Utah Utes vs Cincinnati Bearcats Prediction, 2/15/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Utah Utes vs Cincinnati Bearcats

Date: Sunday, February 15, 2026

Location: Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, OH

TV: ESPN+

The Utah Utes (9-15) are en route to Fifth Third Arena on Sunday where they will play the Cincinnati Bearcats (13-12).

The Utah Utes faced off with Houston and ended up losing by a score of 66-52 in their last game. Utah ended having earned a 44.4% FG percentage (20 of 45) and made 2 out of their 17 three-point attempts. At the charity stripe, the Utes made 10 of their 14 shots for a rate of 71.4%. With regard to getting rebounds, they earned 23 with 3 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 13 assists in the game while creating 5 turnovers and getting 4 steals. Pertaining to defending, Utah allowed the other team to shoot 43.3% from the floor on 26 out of 60 shooting. Houston recorded 8 assists and had 7 steals in this game. Additionally, Houston had 29 boards (11 offensive, 18 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Houston went 50.0% from the free throw line by converting 5 of their 10 attempts. They made 9 of 26 attempts from beyond the perimeter. Regarding personal fouls, the Utes ended up finishing with 9 and Houston totaled 15 personal fouls.

Keanu Dawes is one guy who was a major factor in the game. He went 63.6% from the floor and earned 2 dimes. He played 34 minutes and snagged 8 boards. He walked away with 15 points on 7 of 11 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Picks Today

Utah will play this game with a win-loss mark of 9-15 on the campaign. They are giving up possession 11.3 times per contest and as a group they are committing 16.9 fouls every game. As a unit, Utah is grabbing 34.3 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 332 assists so far this season, which ranks 243rd in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Utes are shooting 35.3% on shots from beyond the arc (193 of 546) and 72.5% from the free throw line. They average 76.8 pts per game (162nd in D-1) on 45.7% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Utes are forcing 9.9 turnovers per game while drawing 16.4 personal fouls. They currently rank 179th in college hoops in giving up assists to the opposition with 334 relinquished so far this season. The Utes are allowing a field goal percentage of 47.2% (711 of 1,505) and they relinquish 36.6 boards per contest as a team. They relinquish 34.2% on shots from distance and they rank 326th in the country in points per game allowed (80.0).

When they last stepped on the court, the Cincinnati Bearcats took home the win by a final score of 91-62 against Kansas State. The Bearcats collected 23 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards for a total of 33 in this matchup. They also turned the ball over 11 times, while earning 7 steals for the matchup. Kansas State earned 13 fouls for this game which took the Bearcats to the charity stripe for a total of 16 tries. They were able to convert 13 of those for a percentage of 81.3%. In regard to 3-point shots, Cincinnati converted 16 of 28 tries (57.1%). Overall, the Bearcats walked away from this one shooting 31 for 62 from the field which gave them a percentage of 50.0%. The Bearcats allowed Kansas State to make 25 of 62 tries from the floor which left them shooting 40.3% for this contest. They shot 24.0% from distance by going 6 out of 25 and finished the contest at 6 of 9 at the free throw line (66.7%). Concerning rebounds, Cincinnati allowed Kansas State to grab 26 in all (8 on the offensive glass).

Jizzle James was important for the Bearcats for the matchup. He knocked down 9 of 14 for the game for a field goal rate of 64.3%, and accounted for 1 rebound. He tallied 24 points in his 32 minutes on the court and accounted for 2 assists for the matchup.

Cincinnati has a record of 13-12 for the season. As an offense, the Bearcats are hitting on 42.7% from the floor, which is ranked 306th in the country. Cincinnati has scored 1,810 pts on the year (72.4 per game) and they snag 37.4 rebounds per contest. They are assisting teammates 16.6 times per game (50th in the country) and they are turning it over 12.4 times per contest. The Bearcats have committed 16.2 fouls per game and they go 67.0% from the free throw line.

The Bearcats on defense are ranked 27th in Division 1 in points per game surrendered with 67.0. They are able to force 13.2 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 41.3% from the floor (49th in the country). The Cincinnati defense gives up 31.8% on shots from distance (187 of 588) and opponents are converting on 69.5% of their free throw shots. They concede 13.2 dimes and 34.6 boards per game, which is ranked 166th and 191st in the nation.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Cincinnati

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get college basketball picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.