Mississippi State Bulldogs vs South Carolina Gamecocks Prediction, 2/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Mississippi State Bulldogs vs South Carolina Gamecocks

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Location: Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, SC

TV: SEC Network

The South Carolina Gamecocks (11-15) are welcoming the Mississippi State Bulldogs (13-13) at Colonial Life Arena on Saturday.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs took the court against Auburn and walked away with a win by a score of 91-85 in their last contest. Mississippi State finished with a 50.0% field goal percentage (31 out of 62) and knocked down 16 of their 30 shots from distance. At the charity stripe, the Bulldogs converted 13 of 17 tries for a rate of 76.5%. In the matter of rebounding, they earned 32 with 7 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 17 assists in this contest as well as forcing 8 turnovers and having 6 steals. In regard to defense, Mississippi State allowed their opponent to shoot 38.7% from the floor on 24 out of 62 shooting. Auburn recorded 12 assists and had 6 steals in this game. On top of that, Auburn snagged 38 rebounds (15 offensive, 23 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Auburn ended up shooting 80.6% at the free throw line by converting 25 of 31 attempts. They also made 12 of their 26 shots from downtown. Concerning fouls, the Bulldogs walked away with 23 and Auburn totaled 15 fouls.

Josh Hubbard is one player who was a major factor for the matchup. He scored 46 points on 15 of 27 shooting. He was on the court for 39 minutes played and also grabbed 9 rebounds. He walked away from this one shooting 55.6% from the field and also earned 3 dimes.

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Mississippi State enters this game with a mark of 13-13 for the campaign. They are averaging 77.9 points per contest (137th in D-1) on 44.9% from the field. The Bulldogs are hitting 32.3% on shots from distance (208 of 644) and 68.0% from the free throw line. As a unit, Mississippi State is pulling in 39.5 rebounds per game and has tallied 331 dimes this year, which is 278th in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. They turn it over 11.4 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 16.2 fouls every game.

On defense, the Bulldogs are able to force 9.2 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.0 personal fouls. They give up 31.1% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are 306th in D-1 in opponents PPG (78.6). The Bulldogs defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 42.9% (720 of 1,680) and they concede 38.1 rebounds per contest as a team. They currently rank 215th in the country in allowing assists to the opposition with 364 relinquished for the season.

When they last stepped on the court, the South Carolina Gamecocks walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 76-62 when they played Florida. The Gamecocks recorded 16 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive rebounds for a total of 27 for the game. They also turned it over 11 times, while getting 6 steals for the contest. Florida was called for 18 fouls in this game which took the Gamecocks to the charity stripe for a total of 20 attempts. They were able to bury 14 of the free throws for a rate of 70.0%. In reference to shooting from beyond the arc, South Carolina made 4 of their 19 tries (21.1%). Overall, the Gamecocks went 22 for 58 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 37.9%. The Gamecocks allowed Florida to make 29 out of their 62 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 46.8% in this game. They went 26.3% from three-point range by hitting 5 of 19 and ended up going 13 of 18 at the charity stripe (72.2%). In the matter of how they cleaned up the glass, South Carolina permitted Florida to grab 45 in total (18 on the offensive side).

Meechie Johnson Jr. was important for the Gamecocks for the game. He knocked down 6 of 16 for the contest giving him a field goal percentage of 37.5%, and accumulated 3 rebounds. He racked up 22 points in his 30 mins of playing time and accounted for 2 dimes in this matchup.

South Carolina has a mark of 11-15 this year. When it comes to offensive execution, the Gamecocks are hitting on 43.8% from the field, which ranks them 274th in college hoops. South Carolina has tallied 1,973 points so far this season (75.9 per game) and they snag 32.9 boards per contest. They are dishing out assists 13.5 times per contest (218th in college) and they lose possession via turnover 10.0 times per contest. The Gamecocks commit 17.7 fouls per game and they go 78.7% from the charity stripe.

The South Carolina defense concedes 31.8% on three-point shots (174 of 547) and their opposition makes 71.7% of their free throw attempts. They have allowed 15.3 assists and 36.3 boards per contest, which ranks them 306th and 292nd in those defensive categories. The Gamecocks on defense are ranked 237th in college hoops in points given up per game with 75.9. They are forcing 10.4 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 45.2% from the field (249th in the country).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take South Carolina

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