Southern Utah Thunderbirds vs Tarleton State Texans Prediction, 2/19/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Southern Utah Thunderbirds vs Tarleton State Texans

Date: Thursday, February 19, 2026

Location: Wisdom Gym in Stephenville, TX

TV: ESPN+

Wisdom Gym is where the Tarleton State Texans (13-13) will try to defeat the Southern Utah Thunderbirds (9-17) on Thursday.

The Southern Utah Thunderbirds took the court against UT Arlington and notched a win by a score of 78-73 in their last game. Concerning fouls, the Thunderbirds walked away with 20 while UT Arlington recorded 21 fouls. They also made 5 of 15 shots from beyond the arc. UT Arlington walked away from this one shooting 69.0% from the charity stripe by making 20 of 29 shots. Additionally, UT Arlington snagged 26 boards (11 offensive, 15 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. UT Arlington distributed 13 assists and had 9 steals in this contest. In relation to the defense, Southern Utah allowed 40.7% from the floor on 24 out of 59 shooting. They also distributed 16 assists in the game as well as creating 9 turnovers and having 2 steals. With regard to rebounding, they collected 35 with 9 of them being offensive. From the free throw line, the Thunderbirds made 16 of 23 shots for a percentage of 69.6%. Southern Utah ended the game having earned a 53.8% field goal percentage (28 out of 52) and converted 6 out of their 18 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Elijah Duval is someone who came through in the matchup. He scored 20 points on 7 out of 12 shooting. He played for 22 mins and collected 2 rebounds. He shot 58.3% from the floor and earned 3 assists.

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Southern Utah comes into this one with a record of 9-17 for the campaign. They are giving up possession 14.2 times per game and as a team they are committing 16.2 fouls per contest. As a unit, Southern Utah is grabbing 36.3 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 368 assists for the season, which has them ranked 178th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Thunderbirds are connecting on 33.9% on shots from downtown (192 of 567) and 72.3% from the free throw line. They are averaging 76.1 points per game (174th in the country) while connecting on 45.7% from the field.

On defense, the Thunderbirds have forced 11.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 17.6 fouls. They are surrendering 37.0% on shots from beyond the arc and they are 326th in D-1 in PPG allowed (79.6). The Thunderbirds defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 45.8% (770 of 1,682) and they surrender 36.8 boards per game as a unit. They rank 211th in college in giving up assists with 360 relinquished for the campaign.

In their last game, the Tarleton State Texans walked away with a victory by a final of 65-62 when they faced Abilene Christian. The Texans were able to corral 24 defensive rebounds and 2 offensive boards for a total of 26 in the game. They coughed up the ball 19 times, while recording 15 steals in the game. Abilene Christian committed 26 fouls in this game which took the Texans to the free throw line for a total of 35 attempts. They were able to knock down 26 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 74.3%. In the matter of shooting from 3-point land, Tarleton State made 3 of their 12 tries (25.0%). Overall, the Texans finished 18 for 41 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 43.9%. The Texans allowed Abilene Christian to convert 23 of their 62 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 37.1% for the matchup. They finished 10.5% from distance by connecting on 2 out of 19 and walked away from this one shooting 14 out of 25 at the free throw line (56.0%). Regarding cleaning the glass, Tarleton State permitted Abilene Christian to pull down 39 in total (13 offensive).

Kade Douglas was important for the Texans for the contest. He recorded 24 points in his 41 mins on the court and had 1 assist for this contest. He made 8 out of 16 in this game giving him a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and earned 3 rebounds.

Tarleton State has a mark of 13-13 this season. The Texans have committed 19.8 personal fouls every game and they shoot 75.4% from the free throw line. Their rate of earning assists is at 11.3 times per game (339th in college) and they are giving up possession 15.0 times per contest. Tarleton State has totaled 1,958 points so far this season (75.3 per contest) and they snag 32.8 boards per contest. In terms of offensive execution, the Texans are shooting 45.4% from the floor, which has them ranked 168th in college hoops.

The Tarleton State defense gives up 33.9% on 3-point attempts (191 of 564) and opponents are connecting on 71.2% of their free throw attempts. They give up 13.2 dimes and 34.4 rebounds per contest, ranking them 161st and 183rd in college hoops. The Texans on defense are ranked 137th in Division 1 in points per game surrendered with 72.5. They have forced 18.8 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.9% from the floor (240th in college hoops).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Tarleton State

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