Wichita State Shockers vs East Carolina Pirates Prediction, 2/18/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Wichita State Shockers vs East Carolina Pirates

Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Location: Minges Coliseum in Greenville, NC

TV: ESPN+

The East Carolina Pirates (9-16) are hosting the Wichita State Shockers (16-10) at Minges Coliseum on Wednesday.

The Wichita State Shockers faced Tulsa and took home the win by a score of 81-77 in their last contest. With respect to fouls, the Shockers ended up with 16 and Tulsa totaled 22 fouls. They knocked down 10 of 32 shots from beyond the perimeter. Tulsa finished the contest at 78.9% at the charity stripe by making 15 of 19 shots. Additionally, Tulsa grabbed 31 rebounds (8 offensive, 23 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Tulsa distributed 11 assists and had 4 steals for this game. With regard to defense, Wichita State allowed the other team to go 42.6% from the floor on 26 of 61 shooting. They also dished out 8 assists for the matchup as well as creating 9 turnovers and earning 5 steals. In relation to grabbing rebounds, they earned a total of 38 with 12 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Shockers buried 17 of 27 tries for a percentage of 63.0%. Wichita State finished the contest having earned a 50.0% FG percentage (31 of 62) and converted 2 of their 14 shots from 3-point land.

Kenyon Giles is one player who was a factor for the game. He accumulated 31 points on 13 out of 27 shooting. He played 40 minutes and also grabbed 5 boards. He shot 48.1% from the field and totaled 2 assists.

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Wichita State will enter this contest with a record of 16-10 this season. They average 77.1 pts per contest (153rd in the country) while connecting on 44.3% from the floor. The Shockers are connecting on 34.5% on shots from beyond the arc (193 of 559) and 67.5% from the free throw line. As a team, Wichita State is collecting 40.5 rebounds per contest and has tallied 309 assists so far this year, which is 315th in D-1 in terms of passing. They are turning it over 10.2 times per game and as a unit are committing 17.5 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

Defensively, the Shockers are forcing their opponents into 11.4 turnovers every game while drawing 17.9 personal fouls. They are giving up 30.7% on 3-pointers and they are 80th in college in PPG allowed (70.0). The Shockers defense is allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 42.5% (645 of 1,519) and they concede 33.8 rebounds per game as a squad. They rank 52nd in Division 1 in giving up assists with 296 relinquished so far this year.

The last time they took the court, the East Carolina Pirates took home the win by a final score of 85-75 when they faced Rice. Regarding rebounds, East Carolina allowed Rice to collect 34 in all (16 on the offensive side). They wrapped up this game 26.5% from beyond the perimeter by connecting on 9 out of 34 and finished the game at 14 out of 16 from the free throw line (87.5%). The Pirates allowed Rice to make 26 of their 68 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 38.2% in the game. Overall, the Pirates shot 29 for 54 from the field which gave them a rate of 53.7%. In relation to shots from distance, East Carolina converted 8 of 17 tries (47.1%). They were able to knock down 19 of the free throws for a clip of 73.1%. Rice had 18 fouls in this game which took the Pirates to the charity stripe for 26 tries. They also turned it over 8 times, while recording 7 steals for the game. The Pirates snagged 21 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards totaling 28 in this contest.

Jordan Riley was important for the Pirates in this matchup. He converted 8 of 19 for this game for a rate of 42.1%, and accumulated 6 rebounds. He scored 22 points in his 40 minutes of playing time and accounted for 4 dimes in this game.

East Carolina has a record of 9-16 for the season. The Pirates are committing 16.4 fouls per game and they connect on 70.9% from the free throw line. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 11.6 times per contest (328th in college) and they are turning it over 12.0 times per contest. East Carolina has tallied 1,757 pts on the year (70.3 per contest) and they pull in 36.2 boards per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Pirates are connecting on 41.5% from the field, which ranks them 335th in Division 1.

The East Carolina defense gives up 35.0% on 3-point attempts (214 of 611) and opponents are knocking down 73.0% of their free throw attempts. They have given up 14.6 dimes and 36.3 rebounds on a nightly basis, which ranks 274th and 291st in college. The Pirates are ranked 249th in college in PPG surrendered with 76.4. They are forcing 11.5 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 44.4% from the field (208th in college).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Wichita State

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