Western Carolina Catamounts vs VMI Keydets Prediction, 2/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Western Carolina Catamounts vs VMI Keydets

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Location: Cameron Hall in Lexington, VA

TV: ESPN+

The Western Carolina Catamounts (11-15) are headed to Cameron Hall on Saturday where they will take on the VMI Keydets (6-22).

The Western Carolina Catamounts stepped onto the hardwood against UNC Greensboro and notched a win by a score of 91-77 in their last game. When it comes to personal fouls, the Catamounts walked away with 19 while UNC Greensboro racked up 19 personal fouls. They made 7 out of their 19 attempts from three-point range. UNC Greensboro ended up shooting 70.0% at the charity stripe by knocking down 14 of 20 shots. On top of that, UNC Greensboro grabbed 23 boards (4 offensive, 19 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. UNC Greensboro doled out 8 dimes and had 5 steals in the game. When it comes to defending, Western Carolina allowed the other team to go 51.9% from the field on 28 out of 54 shooting. They also doled out 10 assists for the game in addition to forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and having 8 steals. When discussing rebounding, they earned a total of 28 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. When they shot from the free throw line, the Catamounts converted 17 of 22 shots for a rate of 77.3%. Western Carolina ended having earned a 52.5% FG percentage (31 of 59) and made 12 out of their 26 3-pointers.

Cord Stansberry is a player who was a major factor in this matchup. He accounted for 25 points on 7 out of 15 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 36 mins played and also grabbed 7 boards. He shot 46.7% from the floor and also dished out 1 assist.

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Western Carolina heads into this contest with a win-loss mark of 11-15 on the season. They are giving up possession 11.8 times per game and as a unit they are committing 19.6 fouls every game. As a team, Western Carolina is pulling down 38.6 boards per contest and has racked up 341 assists so far this year, which is 259th in the nation in terms of passing. The Catamounts are shooting 33.7% on three-point attempts (229 of 679) and 70.0% from the free throw line. They have an average of 78.6 points per contest (122nd in D-1) while hitting 44.6% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Catamounts are forcing their opponents into 11.0 turnovers per game while drawing 15.4 personal fouls. They are giving up 36.5% on 3-point shots and they are ranked 310th in college in points per game allowed (78.9). The Catamounts defensively are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 46.0% (683 of 1,486) and they concede 33.1 boards per contest as a team. They are currently ranked 128th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 339 conceded this year.

In their last game, the VMI Keydets walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 82-76 against Wofford. The Keydets were able to snag 20 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds for a total of 26 for this contest. They turned the ball over 11 times, while earning 10 steals in the matchup. Wofford was called for 19 personal fouls for the contest which took the Keydets to the charity stripe for 20 attempts. They were able to bury 19 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 95.0%. In relation to 3-point shots, VMI converted 7 of their 22 attempts (31.8%). When all was said and done, the Keydets went 25 for 59 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 42.4%. The Keydets allowed Wofford to make 25 of their 51 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 49.0% in the matchup. They finished the game shooting 37.5% from beyond the arc by going 12 out of 32 and finished the contest at 20 out of 28 from the free throw line (71.4%). Regarding team rebounding, VMI permitted Wofford to get 35 in total (8 on the offensive glass).

Tan Yildizoglu was important for the Keydets in this matchup. He earned 25 points in his 38 minutes on the court and accounted for 7 dimes in this game. He converted 9 out of 19 in this contest for a field goal percentage of 47.4%, and had 4 rebounds.

VMI has a win-loss mark of 6-22 so far this year. The Keydets are committing 17.2 fouls every game and they go 73.1% from the charity stripe. Their rate of earning assists is at 12.6 times per contest (287th in college) and they are turning it over 10.4 times per contest. VMI has accumulated 2,031 points for the season (72.5 per contest) and they pull in 33.5 rebounds per game. As an offensive team, the Keydets are connecting on 40.2% from the field, which ranks 355th in the nation.

The Keydets defensively are ranked 327th in college hoops in PPG allowed with 79.6. They are able to force 11.8 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 46.1% from the floor (293rd in college hoops). The VMI defense allows 35.2% on shots from beyond the perimeter (266 of 756) and their opposition knocks down 71.5% of their free throw shots. They relinquish 17.6 dimes and 40.8 boards per contest, which is ranked 359th and 362nd in those defensive categories.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take VMI

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