New Orleans Privateers vs Lamar Cardinals Prediction, 2/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: New Orleans Privateers vs Lamar Cardinals

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Location: Montagne Center in Beaumont, TX

TV: ESPN+

The Lamar Cardinals (12-15) host the New Orleans Privateers (12-15) at Montagne Center on Saturday.

The New Orleans Privateers faced Incarnate Word and notched a win by a score of 78-64 in their last contest. When discussing personal fouls, the Privateers ended up finishing with 18 and Incarnate Word accumulated 18 personal fouls. They also buried 7 of 24 attempts from distance. Incarnate Word ended up shooting 68.0% at the charity stripe by making 17 of 25 attempts. Moreover, Incarnate Word had 28 boards (8 offensive, 20 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Incarnate Word dished out 14 assists and had 3 steals in the matchup. In terms of defending, New Orleans allowed the other team to go 36.4% from the field on 20 out of 55 shooting. They also doled out 11 assists in this contest in addition to forcing the opposition into 10 turnovers and earning 7 steals. In reference to grabbing boards, they earned 31 with 9 of them being of the offensive variety. When they shot from the free throw line, the Privateers made 24 of their 34 shots for a rate of 70.6%. New Orleans ended with a 43.6% field goal percentage (24 out of 55) and made 6 of 21 3-pointers.

Coleton Benson is a guy who was a contributor for the contest. He shot 45.5% from the floor but didn't record an assist. He was on the hardwood for 38 minutes and totaled 3 rebounds. He accounted for 18 points on 5 of 11 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Picks Today

New Orleans enters this game with a record of 12-15 on the season. They turn the ball over 14.5 times per contest and as a group are committing 19.7 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, New Orleans is collecting 37.1 boards per contest and has earned 344 assists so far this season, which is 255th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. The Privateers are connecting on 33.1% on 3-point shots (170 of 514) and 74.5% from the charity stripe. They average 75.2 pts per contest (207th in the country) while going 44.5% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Privateers are forcing 10.5 turnovers per game while drawing 20.7 personal fouls. They are giving up 32.8% on shots from beyond the arc while they are 314th in the nation in points per game from their opponents (79.1). The Privateers defense is giving up a FG percentage of 42.7% (712 of 1,667) and they relinquish 35.4 rebounds per game as a team. They are currently ranked 339th in the nation in giving up assists with 435 relinquished on the season.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Lamar Cardinals took a defeat with a final score of 70-65 when they played UT Rio Grande. The Cardinals corralled 27 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive rebounds totaling 37 in this matchup. They also coughed up the ball 6 times, while recording 1 steal for the contest. UT Rio Grande committed 14 fouls for this contest which got the Cardinals to the charity stripe for 16 shots. They were able to make 7 of those for a percentage of 43.8%. In the matter of shots from 3-point land, Lamar knocked down 6 of 11 tries (54.5%). When all was said and done, the Cardinals finished 26 for 58 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 44.8%. The Cardinals allowed UT Rio Grande to knock down 22 of their 61 tries from the floor which left them shooting 36.1% in the matchup. They finished shooting 32.1% from 3-point land by shooting 9 of 28 and finished the game at 17 of 23 from the free throw line (73.9%). When discussing rebounding, Lamar allowed UT Rio Grande to grab 30 in total (11 offensive).

Rob Lee Jr. ended up being a factor for the Cardinals for the matchup. He made 4 out of 12 for the contest giving him a field goal percentage of 33.3%, and had 1 rebound. He earned 14 points in his 32 minutes of playing time and had 4 assists in this game.

Lamar has a win-loss record of 12-15 for the season. On the offensive side of the ball, the Cardinals are hitting on 43.7% from the floor, which ranks 276th in the country. Lamar has accounted for 1,931 pts on the season (71.5 per contest) and they pull down 37.6 rebounds per game. They are getting an assist 14.8 times per game (129th in college) and they are losing possession via turnover 11.7 times per game. The Cardinals are committing 17.5 fouls per game while shooting 71.5% from the charity stripe.

The Cardinals on the defensive side of the court are 65th in Division 1 in points allowed per contest with 69.1. They are able to force 11.5 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 43.1% from the floor (116th in college). The Lamar defense surrenders 35.8% from downtown (191 of 534) and their opposition knocks down 67.7% of their free throw attempts. They concede 13.3 dimes and 32.7 total boards per game, which is ranked 169th and 74th in Division 1.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take New Orleans

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get college basketball picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.