Niagara Purple Eagles vs Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers Prediction, 2/20/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Niagara Purple Eagles vs Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers

Date: Friday, February 20, 2026

Location: Knott Arena in Emmitsburg, MD

TV: ESPN+

Knott Arena is the location where the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers (12-15) will take on the Niagara Purple Eagles (7-19) on Friday.

The Niagara Purple Eagles took the court against Iona and earned the victory with a final of 70-68 in their last game. Niagara finished having earned a 51.1% field goal percentage (24 out of 47) and converted 9 of 18 shots from beyond the perimeter. When they shot from the free throw line, the Purple Eagles knocked down 13 of their 15 shots for a percentage of 86.7%. Concerning rebounding, they earned 22 with 3 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 15 assists for the contest in addition to forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and earning 3 steals. Regarding the defense, Niagara allowed 45.1% from the field on 23 of 51 shooting. Iona earned 14 dimes and had 4 steals in this matchup. In addition, Iona totaled 27 rebounds (6 offensive, 21 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Iona finished the game shooting 76.5% at the charity stripe by knocking down 13 of their 17 attempts. They also converted 9 out of their 30 shots from distance. In relation to fouls, the Purple Eagles ended up with 16 and Iona finished the game with 19 fouls.

Brian Griffith is one guy who was a major factor in this contest. He ended up finishing with 17 points on 5 of 6 shooting. He played 17 mins played and also collected 2 rebounds. He ended up shooting 83.3% from the floor and earned 3 dimes.

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Niagara will enter this game with a record of 7-19 for the season. They are giving up possession 11.5 times per game and as a team are committing 15.0 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Niagara is grabbing 29.2 rebounds per game and is sitting with 357 assists this year, which is 218th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. The Purple Eagles are hitting 33.7% on shots from beyond the arc (187 of 555) and 71.9% from the free throw line. They average 63.3 points per contest (360th in Division 1) while going 43.8% from the floor.

On the defensive end of the court, the Purple Eagles are forcing their opponents into 10.6 turnovers per game while drawing 15.0 personal fouls. They concede 35.0% on shots from beyond the arc while they are 100th in D-1 in opponents PPG (71.0). The Purple Eagles defense is allowing a FG percentage of 45.6% (638 of 1,400) and they concede 33.8 boards per contest as a squad. They rank 128th in college in giving up assists with 335 relinquished this year.

The last time they took the court, the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers walked away with a victory by a final of 65-55 against Rider. The Mountaineers corralled 27 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 35 in this contest. They gave up possession of the ball 18 times, while getting 2 steals in the game. Rider was called for 12 personal fouls in this contest which took the Mountaineers to the free throw line for a total of 8 shots. They were able to knock down 5 of them for a clip of 62.5%. With regard to three-point attempts, Mount St. Mary's made 8 of their 24 tries (33.3%). When the final whistle blew, the Mountaineers shot 26 out of 51 from the floor which gave them a rate of 51.0%. The Mountaineers allowed Rider to convert 21 of 60 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 35.0% for the game. They finished 14.3% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 2 out of 14 and ended up going 11 out of 17 at the free throw line (64.7%). In reference to how they attacked the glass, Mount St. Mary's allowed Rider to snag 23 overall (6 on the offensive glass).

Abdou Khadre Kebe ended up being a factor for the Mountaineers for this game. He made 6 of 13 for this game for a rate of 46.2%, and totaled 10 rebounds. He recorded 15 points in his 30 mins of playing time, but wasn't able to earn an assist.

Mount St. Mary's has a record of 12-15 for the season. The Mountaineers are committing 18.0 personal fouls per contest and they shoot 67.2% from the free throw line. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 13.7 times per game (207th in college) and they turn it over 15.6 times per contest. Mount St. Mary's has 1,838 points this year (68.1 per game) and they average 36.7 rebounds per game. As an offense, the Mountaineers are shooting 43.7% from the field, which ranks them 273rd in college hoops.

The Mount St. Mary's defense allows 33.4% on 3-point attempts (236 of 706) and their opponents are connecting on 74.8% of their foul shots. They have relinquished 12.5 dimes and 33.5 rebounds every game, which is 108th and 122nd in those defensive categories. The Mountaineers on the defensive end are ranked 129th in college in PPG surrendered with 72.1. They are able to force 10.6 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 40.5% from the field (31st in the nation).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Mount St. Mary's

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