Long Beach State Beach vs Cal Poly Mustangs Prediction, 2/26/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Long Beach State Beach vs Cal Poly Mustangs

Date: Thursday, February 26, 2026

Location: Mott Athletics Center in San Luis Obispo, CA

TV: ESPN+

The Cal Poly Mustangs (12-16) will take on the Long Beach State Beach (8-20) at Mott Athletics Center on Thursday.

The Long Beach State Beach faced off with Cal State Northridge and took a loss by a score of 78-76 in their last game. Long Beach State walked away from the contest with a 43.1% FG percentage (25 of 58) and buried 12 of their 26 shots from beyond the arc. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Beach converted 14 of 19 attempts for a rate of 73.7%. In relation to grabbing boards, they compiled 31 with 7 of them being offensive. They also dished out 17 assists for the matchup while creating 9 turnovers and having 3 steals. In terms of defense, Long Beach State allowed their opponent to shoot 47.8% from the field on 33 of 69 shooting. Cal State Northridge distributed 16 dimes and had 7 steals in the matchup. Additionally, Cal State Northridge had 32 rebounds (9 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Cal State Northridge shot 50.0% when shooting free throws by burying 9 of 18 attempts. They converted 3 of 10 attempts from downtown. When discussing personal fouls, the Beach left the arena with 22 while Cal State Northridge totaled 18 personal fouls.

Shaquil Bender is one player who was a factor in this contest. He finished shooting 55.6% from the field and also recorded 2 assists. He was on the hardwood for 26 minutes and snagged 3 boards. He recorded 27 points on 10 of 18 shooting.

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Long Beach State heads into this one with a win-loss record of 8-20 so far this season. They currently have an average of 73.6 points per contest (244th in college hoops) while shooting 45.0% from the floor. The Beach are hitting 32.1% from downtown (185 of 577) and 73.7% from the free throw line. As a team, Long Beach State is snagging 32.6 boards per game and has accumulated 378 dimes so far this year, which has them ranked 219th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession by turning the ball over 12.7 times per game and as a group are committing 19.9 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Beach are forcing 13.5 turnovers per game while drawing 16.6 fouls. They are conceding 35.6% on 3-point shots while they are 259th in the country in PPG allowed (76.8). The Beach defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 47.4% (743 of 1,569) and they surrender 34.1 boards per contest as a group. They currently rank 264th in the country in giving up assists with 402 relinquished for the campaign.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Cal Poly Mustangs went home victorious with a score of 86-75 when they played Hawaii. In the matter of team rebounding, Cal Poly allowed Hawaii to pull down 42 overall (12 on the offensive side). They finished 13.0% from beyond the arc by connecting on 3 out of 23 and ended up shooting 26 out of 38 from the free throw line (68.4%). The Mustangs permitted Hawaii to convert 23 of their 60 tries from the field which left them with a rate of 38.3% for the game. When all was said and done, the Mustangs shot 28 for 62 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 45.2%. Regarding shots from beyond the arc, Cal Poly buried 8 of 28 attempts (28.6%). They were able to make 22 of the free throws for a rate of 81.5%. Hawaii earned 24 personal fouls in the game which got the Mustangs to the free throw line for a total of 27 attempts. They turned it over 13 times, while earning 9 steals in the game. The Mustangs were able to corral 24 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive boards for a total of 29 in this matchup.

Hamad Mousa ended up being a factor for the Mustangs for this contest. He earned 24 points in his 36 mins on the court and had 1 assist for the matchup. He buried 5 of 17 for this contest for a field goal percentage of 29.4%, and accounted for 9 rebounds.

Cal Poly has a mark of 12-16 for the season. As an offense, the Mustangs are shooting 43.5% from the field, which has them ranked 286th in college. Cal Poly has scored 2,282 points so far this season (81.5 per game) and they grab 37.6 boards per game. They are getting an assist 13.2 times per game (243rd in D-1) and they lose possession via turnover 15.9 times per contest. The Mustangs have committed 19.5 fouls per contest and they go 77.7% from the free throw line.

The Cal Poly defense allows 34.9% on 3-pointers (273 of 782) and their opponents are connecting on 72.6% of their free throw attempts. They have surrendered 15.6 dimes and 37.5 total boards per game, which is ranked 318th and 332nd in college hoops. The Mustangs are ranked 360th in the country in points given up per game with 84.9. They are forcing 13.0 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 45.7% from the field (273rd in the country).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Long Beach State

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