Tarleton State Texans vs Utah Valley Wolverines Prediction, 2/26/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Tarleton State Texans vs Utah Valley Wolverines

Date: Thursday, February 26, 2026

Location: UCCU Center in Orem, UT

TV: ESPN+

The Utah Valley Wolverines (20-7) will play the Tarleton State Texans (14-14) at UCCU Center on Thursday.

The Tarleton State Texans faced Utah Tech and ended up losing by a score of 80-72 in their last game. When talking about fouls, the Texans walked away with 18 while Utah Tech totaled 11 fouls. They made 11 out of their 29 tries from distance. Utah Tech finished the game shooting 85.0% at the charity stripe by knocking down 17 of 20 shots. Moreover, Utah Tech had 37 rebounds (11 offensive, 26 defensive), but didn't have a block. Utah Tech totaled 16 assists and had 4 steals in this game. In terms of defense, Tarleton State allowed their opponent to shoot 47.3% from the field on 26 of 55 shooting. They also dished out 12 assists for the matchup as well as forcing the opposition into 9 turnovers and earning 5 steals. With respect to rebounding, they compiled a total of 28 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Texans buried 13 of their 15 tries for a percentage of 86.7%. Tarleton State finished having earned a 42.6% FG percentage (26 out of 61) and made 7 out of their 22 shots from beyond the arc.

Jordan Mizell is one guy who was a major factor for the game. He racked up 14 points on 4 of 10 shooting. He played for 37 minutes and pulled down 11 boards. He finished shooting 40.0% from the field and earned 2 dimes.

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Tarleton State will enter this matchup with a mark of 14-14 for the year. They have an average of 75.3 pts per contest (199th in the country) while hitting 45.6% from the field. The Texans are connecting on 31.3% on shots from distance (128 of 409) and 75.4% from the free throw line. As a unit, Tarleton State is collecting 32.6 rebounds per game and has accounted for 314 assists on the campaign, which is 340th in the country in terms of passing the rock. They turn the ball over 14.5 times per contest and as a team they commit 19.7 fouls on a nightly basis.

Defensively, the Texans are forcing 18.4 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 19.5 personal fouls. They rank 174th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 371 surrendered for the year. The Texans defense is giving up a FG percentage of 44.7% (673 of 1,504) and they concede 34.6 boards per game as a squad. They are giving up 34.7% from 3-point land and they are 147th in college hoops in opponents points per game (72.8).

When they last played, the Utah Valley Wolverines got the victory with a final of 66-54 when they played UT Arlington. The Wolverines corralled 23 defensive boards and 18 offensive rebounds for a total of 41 in the matchup. They turned the ball over 12 times, while getting 8 steals for the contest. UT Arlington was called for 17 fouls in this contest which took the Wolverines to the free throw line for a total of 22 tries. They were able to make 13 of the free throws for a percentage of 59.1%. In terms of shooting from downtown, Utah Valley buried 1 of 14 tries (7.1%). In all, the Wolverines walked away from this one shooting 26 out of 65 from the field which gave them a percentage of 40.0%. The Wolverines allowed UT Arlington to make 17 of their 50 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 34.0% in the game. They shot 26.7% from behind the 3-point line by going 4 of 15 and finished the contest at 16 of 27 at the free throw line (59.3%). In regard to rebounding, Utah Valley permitted UT Arlington to get 29 in all (8 on the offensive side).

Jackson Holcombe ended up being a factor for the Wolverines for the matchup. He made 8 out of 17 in this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 47.1%, and totaled 10 rebounds. He tallied 19 points in his 36 minutes on the hardwood and had 5 dimes in this contest.

Utah Valley has a record of 20-7 so far this year. The Wolverines are responsible for committing 18.1 personal fouls every game and they shoot 70.3% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 18.8 times per game (8th in the nation) and they turn the ball over 14.5 times per game. Utah Valley has earned 2,169 pts so far this season (80.3 per game) and they grab 37.4 boards per game. When it comes to executing on offense, the Wolverines are hitting on 50.3% from the floor, which ranks them 13th in the country.

The Wolverines are ranked 26th in college in points given up per game with 66.8. They are forcing 15.6 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 40.6% from the floor (32nd in the country). The Utah Valley defense concedes 32.8% on shots from beyond the perimeter (171 of 521) and opponents are connecting on 72.3% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have relinquished 11.9 assists and 31.0 total rebounds per game, which ranks them 64th and 26th in college hoops.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Tarleton State

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