James Madison vs Coastal Carolina Prediction 2/18/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The James Madison Dukes and the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers meet Wednesday in college basketball action from HTC Center in Conway. Here’s a James Madison vs Coastal Carolina prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best James Madison vs Coastal Carolina pick. We will examine the recent form and player performances for both teams, as well as the recent betting trends and streaks pertaining to this matchup. As we conclude, we will tie it all together with a summary that produces a sensible pick for a favorable betting outcome in this game.

James Madison Dukes Betting Preview

James Madison managed to keep their heads above the .500 mark through their first 17 games, hitting a 9-8 run overall. Losses to App State, Marshall and South Alabama came next though, before a 2-2 run that featured wins over Texas State and Troy. The next three were wins over Toledo, Georgia State and App State, which would give JMU a 14-13 record in 27 games this year.

On Saturday in the App State game, the Dukes entered the locker room sporting a five-point lead 29-24. James Madison kept it going in the second half on a 40-34 run and took the win in the end 69-58 on their home court. Justin McBride topped the team on 21 points with seven boards and two assists while Cliff Davis had 11 points with two rebounds and five assists.

Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Betting Preview

Over on the Coastal Carolina side, they didn’t start out so hot this year, stumbling to an 8-9 run in their first 17 games. The Chanticleers beat App State, Marshall, Georgia Southern, Texas State and Southern Miss after that, then lost to South Alabama and Arkansas State in the next three. After wins over UMass and Louisiana, the Chanticleers currently stand at 16-11 this year.

Matched up against Louisiana last Thursday the Chanticleers were coming off the floor in the first half sporting a 36-29 advantage. Coastal Carolina got outscored by three the rest of the way 36-33 but still managed to hang on for a nice road win 69-65. Josh Beadle was tops on 29 points with four rebounds and AJ Dancler had 15 points with five rebounds and one assist.

James Madison Dukes @ Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Betting Trends: February 18, 2026

Why the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers will win

• Coastal Carolina has won eight of its last 10 games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• James Madison has lost 11 of its last 14 road games.
• James Madison has lost the first half in three of its last four road games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Why the James Madison Dukes will win

• Coastal Carolina has lost nine of its last 11 home night games against the Sun Belt Conference.
• James Madison has won each of its last three games.

James Madison vs Coastal Carolina Prediction

I’ll lean toward Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers had a good first half in their win over the Cajuns last week, and eventually hit 43.8 percent from the field with 87 percent (20-of-23) at the line. Coastal Carolina added a 26-18 advantage in the paint and just 35.7 percent surrendered on defense but did have 16 turnovers in the victory. The Chanticleers are a solid 8-2 over their last 10 games and they’ve won three of the last four.

As for James Madison, they managed 42.4 percent shooting in their win over App State, adding a 30-24 advantage in the paint and just five turnovers. The Dukes did get outmuscled on the boards 37-32, however. JMU is sitting on three straight wins, scoring a nice 69 or more points in each of those. I could see the Dukes powering one out here if all goes well. Should be a fun game.

Andrew Jett's Pick: Coastal Carolina Chanticleers -1