Murray State Racers vs Nevada Wolf Pack Prediction, 3/18/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Murray State Racers vs Nevada Wolf Pack

Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2026

Location: Lawlor Events Center in Reno, NV

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Nevada (-8)

Lawlor Events Center is the location where the Nevada Wolf Pack (22-12) will take on the Murray State Racers (20-12) on Wednesday in the 1st round of the NIT. Murray State is 8-point dogs. The total is 163.

The Murray State Racers faced UIC and went home with a loss by a final score of 92-79 in their last game. In relation to fouls, the Racers ended up walking away with 25 while UIC accumulated 25 fouls. They converted 4 out of their 13 attempts from beyond the perimeter. UIC ended up going 66.7% at the free throw line by knocking down 20 of 30 shots. Moreover, UIC snagged 35 boards (8 offensive, 27 defensive), but didn't notch a block. UIC doled out 17 dimes and had 5 steals in this matchup. In regard to defense, Murray State allowed the other team to shoot 54.0% from the floor on 34 of 63 shooting. They also recorded 13 dimes in this matchup while creating 12 turnovers and getting 6 steals. When discussing getting rebounds, they collected 32 with 10 of them being offensive. From the free throw line, the Racers made 27 of their 39 shots for a rate of 69.2%. Murray State ended the contest having earned a 36.5% FG percentage (23 of 63) and made 6 out of their 21 3-point shots.

Javon Jackson is a player who was a major contributor for this game. He ended up with 30 points on 12 of 25 shooting. He saw the court for 32 mins played and also pulled down 2 rebounds. He walked away from this one shooting 48.0% from the floor and dished out 2 dimes.

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Murray State comes into this one with a mark of 20-12 on the campaign. They turn it over 11.7 times per game and as a unit are committing 18.7 fouls every game. As a unit, Murray State is pulling down 36.4 rebounds per game and has tallied 441 assists for the year, which is 194th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. The Racers are hitting 34.8% from downtown (303 of 871) and 75.7% from the free throw line. They have an average of 83.3 pts per game (32nd in D-1) while shooting 46.0% from the floor.

When they are on the defensive end, the Racers are forcing 11.6 turnovers per contest while drawing 20.0 fouls. They rank 135th in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 413 surrendered so far this season. The Racers are giving up a field goal percentage of 47.3% (945 of 1,997) and they surrender 35.0 boards per contest as a unit. They concede 36.3% on 3-point shots and they are ranked 330th in college in opponents PPG (79.9).

When they last stepped on the court, the Nevada Wolf Pack took a loss by a final score of 79-66 against Utah State. The Wolf Pack corralled 24 defensive boards and 9 offensive rebounds totaling 33 for this contest. They also turned the ball over 10 times, while getting 8 steals for the matchup. Utah State earned 19 fouls for this game which got the Wolf Pack to the free throw line for 20 attempts. They were able to knock down 13 of those for a percentage of 65.0%. With regard to three-point shots, Nevada made 5 of 19 attempts (26.3%). When the final whistle blew, the Wolf Pack ended up shooting 24 out of 59 from the field which gave them a rate of 40.7%. The Wolf Pack permitted Utah State to bury 24 out of 53 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 45.3% for the game. They went 21.1% from distance by going 4 of 19 and walked away from this one shooting 27 out of 35 from the charity stripe (77.1%). When talking about how they rebounded, Nevada permitted Utah State to pull down 37 in total (8 offensive).

Vaughn Weems was important for the Wolf Pack in this contest. He recorded 17 points in his 34 mins on the hardwood and had 1 assist for the game. He converted 7 out of 17 in this contest for a field goal percentage of 41.2%, and had 9 rebounds.

Nevada has a record of 22-12 for the campaign. The Wolf Pack are responsible for committing 18.2 fouls every game and they shoot 75.2% from the free throw line. They are getting an assist 14.2 times per game (156th in college) and they are turning it over 10.1 times per contest. Nevada has accumulated 2,582 points for the year (75.9 per contest) and they collect 36.0 rebounds per contest. In terms of offensive execution, the Wolf Pack are shooting 43.9% from the field, which is 258th in college.

The Nevada defense surrenders 34.1% on shots from 3-point land (269 of 790) and their opposition makes 71.1% of their foul shots. They have conceded 13.3 dimes and 33.1 boards per contest, which is 178th and 97th in those defensive categories. The Wolf Pack on the defensive side of the court are 116th in college in points given up per game with 71.6. They have forced 11.8 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.8% from the field (154th in the nation).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Nevada (-8)

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