Vermont Catamounts vs NJIT Highlanders Prediction, 2/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Vermont Catamounts vs NJIT Highlanders

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Location: Joel & Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center in Newark, NJ

TV: ESPN+

The NJIT Highlanders (15-12) will try to beat the Vermont Catamounts (17-10) at Joel & Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center on Saturday.

The Vermont Catamounts faced Bryant and earned the victory with a final of 90-63 in their last contest. In reference to fouls, the Catamounts walked away with 13 while Bryant totaled 17 fouls. They converted 9 out of their 29 shots from beyond the arc. Bryant shot 85.7% when shooting free throws by knocking down 12 of 14 tries. Furthermore, Bryant grabbed 26 boards (7 offensive, 19 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Bryant recorded 7 assists and had 6 steals in the matchup. In terms of defending, Vermont allowed their opponent to shoot 38.9% from the field on 21 of 54 shooting. They also dished out 15 assists in the game in addition to forcing 11 turnovers and earning 3 steals. Regarding getting rebounds, they earned 32 with 6 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Catamounts converted 21 of their 25 attempts for a rate of 84.0%. Vermont walked away from the game having earned a 57.7% FG percentage (30 of 52) and knocked down 9 out of their 14 three-point shots.

Gus Yalden is a guy who came through in this contest. He accounted for 27 points on 10 out of 15 shooting. He was on the court for 29 minutes played and grabbed 6 rebounds. He went 66.7% from the field and totaled 3 dimes.

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Vermont heads into this one with a mark of 17-10 on the year. They currently have an average of 75.2 pts per contest (208th in the country) on 47.0% from the field. The Catamounts are hitting 34.8% on three-point attempts (240 of 689) and 73.3% from the charity stripe. As a team, Vermont is snagging 35.3 rebounds per game and is sitting with 359 assists on the year, which ranks 224th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. They are losing possession via turnover 9.7 times per contest and as a team are committing 17.3 fouls every game.

When they are on the defensive end, the Catamounts are forcing their opponents into 9.6 turnovers per game while drawing 16.8 personal fouls. They rank 89th in college in giving up assists to their opponents with 327 surrendered this season. The Catamounts defense is giving up a FG percentage of 43.4% (636 of 1,467) and they concede 30.7 boards per game as a unit. They are giving up 35.4% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 79th in college in PPG allowed (69.9).

When they last played, the NJIT Highlanders got the victory with a final of 67-58 when they faced Maine. In regard to rebounding, NJIT permitted Maine to collect 26 in all (4 on the offensive side). They went 21.4% from 3-point land by connecting on 6 of 28 and finished the game at 14 of 21 from the charity stripe (66.7%). The Highlanders allowed Maine to make 19 of their 51 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 37.3% in the game. When the final whistle blew, the Highlanders ended up shooting 26 out of 47 from the field which gave them a percentage of 55.3%. In terms of shots from beyond the arc, NJIT made 4 out of their 15 tries (26.7%). They were able to knock down 11 of those for a percentage of 50.0%. Maine had 19 fouls in the matchup which took the Highlanders to the charity stripe for a total of 22 tries. They turned the ball over 15 times, while getting 10 steals for this contest. The Highlanders earned 22 defensive rebounds and 4 offensive boards totaling 26 in the matchup.

Sebastian Robinson was important for the Highlanders in the matchup. He recorded 23 points in his 36 minutes of playing time and had 3 assists for this contest. He knocked down 9 of 15 in the matchup for a rate of 60.0%, and had 4 rebounds.

NJIT has a win-loss record of 15-12 on the season. The Highlanders are committing 18.6 personal fouls per contest and they shoot 70.5% from the free throw line. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 11.3 times per game (342nd in the nation) and they turn it over 11.7 times per game. NJIT has totaled 1,867 pts on the campaign (69.1 per game) and they snag 35.1 boards per contest. When it comes to executing on offense, the Highlanders are shooting 41.2% from the field, which is 342nd in the nation.

The NJIT defense gives up 32.0% on shots from distance (208 of 650) and opponents are connecting on 69.5% of their shots from the charity stripe. They relinquish 13.1 dimes and 38.2 total boards per game, which is ranked 152nd and 342nd in the country. The Highlanders on defense are ranked 173rd in college in PPG surrendered with 73.5. They are able to force 11.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 42.6% from the field (97th in D-1).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take NJIT

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