Lamar Cardinals vs Incarnate Word Cardinals Prediction, 2/28/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Lamar Cardinals vs Incarnate Word Cardinals

Date: Saturday, February 28, 2026

Location: McDermott Center in San Antonio, TX

TV: ESPN+

The Incarnate Word Cardinals (11-18) will go up against the Lamar Cardinals (12-17) at McDermott Center on Saturday.

The Lamar Cardinals stepped onto the hardwood against Nicholls State and took a loss by a final of 53-52 in their last game. Lamar ended the contest with a 35.7% FG percentage (20 of 56) and converted 4 of their 23 shots from distance. From the free throw line, the Cardinals made 8 of 11 tries for a percentage of 72.7%. With regard to hauling in rebounds, they compiled a total of 35 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 15 dimes in this game in addition to forcing 13 turnovers and having 5 steals. Regarding defending, Lamar allowed the other team to go 36.1% from the floor on 22 of 61 shooting. Nicholls State dished out 11 assists and had 12 steals for the contest. On top of that, Nicholls State collected 32 rebounds (9 offensive, 23 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Nicholls State finished the game shooting 57.1% at the charity stripe by burying 4 of 7 tries. They also made 5 out of their 28 attempts from beyond the perimeter. In the matter of personal fouls, the Cardinals finished with 6 while Nicholls State totaled 12 personal fouls.

Braden East is someone who came through in this matchup. He shot 66.7% from the field and also dished out 1 assist. He played 23 mins played and also totaled 11 rebounds. He finished with 10 points on 4 out of 6 shooting.

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Lamar enters this matchup with a record of 12-17 so far this year. They turn the ball over 11.8 times per contest and as a team they commit 17.2 fouls every game. As a unit, Lamar is pulling in 37.6 rebounds per game and has accounted for 433 assists for the campaign, which is 114th in the country in terms of passing. The Cardinals are shooting 33.9% on three-point shots (204 of 602) and 70.9% from the free throw line. They average 70.8 pts per game (299th in the nation) while hitting 43.2% from the field.

On defense, the Cardinals are forcing 11.7 turnovers per game and they draw 15.6 personal fouls. They are 198th in the country in giving up assists to the opposition with 388 surrendered this year. The Cardinals defensively are allowing a shooting percentage of 42.9% (673 of 1,569) and they surrender 33.3 rebounds per game as a unit. They give up 34.7% on three-point shots and they are ranked 57th in college in PPG allowed (68.8).

When they last stepped on the court, the Incarnate Word Cardinals took a loss by a score of 54-49 against Northwestern State. The Cardinals earned 26 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds for a total of 32 for this contest. They coughed up the ball 9 times, while recording 7 steals for this contest. Northwestern State committed 15 personal fouls for this game which took the Cardinals to the free throw line for a total of 15 attempts. They were able to convert 10 of the free throw tries for a clip of 66.7%. When discussing 3-point shots, Incarnate Word buried 5 of 19 attempts (26.3%). When this game wrapped up, the Cardinals finished 17 out of 51 from the field which gave them a percentage of 33.3%. The Cardinals permitted Northwestern State to knock down 18 of their 49 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 36.7% for this game. They finished shooting 28.6% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 4 out of 14 and finished the contest at 14 of 19 at the free throw line (73.7%). Concerning rebounds, Incarnate Word allowed Northwestern State to collect 29 in all (4 offensive).

Davion Bailey was important for the Cardinals in this contest. He made 7 out of 21 in the matchup for a field goal percentage of 33.3%, and had 10 rebounds. He earned 21 points in his 40 minutes on the court and had 5 dimes in this contest.

Incarnate Word has a record of 11-18 on the year. As an offense, the Cardinals are shooting 44.4% from the floor, which has them ranked 231st in the nation. Incarnate Word has accounted for 2,162 points for the year (74.6 per contest) and they pull down 34.8 boards per contest. They are assisting teammates 11.7 times per game (328th in the country) and they cough up possession 11.3 times per contest. The Cardinals are responsible for committing 18.0 personal fouls every game while shooting 71.8% from the charity stripe.

The Cardinals defensively are ranked 195th in the country in points allowed per contest with 74.1. They are able to force 10.6 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 46.9% from the floor (318th in the country). The Incarnate Word defense gives up 34.1% on shots from distance (191 of 560) and opponents are making 72.0% of their free throw shots. They have conceded 13.3 assists and 32.4 total boards per game, which is ranked 178th and 66th in those categories.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Lamar

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