South Carolina State Bulldogs vs Norfolk State Spartans Prediction, 2/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: South Carolina State Bulldogs vs Norfolk State Spartans

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Location: Joseph G. Echols Hall in Norfolk, VA

TV: ESPNU

Joseph G. Echols Hall is the location where the Norfolk State Spartans (13-14) will play the South Carolina State Bulldogs (7-18) on Saturday.

The South Carolina State Bulldogs played North Carolina Central and notched a win by a score of 85-72 in their last contest. South Carolina State walked away from the contest having earned a 53.6% field goal percentage (30 of 56) and converted 10 of 22 3-point shots. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Bulldogs knocked down 15 of 17 attempts for a rate of 88.2%. With regard to hauling in boards, they compiled 26 with 6 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 24 dimes in the matchup as well as forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and getting 6 steals. In the matter of defense, South Carolina State let their opponent shoot 48.1% from the floor on 25 out of 52 shooting. North Carolina Central distributed 13 dimes and had 6 steals in the game. On top of that, North Carolina Central collected 27 rebounds (9 offensive, 18 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. North Carolina Central finished the game shooting 58.3% when shooting free throws by converting 14 of their 24 tries. They also converted 8 out of their 20 shots from long range. In relation to fouls, the Bulldogs ended up with 17 while North Carolina Central accumulated 16 fouls.

Jayden Johnson is someone who played a role for the matchup. He finished shooting 60.0% from the field and totaled 6 assists. He saw the court for 33 mins and pulled down 3 rebounds. He left the arena with 20 points on 6 out of 10 shooting.

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South Carolina State will play this contest with a win-loss record of 7-18 so far this year. They are losing possession via turnover 14.5 times per contest and as a unit they commit 21.4 fouls every game. As a team, South Carolina State is grabbing 30.8 rebounds per game and has racked up 302 dimes this year, which is 336th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. The Bulldogs are hitting 34.0% on 3-pointers (158 of 465) and 64.4% from the free throw line. They average 65.8 points per contest (349th in college) while connecting on 40.8% from the field.

On defense, the Bulldogs are forcing their opponents into 13.2 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.0 personal fouls. They relinquish 33.6% on shots from downtown and they are ranked 326th in Division 1 in opponents PPG (79.6). The Bulldogs defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 47.2% (656 of 1,389) and they concede 35.5 boards per game as a team. They rank 283rd in Division 1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 394 surrendered for the season.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Norfolk State Spartans took home the win by a final score of 70-66 against Maryland Eastern Shore. The Spartans were able to snag 20 defensive boards and 8 offensive boards totaling 28 for this contest. They also turned the ball over 7 times, while getting 9 steals in this matchup. Maryland Eastern Shore was called for 18 fouls in this contest which took the Spartans to the free throw line for a total of 21 tries. They were able to make 13 of those for a percentage of 61.9%. Concerning shooting from distance, Norfolk State buried 9 out of 18 tries (50.0%). When the final whistle blew, the Spartans shot 24 out of 46 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 52.2%. The Spartans allowed Maryland Eastern Shore to knock down 25 of 53 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 47.2% in this matchup. They finished 37.5% from 3-point land by connecting on 9 of 24 and finished the game at 7 out of 13 at the charity stripe (53.8%). In relation to team rebounding, Norfolk State allowed Maryland Eastern Shore to grab 25 in all (11 on the offensive side).

Anthony McComb III ended up being a factor for the Spartans for the game. He scored 17 points in his 35 minutes of playing time and tallied 2 assists for the matchup. He buried 4 out of 11 for this game for a field goal percentage of 36.4%, and accounted for 3 rebounds.

Norfolk State has a record of 13-14 this season. As an offensive team, the Spartans are hitting on 46.4% from the field, which is ranked 117th in Division 1. Norfolk State has tallied 2,038 pts this season (75.5 per game) and they pull in 35.0 boards per contest. They are dishing out assists 11.9 times per game (324th in college) and they cough up possession 12.6 times per game. The Spartans have committed 19.2 fouls every game and they connect on 67.6% from the charity stripe.

The Norfolk State defense concedes 31.5% on shots from beyond the arc (202 of 642) and their opponents are knocking down 71.2% of their shots from the charity stripe. They concede 14.1 dimes and 32.9 boards on a nightly basis, which is ranked 244th and 87th in Division 1. The Spartans on the defensive side of the court are 142nd in college in points per game surrendered with 72.6. They are forcing 13.6 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.8% from the floor (169th in college hoops).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take South Carolina State

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