Lamar Cardinals vs Houston Christian Huskies Prediction, 3/2/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Lamar Cardinals vs Houston Christian Huskies

Date: Monday, March 2, 2026

Location: Sharp Gymnasium in Houston, TX

TV: ESPN+

Sharp Gymnasium is the location where the Houston Christian Huskies (11-18) will try to beat the Lamar Cardinals (12-17) on Monday.

The Lamar Cardinals played Nicholls State and went home with a loss by a final score of 53-52 in their last game. In the matter of fouls, the Cardinals ended up with 6 while Nicholls State had 12 fouls. They also made 5 out of their 28 shots from beyond the perimeter. Nicholls State ended up going 57.1% at the free throw line by converting 4 of 7 attempts. Moreover, Nicholls State snagged 32 rebounds (9 offensive, 23 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Nicholls State earned 11 dimes and had 12 steals for the matchup. When it comes to the defense, Lamar allowed their opponent to shoot 36.1% from the field on 22 of 61 shooting. They also dished out 15 assists for this game in addition to forcing the other team into 13 turnovers and getting 5 steals. When discussing hauling in rebounds, they collected 35 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Cardinals made 8 of their 11 attempts for a rate of 72.7%. Lamar finished with a 35.7% field goal percentage (20 of 56) and made 4 of their 23 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Braden East is a guy who was a major contributor in this game. He ended up shooting 66.7% from the field and totaled 1 assist. He played 23 minutes and also pulled down 11 rebounds. He walked away with 10 points on 4 out of 6 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Picks Today

Lamar steps onto the hardwood with a mark of 12-17 so far this year. They lose possession via turnover 11.8 times per game and as a team are committing 17.2 personal fouls every game. As a unit, Lamar is collecting 37.6 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 433 assists on the year, which is 114th in D-1 in terms of passing. The Cardinals are connecting on 33.9% on shots from downtown (204 of 602) and 70.9% from the free throw line. They average 70.8 points per game (297th in Division 1) on 43.2% from the floor.

On defense, the Cardinals have forced 11.7 turnovers every game and they draw 15.6 fouls. They are currently ranked 195th in college in allowing assists with 388 surrendered on the season. The Cardinals defensively are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 42.9% (673 of 1,569) and they surrender 33.3 rebounds per contest as a unit. They are giving up 34.7% on shots from distance and they are 56th in D-1 in opponents PPG (68.8).

In their last game, the Houston Christian Huskies walked away with a victory by a final of 69-68 when they played East Texas A&M. The Huskies were able to pull down 18 defensive boards and 13 offensive boards totaling 31 for this contest. They coughed up the ball 11 times, while earning 9 steals for the game. East Texas A&M had 14 personal fouls for the contest which got the Huskies to the free throw line for 15 tries. They were able to make 10 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 66.7%. With respect to shooting from 3-point land, Houston Christian made 5 out of their 19 attempts (26.3%). When all was said and done, the Huskies shot 27 for 61 from the floor which had them shooting 44.3%. The Huskies permitted East Texas A&M to convert 23 of 51 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 45.1% in this matchup. They finished the game shooting 37.5% from behind the 3-point line by going 9 of 24 and ended up going 13 out of 17 from the free throw line (76.5%). In regard to rebounding, Houston Christian allowed East Texas A&M to pull down 30 in total (9 on the offensive side).

Demarco Bethea ended up having an impact for the Huskies for the contest. He converted 7 of 12 in the game giving him a rate of 58.3%, and accounted for 9 rebounds. He had 15 points in his 32 mins on the court, but wasn't able to get an assist.

Houston Christian has a record of 11-18 for the season. The Huskies are responsible for committing 15.2 fouls per contest and they shoot 70.1% from the charity stripe. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 14.0 times per game (175th in college hoops) and they lose possession via turnover 12.5 times per contest. Houston Christian has scored 1,956 pts so far this season (67.4 per contest) and they average 32.0 boards per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Huskies are hitting on 44.0% from the field, which is 260th in the country.

The Houston Christian defense allows 35.4% on 3-pointers (217 of 613) and their opponents are connecting on 71.6% of their shots from the charity stripe. They concede 14.3 assists and 33.0 total rebounds per game, which ranks 255th and 86th in those categories. The Huskies defensively are ranked 145th in college in PPG given up with 72.6. They have forced 11.8 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 47.8% from the field (342nd in college hoops).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Lamar

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get college basketball picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.