Montana State Bobcats vs Idaho State Bengals Prediction, 2/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Montana State Bobcats vs Idaho State Bengals

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Location: Reed Gym in Pocatello, ID

TV: ESPN+

The Idaho State Bengals (10-17) will go up against the Montana State Bobcats (15-11) at Reed Gym on Saturday.

The Montana State Bobcats stepped onto the hardwood against Montana and walked away with a win by a score of 82-71 in their last game. Montana State ended the contest with a 50.9% field goal percentage (29 of 57) and made 10 of their 22 three-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Bobcats converted 14 of 21 shots for a rate of 66.7%. When it comes to grabbing boards, they compiled 29 with 5 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 16 assists for the contest in addition to forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and getting 5 steals. In relation to defending, Montana State let their opponent shoot 44.4% from the floor on 24 out of 54 shooting. Montana doled out 15 dimes and had 3 steals in this game. Moreover, Montana pulled down 29 rebounds (3 offensive, 26 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Montana ended up going 88.2% at the charity stripe by making 15 of their 17 attempts. They converted 8 of 26 tries from distance. Regarding personal fouls, the Bobcats ended up walking away with 15 and Montana recorded 21 personal fouls.

Jed Miller is someone who was a major contributor in this matchup. He went 36.4% from the field and earned 5 assists. He saw the court for 32 minutes and also pulled down 3 rebounds. He scored 19 points on 4 out of 11 shooting.

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Montana State heads into this contest with a record of 15-11 this year. They currently have an average of 77.8 points per game (142nd in D-1) while shooting 46.2% from the field. The Bobcats are connecting on 36.6% on shots from distance (252 of 689) and 75.7% from the charity stripe. As a team, Montana State is snagging 33.4 rebounds per contest and has accumulated 295 dimes this season, which ranks 343rd in the country in terms of passing. They are giving up possession 10.1 times per game and as a group are committing 15.9 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Bobcats have forced 11.6 turnovers per contest while drawing 16.8 fouls. They are currently ranked 37th in college in allowing assists to the opposition with 296 conceded on the year. The Bobcats defensively are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 44.5% (670 of 1,506) and they surrender 32.8 boards per game as a group. They are relinquishing 33.0% on shots from beyond the arc and they are 94th in D-1 in PPG allowed (70.7).

When they last played, the Idaho State Bengals took a loss by a score of 99-69 against Idaho. In regard to rebounding, Idaho State permitted Idaho to grab 38 in all (8 offensive). They went 48.1% from beyond the perimeter by going 13 of 27 and walked away from this one shooting 12 of 18 at the charity stripe (66.7%). The Bengals allowed Idaho to convert 37 of 62 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 59.7% for the contest. When the final whistle was blown, the Bengals finished 23 for 65 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 35.4%. In terms of shots from downtown, Idaho State converted 7 of their 27 attempts (25.9%). They were able to knock down 16 of them for a clip of 88.9%. Idaho had 19 personal fouls in this contest which got the Bengals to the charity stripe for 18 attempts. They also coughed up the ball 9 times, while getting 9 steals for the matchup. The Bengals pulled down 16 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds totaling 25 for the matchup.

Caleb Van De Griend was important for the Bengals for the game. He buried 5 of 10 in this game for a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and accounted for 5 rebounds. He recorded 13 points in his 20 minutes on the court, but wasn't able to get an assist.

Idaho State has a mark of 10-17 on the campaign. The Bengals are committing 17.1 fouls per contest and they hit 74.6% from the free throw line. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 12.0 times per contest (315th in the country) and they are turning it over 11.1 times per contest. Idaho State has totaled 2,006 points so far this year (74.3 per contest) and they collect 32.6 boards per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Bengals are hitting on 45.4% from the field, which is 169th in the country.

The Bengals defensively are ranked 241st in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 76.0. They are forcing 10.3 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 47.5% from the field (334th in D-1). The Idaho State defense allows 35.5% on shots from beyond the perimeter (205 of 577) and their opponents are connecting on 76.9% of their foul shots. They have relinquished 12.9 dimes and 29.4 total boards per game, which has them ranked 140th and 7th in college hoops.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Montana State

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