Niagara Purple Eagles vs Rider Broncs Prediction, 2/22/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Niagara Purple Eagles vs Rider Broncs

Date: Sunday, February 22, 2026

Location: Alumni Gymnasium in Lawrenceville, NJ

TV: ESPN+

The Niagara Purple Eagles (7-19) are traveling to Alumni Gymnasium on Sunday where they will attempt to beat the Rider Broncs (3-22).

The Niagara Purple Eagles faced Iona and notched a win by a score of 70-68 in their last game. When it comes to personal fouls, the Purple Eagles walked away with 16 while Iona recorded 19 personal fouls. They made 9 out of their 30 attempts from three-point range. Iona walked away from this one shooting 76.5% at the charity stripe by making 13 of their 17 attempts. Additionally, Iona snagged 27 rebounds (6 offensive, 21 defensive), but didn't have a block. Iona doled out 14 assists and had 4 steals in the game. In reference to defending, Niagara let their opponent shoot 45.1% from the field on 23 out of 51 shooting. They also distributed 15 assists in the matchup while forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and having 3 steals. In relation to getting rebounds, they collected a total of 22 with 3 of them being offensive. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Purple Eagles made 13 of their 15 attempts for a rate of 86.7%. Niagara ended the game with a 51.1% FG percentage (24 of 47) and buried 9 of 18 shots from distance.

Brian Griffith is one player who was a contributor for this contest. He finished the game at 83.3% from the field and dished out 3 dimes. He was on the court for 17 mins and collected 2 rebounds. He left the arena with 17 points on 5 of 6 shooting.

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Niagara will enter this matchup with a mark of 7-19 on the year. They are losing possession via turnover 11.5 times per contest and as a unit they commit 15.0 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Niagara is pulling in 29.2 boards per contest and has totaled 357 dimes for the campaign, which ranks 229th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. The Purple Eagles are shooting 33.7% on three-point shots (187 of 555) and 71.9% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 63.3 points per outing (360th in the nation) while shooting 43.8% from the floor.

On the defensive end of the court, the Purple Eagles are able to force 10.6 turnovers every game and they draw 15.0 personal fouls. They give up 35.0% on shots from downtown and they are 102nd in college in points per game allowed (71.0). The Purple Eagles defensively are allowing a FG percentage of 45.6% (638 of 1,400) and they surrender 33.8 rebounds per game as a team. They are 115th in the nation in giving up assists to the opposition with 335 surrendered this year.

For their last game, the Rider Broncs took a defeat with a final score of 86-75 against Sacred Heart. The Broncs earned 21 defensive boards and 12 offensive boards totaling 33 for the matchup. They coughed it up 7 times, while earning 5 steals in this matchup. Sacred Heart committed 11 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Broncs to the free throw line for a total of 11 attempts. They were able to knock down 8 of the free throws for a rate of 72.7%. With respect to 3-point shots, Rider converted 7 of 15 attempts (46.7%). When the game finished, the Broncs went 30 out of 68 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 44.1%. The Broncs allowed Sacred Heart to convert 27 out of 61 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 44.3% in the game. They shot 36.4% from 3-point land by going 12 of 33 and ended up going 20 out of 23 at the charity stripe (87.0%). When discussing how they attacked the glass, Rider allowed Sacred Heart to collect 33 overall (9 on the offensive glass).

Zion Cruz was important for the Broncs in the game. He buried 10 of 19 in the matchup giving him a rate of 52.6%, and tallied 6 rebounds. He racked up 22 points in his 35 mins of playing time and earned 4 dimes for the matchup.

Rider has a mark of 3-22 so far this year. The Broncs are responsible for committing 16.4 fouls per game and they hit 69.1% from the free throw line. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 10.4 times per contest (360th in college) and they turn it over 11.6 times per game. Rider has 1,588 points this year (63.5 per game) and they grab 35.4 boards per game. When it comes to executing on offense, the Broncs are shooting 39.8% from the field, which ranks them 360th in college hoops.

The Rider defense surrenders 36.9% on 3-point shots (219 of 594) and their opponents are knocking down 70.2% of their free throw attempts. They have relinquished 14.7 dimes and 36.8 boards on a nightly basis, ranking them 281st and 312th in those categories. The Broncs on the defensive side of the court are 250th in college in points allowed per game with 76.6. They have forced 9.5 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 46.6% from the field (309th in D-1).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Niagara

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