Penn Quakers vs Yale Bulldogs Prediction, 2/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Penn Quakers vs Yale Bulldogs

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Location: John J. Lee Amphitheater in New Haven, CT

TV: ESPN+

The Yale Bulldogs (20-4) will try to defeat the Penn Quakers (13-10) at John J. Lee Amphitheater on Saturday.

The Penn Quakers took the court against Cornell and took home the win by a score of 82-76 in their last contest. Penn finished the contest having earned a 42.6% field goal percentage (26 of 61) and knocked down 3 of their 20 shots from downtown. At the charity stripe, the Quakers buried 27 of their 41 shots for a percentage of 65.9%. In relation to rebounding, they collected a total of 35 with 9 of them being offensive. They also doled out 11 assists in the game as well as forcing the opposition into 15 turnovers and earning 9 steals. When talking about defense, Penn allowed their opponent to shoot 47.6% from the floor on 30 of 63 shooting. Cornell recorded 14 assists and had 6 steals for the contest. Moreover, Cornell snagged 37 rebounds (12 offensive, 25 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Cornell shot 47.6% when shooting free throws by burying 10 of their 21 shots. They also converted 6 of their 23 tries from long range. In the matter of personal fouls, the Quakers walked away with 21 and Cornell recorded 29 personal fouls.

Jay Jones is one guy who was important for the contest. He ended up shooting 57.1% from the floor and also recorded 3 assists. He played for 28 minutes and totaled 5 rebounds. He ended up walking away with 17 points on 4 out of 7 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Betting Picks

Penn heads into this game with a record of 13-10 this season. They currently have an average of 76.6 points per contest (163rd in college hoops) while going 44.4% from the floor. The Quakers are hitting 37.7% from downtown (179 of 475) and 69.2% from the charity stripe. As a team, Penn is pulling down 36.3 rebounds per game and is sitting with 326 assists so far this season, which ranks 292nd in the country in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 11.0 times per game and as a unit are committing 16.8 personal fouls per game.

On the defensive end, the Quakers are able to force 12.0 turnovers per game and they draw 19.4 fouls. They are giving up 32.5% from 3-point land while they are 210th in college in PPG allowed (74.6). Quakers defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 45.6% (636 of 1,396) and they relinquish 35.5 boards per game as a team. They are 115th in college hoops in giving up assists with 335 surrendered on the year.

When they last played, the Yale Bulldogs took home the win by a final score of 76-75 when they played Harvard. The Bulldogs were able to snag 22 defensive boards and 9 offensive rebounds for a total of 31 in this contest. They coughed up the ball 10 times, while earning 4 steals in this matchup. Harvard committed 13 fouls for the contest which took the Bulldogs to the charity stripe for 20 attempts. They were able to bury 17 of them for a rate of 85.0%. When it comes to shots from beyond the perimeter, Yale made 11 of 25 attempts (44.0%). Overall, the Bulldogs ended up going 24 for 58 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 41.4%. The Bulldogs permitted Harvard to bury 31 of their 61 tries from the floor which left them with a rate of 50.8% in this matchup. They finished 27.3% from behind the 3-point line by connecting on 6 out of 22 and finished the contest at 7 out of 8 from the free throw line (87.5%). Regarding rebounds, Yale permitted Harvard to snag 30 overall (7 offensive).

Isaac Celiscar pitched in for the Bulldogs for the matchup. He scored 17 points in his 41 minutes on the hardwood and accounted for 1 assist in the game. He knocked down 4 of 8 for the game for a rate of 50.0%, and had 14 rebounds.

Yale has a win-loss record of 20-4 for the season. The Bulldogs are committing 15.7 fouls per game and they go 76.5% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 16.3 times per game (51st in the nation) and they turn it over 9.4 times per game. Yale has accumulated 2,000 points so far this year (83.3 per contest) and they pull in 35.3 boards per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Bulldogs are connecting on 50.0% from the field, which ranks 18th in the nation.

The Yale defense allows 34.5% from downtown (219 of 635) and opponents are connecting on 71.7% of their foul shots. They surrender 13.2 dimes and 30.3 rebounds on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 162nd and 15th in the country. The Bulldogs on defense are ranked 119th in D-1 in PPG surrendered with 71.5. They have forced 11.1 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 43.7% from the floor (164th in college).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Yale

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.