Missouri State Bears vs FIU Panthers Prediction, 2/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Missouri State Bears vs FIU Panthers

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Location: Ocean Bank Convocation Center in Miami, FL

TV: ESPN+

Ocean Bank Convocation Center is the location where the FIU Panthers (12-13) will meet the Missouri State Bears (13-13) on Saturday.

The Missouri State Bears faced Kennesaw State and took a loss by a score of 91-87 in their last game. Missouri State walked away from the contest having earned a 47.3% FG percentage (26 of 55) and converted 9 out of their 24 shots from 3-point land. At the free throw line, the Bears buried 26 of their 39 shots for a rate of 66.7%. In relation to hauling in boards, they compiled a total of 25 with 6 of them being offensive. They also distributed 18 assists in this matchup as well as creating 7 turnovers and earning 4 steals. With respect to defending, Missouri State let their opponent shoot 48.2% from the floor on 27 out of 56 shooting. Kennesaw State earned 16 dimes and had 8 steals for the matchup. In addition, Kennesaw State grabbed 30 rebounds (9 offensive, 21 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Kennesaw State went 67.6% when shooting free throws by knocking down 23 of their 34 tries. They also converted 14 out of their 26 attempts from 3-point land. When discussing fouls, the Bears ended up finishing with 24 while Kennesaw State finished the game with 25 fouls.

Keith Palek III is one player who had an impact for the contest. He finished the game shooting 33.3% from the floor and earned 7 dimes. He was on the hardwood for 38 minutes and also grabbed 6 boards. He racked up 20 points on 4 of 12 shooting.

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Missouri State comes into this one with a win-loss record of 13-13 for the year. They cough up possession 11.5 times per contest and as a group they are committing 17.8 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Missouri State is pulling in 35.3 boards per game and has earned 368 dimes for the campaign, which has them ranked 194th in the nation in terms of passing. The Bears are shooting 32.1% on 3-point shots (198 of 616) and 67.3% from the free throw line. They average 75.6 pts per contest (191st in college hoops) while going 44.5% from the floor.

On defense, the Bears are able to force 12.1 turnovers every game while drawing 19.0 personal fouls. They are ranked 142nd in college in allowing assists to the opposition with 343 surrendered on the year. The Bears are allowing a field goal percentage of 45.0% (666 of 1,479) and they surrender 33.9 rebounds per contest as a team. They are giving up 34.5% on 3-point shots and they are 181st in college in PPG allowed (73.7).

When they last played, the FIU Panthers took home the win by a final score of 77-64 when they faced Louisiana Tech. The Panthers pulled down 23 defensive boards and 15 offensive rebounds for a total of 38 for this contest. They gave up possession of the ball 15 times, while recording 10 steals for this game. Louisiana Tech earned 16 personal fouls in this game which took the Panthers to the charity stripe for a total of 18 attempts. They were able to make 11 of them for a percentage of 61.1%. When discussing 3-point shots, FIU converted 10 out of 22 tries (45.5%). Overall, the Panthers finished 28 for 59 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 47.5%. The Panthers permitted Louisiana Tech to knock down 25 out of 54 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 46.3% in this game. They finished the game shooting 31.6% from beyond the arc by connecting on 6 of 19 and ended up shooting 8 out of 14 from the free throw line (57.1%). Concerning team rebounding, FIU permitted Louisiana Tech to collect 21 in all (7 offensive).

Zawdie Jackson was important for the Panthers in the game. He converted 6 of 12 for the game giving him a rate of 50.0%, and accounted for 3 rebounds. He racked up 20 points in his 33 minutes on the court and had 4 dimes for this game.

FIU has a mark of 12-13 this season. As an offensive unit, the Panthers are shooting 45.6% from the field, which has them ranked 159th in Division 1. FIU has scored 2,039 pts so far this year (81.6 per contest) and they average 38.6 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 15.3 times per contest (103rd in college) and they cough up possession 12.8 times per contest. The Panthers are responsible for committing 17.8 fouls per contest and they go 68.0% from the free throw line.

The Panthers defensively are ranked 287th in college in points per game surrendered with 77.8. They are able to force 15.3 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 42.6% from the floor (97th in the country). The FIU defense surrenders 34.1% on shots from 3-point land (241 of 706) and their opponents are connecting on 70.8% of their free throw shots. They have surrendered 16.5 assists and 37.5 rebounds per game, which ranks them 346th and 331st in D-1.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take FIU

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