Maryland Terrapins vs Northwestern Wildcats Prediction, 2/18/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Maryland Terrapins vs Northwestern Wildcats

Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Location: Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, IL

TV: ESPN+

Welsh-Ryan Arena is the location where the Northwestern Wildcats (10-16) will play the Maryland Terrapins (10-15) on Wednesday.

The Maryland Terrapins faced Rutgers and took a loss by a score of 68-57 in their last contest. Maryland finished the game having earned a 33.3% FG percentage (22 of 66) and knocked down 7 of their 30 shots from downtown. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Terrapins knocked down 6 of their 13 attempts for a percentage of 46.2%. In terms of pulling down boards, they compiled 37 with 15 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 10 assists in this contest in addition to forcing the other team into 9 turnovers and having 4 steals. When talking about defending, Maryland let their opponent shoot 41.5% from the field on 22 of 53 shooting. Rutgers distributed 12 assists and had 3 steals in this contest. Furthermore, Rutgers had 36 rebounds (8 offensive, 28 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Rutgers finished the game shooting 79.2% from the charity stripe by making 19 of 24 shots. They knocked down 5 of 18 attempts from beyond the perimeter. When discussing fouls, the Terrapins finished with 20 while Rutgers recorded 13 fouls.

Darius Adams is a player who was a major contributor in this contest. He shot 41.7% from the floor and also distributed 1 assist. He played 32 minutes and collected 6 rebounds. He accounted for 13 points on 5 out of 12 shooting.

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Maryland will enter this contest with a record of 10-15 on the campaign. They are averaging 71.4 pts per contest (289th in the nation) while going 40.8% from the floor. The Terrapins are shooting 31.8% on shots from downtown (209 of 657) and 71.8% from the free throw line. As a team, Maryland is snagging 35.0 rebounds per game and has 255 assists so far this year, which is 363rd in Division 1 in terms of passing. They are turning it over 12.5 times per game and as a squad they are committing 18.4 fouls per game.

On the defensive end, the Terrapins are forcing their opponents into 11.0 turnovers per game while drawing 18.8 fouls. They rank 329th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 416 relinquished for the year. The Terrapins defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 47.1% (679 of 1,443) and they relinquish 34.8 rebounds per contest as a group. They concede 37.3% on shots from beyond the arc and they are ranked 293rd in college in points per game from their opponents (78.2).

When they last stepped on the court, the Northwestern Wildcats took a loss by a score of 68-49 against Nebraska. With respect to team rebounding, Northwestern allowed Nebraska to snag 37 in all (11 offensive). They shot 44.0% from distance by hitting 11 of 25 and ended up going 9 out of 12 from the free throw line (75.0%). The Wildcats allowed Nebraska to bury 24 out of their 53 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 45.3% for this contest. Overall, the Wildcats finished 20 for 50 from the field which had them sitting at 40.0%. In relation to 3-pointers, Northwestern buried 3 of their 15 attempts (20.0%). They were able to make 6 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 54.5%. Nebraska was called for 14 personal fouls for the matchup which got the Wildcats to the free throw line for 11 attempts. They also gave up possession of the ball 16 times, while earning 9 steals for this contest. The Wildcats collected 14 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive rebounds for a total of 19 in the matchup.

Nick Martinelli pitched in for the Wildcats for the contest. He racked up 11 points in his 35 minutes on the hardwood and earned 1 assist in this contest. He made 4 out of 12 for this contest for a field goal percentage of 33.3%, and had 3 rebounds.

Northwestern has a win-loss record of 10-16 on the season. The Wildcats commit 17.8 fouls per contest and they go 74.9% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 17.1 times per game (36th in the nation) and they cough up possession 8.6 times per game. Northwestern has tallied 1,924 pts so far this season (74.0 per game) and they grab 31.8 boards per contest. In terms of offensive execution, the Wildcats are shooting 45.5% from the floor, which is 163rd in D-1.

The Wildcats defensively are ranked 162nd in college in points per game surrendered with 73.0. They are forcing 11.2 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 43.4% from the field (144th in the nation). The Northwestern defense gives up 32.6% on 3-point attempts (196 of 602) and their opposition knocks down 73.0% of their shots from the free throw line. They concede 15.4 dimes and 36.2 boards per contest, which has them ranked 309th and 284th in college.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Northwestern

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