UT Rio Grande Vaqueros vs New Orleans Privateers Prediction, 2/7/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UTRGV Vaqueros vs New Orleans Privateers

Date: Saturday, February 7, 2026

Location: Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, LA

TV: ESPN+

The New Orleans Privateers (10-13) will play the UTRGV Vaqueros (12-11) at Lakefront Arena on Saturday.

The UTRGV Vaqueros faced Houston Christian and took home the win by a score of 74-57 in their last game. When talking about personal fouls, the Vaqueros left the arena with 14 and Houston Christian recorded 15 personal fouls. They also buried 7 of their 25 shots from 3-point range. Houston Christian finished 76.9% from the charity stripe by burying 10 of their 13 shots. In addition, Houston Christian collected 21 boards (5 offensive, 16 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Houston Christian distributed 15 assists and had 7 steals for the contest. In relation to defense, UT Rio Grande let their opponent shoot 33.3% from the floor on 20 of 60 shooting. They also recorded 22 assists for this contest while forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and earning 3 steals. When discussing hauling in rebounds, they collected a total of 39 with 11 of them being offensive. From the charity stripe, the Vaqueros converted 17 of their 18 shots for a rate of 94.4%. UT Rio Grande ended the contest with a 43.6% FG percentage (24 of 55) and knocked down 9 of their 24 3-point shots.

Filip Brankovic is a guy who was a contributor for this game. He finished shooting 66.7% from the floor and also dished out 2 assists. He was on the hardwood for 22 minutes played and also pulled down 5 rebounds. He scored 17 points on 6 out of 9 shooting.

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UT Rio Grande comes into this matchup with a win-loss mark of 12-11 on the year. They are losing possession via turnover 11.8 times per contest and as a unit they commit 17.6 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, UT Rio Grande is pulling in 34.8 boards per game and has accounted for 386 dimes on the season, which is 47th in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Vaqueros are shooting 37.3% on shots from distance (212 of 569) and 74.3% from the free throw line. They have an average of 75.0 points per game (220th in the country) while going 46.8% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Vaqueros are forcing 11.8 turnovers per game while drawing 15.8 personal fouls. They concede 31.6% on 3-point shots while they are 71st in college in PPG allowed (69.3). The Vaqueros defensively are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 41.2% (542 of 1,314) and they concede 34.3 rebounds per contest as a group. They currently rank 253rd in D-1 in allowing assists to their opponents with 326 surrendered for the year.

In their last game, the New Orleans Privateers walked away with a victory by a final of 94-85 against East Texas A&M. The Privateers were able to collect 28 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 36 in this contest. They also turned the ball over 13 times, while getting 5 steals in the matchup. East Texas A&M had 23 fouls in this contest which got the Privateers to the free throw line for 36 tries. They were able to bury 28 of those for a percentage of 77.8%. Concerning 3-point shots, New Orleans made 8 out of 15 tries (53.3%). When the final whistle blew, the Privateers ended up going 29 out of 57 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 50.9%. The Privateers permitted East Texas A&M to knock down 25 of 56 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 44.6% for the matchup. They finished 28.0% from downtown by shooting 7 of 25 and walked away from this one shooting 28 of 37 from the free throw line (75.7%). When talking about rebounding, New Orleans allowed East Texas A&M to grab 26 in all (6 offensive).

Coleton Benson ended up being a factor for the Privateers for the contest. He totaled 34 points in his 40 mins of playing time and had 5 assists in the matchup. He buried 10 of 17 for the matchup giving him a rate of 58.8%, and earned 2 rebounds.

New Orleans has a win-loss record of 10-13 on the year. The Privateers are responsible for committing 19.8 fouls every game and they connect on 75.2% from the free throw line. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 12.8 times per contest (278th in college) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 14.7 times per contest. New Orleans has scored 1,732 points this year (75.3 per contest) and they pull in 37.4 rebounds per game. As an offensive team, the Privateers are connecting on 44.6% from the floor, which is 233rd in the nation.

The New Orleans defense concedes 33.2% on shots from distance (193 of 581) and their opponents are making 72.9% of their shots from the free throw line. They have given up 16.3 assists and 35.2 boards per game, which is ranked 338th and 221st in Division 1. The Privateers defensively are ranked 323rd in D-1 in PPG surrendered with 80.0. They have forced 9.9 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.0% from the field (133rd in college).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take UT Rio Grande

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