| MATCHUP | Southern Utah Thunderbirds | Tarleton Texans |
|---|---|---|
| Team Records | 9-17 | 13-13 |
| Where | Wisdom Gym, Stephenville, TX | |
| When | Thursday, February 19, 2026 | |
| Time | 08:00 PM EST | |
| TV | ESPN+ | |
The Southern Utah Thunderbirds and the Tarleton State Texans meet Thursday in college basketball action from EECU Center. Here’s a Southern Utah vs Tarleton State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Southern Utah vs Tarleton State 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.
Southern Utah Thunderbirds Betting Preview
Back on January 10, the Thunderbirds were sitting at an ugly 4-13 record overall. Southern Utah beat Tarleton State, Abilene Christian and Utah Valley in the next three, however. A 2-4 run came next with losses to Utah Tech, Texas-Arlington, Tarleton State and Cal Baptist among wins over Abilene Christian and Texas-Arlington. That makes for a 9-17 overall record this year.
In the rematch versus Texas-Arlington over the weekend, the Thunderbirds went into the locker room at the break with a 34-29 advantage. Southern Utah kept the pace from there on a 44-44 run and took the win in the end 78-73. Elijah Duval put up 20 points with three assists and two rebounds to lead the way, while Dylan Jones chipped in 14 points with one rebound and one assist.
Tarleton State Texans Betting Preview
Over on the Texans’ side, they were looking pretty good in early January with an 11-5 overall record. Tarleton State would hit the skids from there however, falling to Abilene Christian, Southern Utah, Utah Tech, Texas-Arlington, Utah Valley, Utah Tech, Cal Baptist and Abilene Christian over the next nine outings. Over 25 games that would give the Texans a 12-13 record.
Matched up against Abilene Christian on Monday the Texans took a four-point deficit 26-22 into the break. Tarleton State managed to force overtime with a 36-32 run in the second half. After the extra period the Texans had a tight 65-62 victory on their home court. Kade Douglas put up 24 points with three rebounds and Jordan Mizell added 18 points with four rebounds.
Southern Utah Thunderbirds @ Tarleton State Texans Betting Trends: February 19, 2026
Why the Tarleton State Texans will win
- Southern Utah has lost each of its last four away games when playing with a rest advantage.
- Tarleton State has won four of its last five night games against Southern Utah.
Why the Southern Utah Thunderbirds will win
- Tarleton State has lost each of its last seven Thursday games against the Western Athletic Conference.
Southern Utah vs Tarleton State Prediction
I’ll lean toward the Thunderbirds but it’s a coin flip. Southern Utah had a good day shooting from the floor in their win over Texas-Arlington, hitting 53.8 percent overall. Southern Utah had a 35-26 rebounding edge but also got really sloppy with turnovers (16). The Thunderbirds had lost their previous two games prior to that victory, scoring fewer than 67 points in both.
These teams have split the season series so far, with Southern Utah winning in overtime 106-105 at home on January 15, then losing 62-59 at home on February 7. In that defeat the Thunderbirds shot just 36.1 percent from the field with a whopping 19 turnovers and a 34-26 deficit in the paint. It was a sloppy game overall, with the Texans committing 16 turnovers themselves. This road rematch will require a vast improvement for Southern Utah, so I could go either way here.