Cleveland State vs. Youngstown State Picks and Prediction for Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Use Code WWWC We have Horizon League action on Wednesday night in this Cleveland State vs. Youngstown State prediction. Cleveland State (10-17, 6-10 Horizon) travels a little over an hour to meet Youngstown State (13-14, 6-10 Horizon) at 6:30 PM ET from the Beeghly Center. The Vikings won the first meeting at home 80-78 on Jan. 17, 80-78. Who will win the second matchup? Read on for more about this free College Basketball prediction and check out more hoops at Winners and Whiners.
Vikings slump after winning five straight
Cleveland State appeared to be on the right track after winning five straight games from Jan. 17 to Feb. 4. But it proceeded to lose the next three games to IUPU on the road, Robert Morris and Wright State at home (102-90) on Feb. 15. In their loss to Wright State, Ice Emery scored a career-high 30 points on 13-of-18 shooting to lead the Vikings. But their defense was a no-show as they allowed the Raiders to shoot 62% from the field and 71% (12-of-17) from beyond the arc.
Emery, the Western Carolina transfer, averages 11.9 points per game and shoots 38% from beyond the arc. Dayan Nessah (6-7, 218), a GW transfer, led the Vikings with 15.6 points per game and 6.6 rebounds. According to KenPom, Cleveland State ranks 306th overall, 149th in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency and 369th in Adjusted Defense. In terms of rebounding, the Vikings have had their issues as they rank 334th in Total rebounding percentage. In their last game, they were outrebounded by 11 against Wright State.
Blackshear leads streaky Penguins, but they still fall against Detroit
Tae Blackshear scored 22 points, while Bryson Dawkins added 20 points and five rebounds, but Youngstown State fell at Detroit Mercy 76-70 on Sunday. The Penguins played well enough to win, shooting 46% from the field, but just 23% (5 of 22) from beyond the arc. YSU has been very streaky, winning four of their last seven games. They won five straight games in non-conference play, but have not won more than two straight since Dec. 14.
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Carroll (6-6, 230) leads the Penguins with 17.2 points per game, while shooting 40% from three-point range. Dawkins, a 6-2 transfer guard from Houston Christian, averages 13 points and shoots 53% from the field. On KenPom, Youngstown State ranks 203rd overall, 209th in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency and 189th in Adjusted Defense. They also rank 164th in total rebounding percentage.
Spread Pick and Prediction for Cleveland State vs. Youngstown State
Cleveland State vs. Youngstown State picks and odds
- Cleveland State +11.5 (4 units)
Neither team is going to win the Horizon League regular-season title. But Youngstown State shouldn't be a double-digit favorite against anybody in this league. They've covered just two of their last nine games. Sure, this is a revenge game, but Cleveland State can score on most teams. They play at a fast pace and they shot 50% from the field and 3-point line in the first meeting. Youngstown's defense is better, but their three-point defense is not good against the 3-point line (35%) at home. Cleveland State shoots 39.1% from beyond the arc on the road. They'll score enough from the 3-point line to cover this game with ease.
Over/Under Pick for Cleveland State vs. Youngstown State
- Over 156.5 (5 units)
The first game went well over the total of 152.5 (80-78). Since that win, Cleveland State has allowed 72 0 more points in five of their last seven games. The Vikings have gone over in 8 of their last 11 games. Defensively, they rank 358th in points per game allowed (87.8ppg) and 295th in field goal percentage defense (46.1%). They are also very good offensively, shooting 38% from beyond the arc while averaging 88th in Adjusted Tempo. YSU is more moderate in terms of pace and has gone over in six of nine games.
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