against the Jacksonville Dolphins (10-17) on Wednesday.

The Jacksonville Dolphins faced North Florida and took home the win by a score of 63-56 in their last contest. In the matter of personal fouls, the Dolphins ended up finishing with 11 and North Florida accounted for 12 personal fouls. They made 7 of 19 attempts from long range. North Florida finished shooting 50.0% from the free throw line by knocking down 3 of 6 attempts. On top of that, North Florida had 28 rebounds (9 offensive, 19 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. North Florida recorded 11 dimes and had 3 steals for this game. When it comes to defending, Jacksonville let their opponent shoot 45.1% from the floor on 23 out of 51 shooting. They also recorded 9 assists in the matchup in addition to creating 13 turnovers and having 7 steals. Pertaining to hauling in rebounds, they compiled a total of 25 with 7 of them being offensive. From the charity stripe, the Dolphins knocked down 11 of 14 attempts for a rate of 78.6%. Jacksonville walked away from the game with a 43.1% FG percentage (22 of 51) and converted 8 of 23 shots from beyond the arc.

Jason Thirdkill Jr. is a player who had an impact for the game. He finished shooting 60.0% from the field but had no assists at the end of the game. He was on the hardwood for 40 minutes played and collected 9 rebounds. He ended up finishing with 19 points on 6 out of 10 shooting.

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Jacksonville comes into this one with a record of 10-17 this season. They average 71.9 points per outing (281st in the nation) while connecting on 45.0% from the field. The Dolphins are shooting 32.0% from downtown (197 of 616) and 70.9% from the free throw line. As a team, Jacksonville is grabbing 33.6 rebounds per game and has 319 dimes this season, which has them ranked 298th in the country in terms of passing the rock. They are turning it over 11.8 times per game and as a unit are committing 19.2 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on the defensive end, the Dolphins are able to force 10.9 turnovers per contest while drawing 16.0 fouls. They are ranked 171st in the nation in giving up assists with 344 conceded on the campaign. The Dolphins defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 46.6% (679 of 1,456) and they surrender 31.2 rebounds per game as a squad. They surrender 35.0% on shots from distance while they are 158th in college hoops in PPG from their opponents (73.0).

In their last game, the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles went home victorious with a score of 78-76 against Stetson. When discussing team rebounding, Florida Gulf Coast permitted Stetson to collect 30 in all (8 offensive). They finished 47.1% from 3-point land by hitting 8 of 17 and ended up going 10 of 13 at the free throw line (76.9%). The Eagles permitted Stetson to convert 29 of their 58 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 50.0% in the game. At the conclusion of this game, the Eagles went 31 out of 64 from the field which had them sitting at 48.4%. In reference to shooting from distance, Florida Gulf Coast knocked down 9 out of their 22 attempts (40.9%). They were able to convert 7 of those for a rate of 70.0%. Stetson earned 13 fouls for the matchup which got the Eagles to the charity stripe for a total of 10 tries. They coughed up the ball 10 times, while getting 8 steals for this game. The Eagles were able to pull down 21 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 29 in this game.

Jordan Ellerbee pitched in for the Eagles in this game. He converted 6 out of 13 for this game giving him a rate of 46.2%, and had 1 rebound. He racked up 18 points in his 35 minutes on the hardwood, but wasn't able to get an assist.

Florida Gulf Coast has a mark of 12-15 so far this year. On the offensive side of the ball, the Eagles are hitting on 45.6% from the floor, which ranks 156th in college hoops. Florida Gulf Coast has accumulated 2,128 pts on the season (78.8 per game) and they pull in 37.0 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 15.1 times per game (114th in D-1) and they lose possession via turnover 11.6 times per game. The Eagles commit 19.1 fouls per contest and they shoot 71.9% from the free throw line.

The Eagles are ranked 291st in the nation in PPG allowed with 78.0. They are forcing their opponents into 11.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 44.5% from the field (212th in college hoops). The Florida Gulf Coast defense allows 35.5% on 3-point attempts (254 of 716) and their opponents are making 74.2% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have relinquished 13.6 dimes and 34.3 total rebounds per game, which ranks them 203rd and 173rd in those defensive categories.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Jacksonville

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