Northwestern State Demons vs UT Rio Grande Vaqueros Prediction, 3/2/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Northwestern State Demons vs UTRGV Vaqueros

Date: Monday, March 2, 2026

Location: UTRGV Fieldhouse in Edinburg, TX

TV: ESPN+

The Northwestern State Demons (10-19) are traveling to UTRGV Fieldhouse on Monday where they will take on the UTRGV Vaqueros (16-13).

The Northwestern State Demons took the court against Incarnate Word and walked away with a win by a score of 54-49 in their last contest. Northwestern State finished the contest with a 36.7% FG percentage (18 of 49) and converted 4 of 14 three-point attempts. At the charity stripe, the Demons converted 14 of their 19 attempts for a percentage of 73.7%. With regard to pulling down rebounds, they compiled 29 with 4 of them being offensive. They also recorded 7 dimes for this game in addition to forcing the opposition into 9 turnovers and having 2 steals. Concerning the defense, Northwestern State allowed the other team to go 33.3% from the field on 17 of 51 shooting. Incarnate Word distributed 8 assists and had 7 steals for the contest. Furthermore, Incarnate Word snagged 32 rebounds (6 offensive, 26 defensive), but didn't have a block. Incarnate Word finished the game at 66.7% when shooting free throws by converting 10 of 15 attempts. They knocked down 5 of their 19 shots from beyond the arc. With respect to fouls, the Demons left the arena with 15 while Incarnate Word totaled 16 fouls.

Micah Thomas is a player who played a role for the contest. He finished the game shooting 41.2% from the floor but finished the game without a dime. He was on the hardwood for 38 minutes and totaled 6 rebounds. He ended up with 18 points on 7 of 17 shooting.

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Northwestern State heads into this one with a record of 10-19 this year. They average 69.6 pts per game (318th in Division 1) while shooting 44.2% from the field. The Demons are connecting on 33.0% on 3-point shots (175 of 530) and 74.6% from the free throw line. As a team, Northwestern State is collecting 31.2 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 350 dimes this year, which is 305th in the country in terms of passing. They are losing possession via turnover 11.6 times per contest and as a unit are committing 16.9 personal fouls per game.

Defensively, the Demons are able to force 11.6 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.8 personal fouls. They currently rank 172nd in college in allowing assists with 381 conceded so far this season. The Demons defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 45.8% (739 of 1,612) and they relinquish 34.6 boards per game as a group. They are giving up 35.5% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 149th in the country in points per game allowed (72.8).

The last time they took the court, the UTRGV Vaqueros walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 75-68 when they faced McNeese State. The Vaqueros snagged 24 defensive rebounds and 4 offensive boards totaling 28 in this contest. They also coughed it up 16 times, while earning 6 steals for the contest. McNeese State had 15 fouls for the contest which got the Vaqueros to the free throw line for a total of 17 attempts. They were able to make 10 of those for a percentage of 58.8%. In terms of 3-pointers, UT Rio Grande buried 8 out of 27 tries (29.6%). When the game finished, the Vaqueros shot 25 out of 50 from the floor which gave them a rate of 50.0%. The Vaqueros permitted McNeese State to bury 25 of their 58 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 43.1% for the contest. They went 22.2% from distance by shooting 4 out of 18 and ended up going 21 of 29 at the charity stripe (72.4%). When talking about how they attacked the glass, UT Rio Grande permitted McNeese State to snag 32 in total (11 on the offensive glass).

Filip Brankovic ended up being a factor for the Vaqueros in this game. He accumulated 15 points in his 29 minutes on the court and accounted for 1 assist for the matchup. He converted 7 out of 11 for this contest for a field goal percentage of 63.6%, and had 3 rebounds.

UT Rio Grande has a record of 16-13 for the year. In terms of offensive execution, the Vaqueros are shooting 47.2% from the field, which has them ranked 67th in D-1. UT Rio Grande has scored 2,202 points so far this season (75.9 per game) and they average 34.8 rebounds per game. They are getting an assist 16.7 times per game (42nd in the country) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 11.8 times per contest. The Vaqueros commit 18.0 fouls per game and they go 75.6% from the charity stripe.

The Vaqueros on the defensive end are ranked 72nd in D-1 in points allowed per game with 69.8. They have forced 11.2 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 41.6% from the floor (57th in college hoops). The UT Rio Grande defense gives up 30.8% on 3-point attempts (200 of 650) and their opposition makes 70.0% of their foul shots. They have given up 13.8 dimes and 33.9 boards on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 217th and 147th in those defensive categories.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Northwestern State

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