Pepperdine Waves vs Portland Pilots Prediction, 2/18/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Pepperdine Waves vs Portland Pilots

Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Location: Chiles Center in Portland, OR

TV: ESPN+

The Pepperdine Waves (7-20) are on their way to Chiles Center on Wednesday where they will try to defeat the Portland Pilots (12-15).

The Pepperdine Waves took the court against Loyola Marymount and walked away with a win by a score of 90-89 in their last game. In relation to fouls, the Waves left the arena with 18 while Loyola Marymount finished the game with 20 fouls. They also made 10 out of their 23 attempts from three-point range. Loyola Marymount finished the game shooting 65.0% at the free throw line by converting 13 of 20 tries. Moreover, Loyola Marymount grabbed 30 boards (9 offensive, 21 defensive), but didn't have a block. Loyola Marymount earned 14 assists and had 8 steals in the matchup. When it comes to the defense, Pepperdine allowed 51.6% from the floor on 33 out of 64 shooting. They also doled out 19 dimes for this game while forcing 7 turnovers and getting 2 steals. In reference to pulling down rebounds, they earned 32 with 9 of them being of the offensive variety. At the charity stripe, the Waves converted 18 of their 25 shots for a percentage of 72.0%. Pepperdine finished having earned a 53.4% FG percentage (31 out of 58) and converted 10 of their 18 3-point attempts.

Aaron Clark is a guy who was a factor in this contest. He recorded 33 points on 9 of 17 shooting. He played 34 mins and also grabbed 7 rebounds. He finished the game shooting 52.9% from the field and dished out 1 assist.

Get all of our NCAA Picks Tonight

Pepperdine heads into this matchup with a win-loss record of 7-20 so far this year. They have an average of 70.7 pts per game (301st in Division 1) while connecting on 42.4% from the field. The Waves are hitting 30.3% on shots beyond the perimeter (183 of 603) and 75.5% from the free throw line. As a team, Pepperdine is grabbing 33.3 boards per game and has totaled 363 dimes this season, which ranks 189th in D-1 in terms of passing. They are losing possession via turnover 13.0 times per contest and as a unit are committing 15.2 personal fouls per contest.

On the defensive end, the Waves have forced 11.6 turnovers every game and they draw 18.3 fouls. They rank 328th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 415 surrendered on the season. The Waves are giving up a field goal percentage of 46.6% (773 of 1,659) and they surrender 35.9 rebounds per game as a team. They are giving up 35.8% on 3-point attempts and they are ranked 315th in college hoops in points per game allowed (79.0).

In their last game, the Portland Pilots went home defeated by a final of 71-58 against San Diego. In the matter of team rebounding, Portland allowed San Diego to collect 28 in all (11 offensive). They finished the game shooting 46.2% from 3-point land by shooting 12 of 26 and ended up shooting 5 out of 8 from the free throw line (62.5%). The Pilots permitted San Diego to make 27 of 59 tries from the field which had them sitting at 45.8% in this matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Pilots shot 21 out of 47 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 44.7%. Regarding shots from distance, Portland converted 2 of their 19 attempts (10.5%). They were able to bury 14 of the free throws for a clip of 100.0%. San Diego committed 11 fouls in the matchup which got the Pilots to the free throw line for 14 tries. They turned it over 15 times, while recording 10 steals in this game. The Pilots earned 22 defensive boards and 5 offensive boards totaling 27 for this game.

Dante Censori-Hercules ended up being a major contributor for the Pilots for this contest. He buried 5 out of 5 for the game for a field goal rate of 100.0%, and accounted for 8 rebounds. He accumulated 12 points in his 31 minutes on the court and totaled 3 dimes for the game.

Portland has a win-loss mark of 12-15 on the season. As an offense, the Pilots are hitting on 46.3% from the floor, which is 122nd in the nation. Portland has scored 2,033 points for the season (75.3 per contest) and they grab 34.2 boards per contest. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 17.0 times per game (39th in the nation) and they are giving up possession 13.6 times per contest. The Pilots are committing 17.8 fouls per game and they shoot 73.7% from the charity stripe.

The Pilots are ranked 307th in college hoops in points allowed per game with 78.6. They have forced 12.6 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 44.4% from the floor (208th in college). The Portland defense surrenders 35.9% on shots from distance (271 of 755) and their opposition knocks down 75.3% of their shots from the free throw line. They have given up 17.5 assists and 33.9 boards per game, which has them ranked 357th and 149th in D-1.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Portland

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.