SMU Mustangs vs Syracuse Orange Prediction, 2/14/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: SMU Mustangs vs Syracuse Orange

Date: Saturday, February 14, 2026

Location: JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, NY

TV: ESPN+

The SMU Mustangs (17-7) are on their way to JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday where they will try to beat the Syracuse Orange (14-11).

The SMU Mustangs stepped onto the hardwood against Notre Dame and went home with a win by a final score of 89-81 in their last contest. When talking about fouls, the Mustangs ended up with 17 and Notre Dame had 15 fouls. They also made 11 out of their 25 attempts from 3-point range. Notre Dame ended up going 57.1% from the charity stripe by converting 8 of 14 shots. In addition, Notre Dame grabbed 22 boards (7 offensive, 15 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Notre Dame recorded 16 dimes and had 8 steals in the matchup. When it comes to defending, SMU allowed their opponent to shoot 53.4% from the floor on 31 of 58 shooting. They also distributed 25 assists in this contest as well as forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and having 6 steals. With regard to hauling in rebounds, they earned a total of 35 with 12 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Mustangs knocked down 12 of their 16 attempts for a rate of 75.0%. SMU finished the contest with a 52.5% FG percentage (32 out of 61) and converted 13 of their 28 3-point attempts.

Jaron Pierre Jr. is one player who came through in this game. He shot 53.3% from the floor and also recorded 6 assists. He was on the court for 34 mins played and snagged 8 boards. He ended up scoring 22 points on 8 of 15 shooting.

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SMU will enter this contest with a record of 17-7 on the campaign. They currently have an average of 86.5 points per game (17th in the nation) while connecting on 49.7% from the floor. The Mustangs are hitting 37.9% from downtown (200 of 528) and 76.2% from the free throw line. As a team, SMU is pulling down 38.0 rebounds per contest and has racked up 425 assists on the year, which has them ranked 36th in college in terms of passing. They turn it over 11.7 times per contest and as a squad are committing 17.1 personal fouls every game.

On the defensive end of the court, the Mustangs have forced 12.8 turnovers per game and they draw 18.0 personal fouls. They rank 328th in the country in allowing assists to the opposition with 393 surrendered so far this year. The Mustangs defensively are allowing a shooting percentage of 43.3% (646 of 1,492) and they concede 34.2 rebounds per game as a team. They are surrendering 32.6% on 3-point shots while they are 276th in the country in points per game allowed (77.5).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Syracuse Orange went home victorious with a score of 107-100 when they played California. When discussing how they rebounded, Syracuse allowed California to get 34 in all (9 on the offensive side). They went 36.7% from 3-point land by connecting on 11 of 30 and walked away from this one shooting 19 out of 25 at the free throw line (76.0%). The Orange permitted California to make 35 of 77 attempts from the field which had them sitting at 45.5% for the matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Orange went 38 for 71 from the floor which gave them a rate of 53.5%. When it comes to shots from downtown, Syracuse converted 6 of their 25 attempts (24.0%). They were able to make 25 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 59.5%. California committed 26 fouls in the game which got the Orange to the charity stripe for 42 attempts. They also turned it over 12 times, while recording 12 steals for this game. The Orange recorded 29 defensive boards and 10 offensive rebounds totaling 39 for this contest.

Nate Kingz ended up being a factor for the Orange in this game. He made 8 of 14 in this contest for a rate of 57.1%, and earned 4 rebounds. He earned 27 points in his 44 mins on the court and tallied 2 assists in the game.

Syracuse has a record of 14-11 this year. The Orange are responsible for committing 16.6 personal fouls every game and they connect on 63.3% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 13.2 times per game (238th in college) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 11.4 times per game. Syracuse has accounted for 1,910 points for the season (76.4 per contest) and they pull in 35.0 rebounds per contest. As an offense, the Orange are connecting on 47.4% from the field, which ranks 63rd in D-1.

The Orange are ranked 128th in D-1 in PPG given up with 71.9. They have forced 13.1 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.6% from the field (100th in college). The Syracuse defense surrenders 32.4% on 3-pointers (169 of 521) and opponents are connecting on 72.7% of their foul shots. They have conceded 13.5 dimes and 36.6 boards on a nightly basis, which is 192nd and 299th in the nation.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take SMU

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