Radford Highlanders vs UNC Asheville Bulldogs Prediction, 2/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Radford Highlanders vs UNC Asheville Bulldogs

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Location: Kimmel Arena in Asheville, NC

TV: ESPN+

The UNC Asheville Bulldogs (12-14) are welcoming the Radford Highlanders (14-13) at Kimmel Arena on Saturday.

The Radford Highlanders played Charleston Southern and walked away with a win by a score of 90-80 in their last game. Radford ended with a 52.4% FG percentage (33 of 63) and knocked down 8 of their 22 three-point shots. When they shot from the free throw line, the Highlanders made 16 of 24 attempts for a rate of 66.7%. In reference to grabbing rebounds, they collected 37 with 9 of them being offensive. They also recorded 16 assists for the contest while forcing the other team into 15 turnovers and earning 11 steals. When it comes to defense, Radford let their opponent shoot 45.6% from the floor on 31 out of 68 shooting. Charleston Southern doled out 18 assists and had 5 steals for the matchup. On top of that, Charleston Southern snagged 26 boards (8 offensive, 18 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Charleston Southern finished the game at 37.5% at the free throw line by converting 3 of their 8 tries. They knocked down 15 of 32 tries from beyond the perimeter. When discussing fouls, the Highlanders ended up with 12 while Charleston Southern totaled 17 fouls.

Jaylon Johnson is a guy who came through in this matchup. He recorded 17 points on 7 of 10 shooting. He saw the court for 32 minutes and also totaled 2 rebounds. He finished shooting 70.0% from the floor and also totaled 4 assists.

Get all of our NCAA Picks Today

Radford enters this game with a mark of 14-13 for the year. They lose possession via turnover 12.6 times per game and as a unit are committing 18.8 personal fouls per contest. As a unit, Radford is snagging 36.0 boards per contest and has tallied 363 dimes this season, which is 210th in college in terms of passing the ball. The Highlanders are shooting 34.1% on shots from downtown (258 of 757) and 71.1% from the free throw line. They have an average of 82.2 pts per game (57th in college) while hitting 45.3% from the field.

Defensively, the Highlanders are forcing 14.0 turnovers per contest and they draw 20.0 fouls. They are currently ranked 297th in Division 1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 400 surrendered for the campaign. The Highlanders defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 45.3% (726 of 1,604) and they relinquish 36.6 boards per game as a unit. They are giving up 35.5% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are ranked 317th in college hoops in opponents PPG (79.2).

When they last stepped on the court, the UNC Asheville Bulldogs walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 58-57 against Presbyterian. The Bulldogs snagged 21 defensive boards and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 28 for this game. They also gave up possession of the ball 7 times, while getting 9 steals in this matchup. Presbyterian committed 9 personal fouls in this contest which got the Bulldogs to the free throw line for a total of 9 attempts. They were able to bury 6 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 66.7%. When discussing three-point shots, UNC Asheville converted 3 out of 15 attempts (20.0%). When the final whistle blew, the Bulldogs ended up shooting 24 for 59 from the floor which had them shooting 40.7%. The Bulldogs allowed Presbyterian to knock down 23 of 53 attempts from the field which left them with a rate of 43.4% in this contest. They went 31.3% from downtown by going 5 out of 16 and finished the contest at 7 out of 12 from the free throw line (58.3%). When discussing team rebounding, UNC Asheville allowed Presbyterian to pull down 33 in total (9 on the offensive glass).

Kameron Taylor was important for the Bulldogs in the matchup. He buried 9 of 14 in this matchup giving him a rate of 64.3%, but couldn't coral a rebound. He had 19 points in his 34 mins of playing time and accounted for 5 assists in the matchup.

UNC Asheville has a win-loss mark of 12-14 on the campaign. The Bulldogs commit 17.9 personal fouls per game and they go 70.2% from the charity stripe. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 11.3 times per contest (344th in Division 1) and they are turning it over 12.2 times per game. UNC Asheville has accumulated 1,919 pts on the year (73.8 per contest) and they average 34.7 boards per game. When it comes to executing on offense, the Bulldogs are connecting on 45.9% from the field, which has them ranked 144th in the country.

The Bulldogs defensively are ranked 122nd in college in PPG given up with 71.8. They have forced 11.1 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.2% from the floor (191st in college hoops). The UNC Asheville defense gives up 32.3% on shots from beyond the perimeter (175 of 541) and opponents are converting on 68.1% of their free throw shots. They concede 12.2 dimes and 33.0 rebounds per game, which has them ranked 88th and 93rd in college hoops.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Radford

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.