Belmont Bruins vs UC Irvine Anteaters Prediction, 12/19/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Belmont Bruins vs UC Irvine Anteaters

Date: Friday, December 19, 2025

Location: Bren Events Center in Irvine, CA

TV: ESPN+

The Belmont Bruins (10-1) are on their way to Bren Events Center on Friday where they will try to beat the UC Irvine Anteaters (7-4).

The Belmont Bruins faced off with UIC and went home with a win by a final score of 87-84 in their last contest. Belmont ended having earned a 58.0% field goal percentage (29 of 50) and converted 13 out of their 25 shots from 3-point land. At the free throw line, the Bruins knocked down 16 of 22 shots for a rate of 72.7%. With regard to rebounding, they compiled a total of 27 with 9 of them being offensive. They also doled out 17 assists for this contest in addition to creating 8 turnovers and getting 4 steals. Concerning defense, Belmont allowed their opponent to shoot 44.6% from the field on 29 of 65 shooting. UIC earned 17 assists and had 7 steals for the contest. On top of that, UIC snagged 26 rebounds (13 offensive, 13 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. UIC ended up going 100.0% from the free throw line by converting 13 of their 13 tries. They also knocked down 13 out of their 32 shots from distance. In reference to fouls, the Bruins ended up finishing with 14 while UIC finished the game with 20 fouls.

Nic McClain is someone who had an impact in this game. He notched 17 points on 4 of 7 shooting. He played 33 minutes played and grabbed 3 boards. He finished the game shooting 57.1% from the floor and distributed 7 dimes.

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Belmont will enter this game with a win-loss mark of 10-1 so far this year. They turn it over 13.5 times per game and as a unit they are committing 16.1 fouls every game. As a unit, Belmont is pulling in 39.9 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 206 assists so far this season, which has them ranked 24th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. The Bruins are hitting 38.6% on shots from downtown (118 of 306) and 65.2% from the free throw line. They average 85.7 points per game (58th in college) while shooting 52.0% from the floor.

On the defensive end of the court, the Bruins are forcing their opponents into 13.5 turnovers per contest while drawing 16.9 personal fouls. They relinquish 28.9% from 3-point land while they are 84th in college in points per game allowed (68.3). The Bruins defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 36.6% (253 of 691) and they surrender 34.2 boards per contest as a unit. They rank 72nd in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 120 conceded for the season.

In their last game, the UC Irvine Anteaters got the win with a final of 85-71 when they played Cal State Northridge. The Anteaters earned 31 defensive boards and 14 offensive rebounds totaling 45 for the game. They turned it over 10 times, while getting 4 steals in the game. Cal State Northridge committed 21 fouls in this contest which took the Anteaters to the free throw line for 21 tries. They were able to convert 14 of the free throw tries for a rate of 66.7%. In reference to shooting from 3-point land, UC Irvine buried 9 out of 19 tries (47.4%). When the final whistle blew, the Anteaters shot 31 out of 63 from the field which had them at 49.2%. The Anteaters allowed Cal State Northridge to make 26 of 66 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 39.4% for the contest. They finished 36.4% from three-point range by going 8 out of 22 and walked away from this one shooting 11 out of 18 at the free throw line (61.1%). When it comes to rebounding, UC Irvine permitted Cal State Northridge to pull down 27 overall (8 on the offensive glass).

Derin Saran pitched in for the Anteaters for the matchup. He earned 17 points in his 31 mins of playing time and added 3 dimes in the matchup. He knocked down 7 out of 15 for the game giving him a rate of 46.7%, and totaled 7 rebounds.

UC Irvine has a record of 7-4 so far this year. The Anteaters commit 17.0 personal fouls per contest and they shoot 66.2% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 17.4 times per game (51st in Division 1) and they are giving up possession 12.5 times per game. UC Irvine has accounted for 875 points so far this season (79.5 per game) and they average 43.0 boards per contest. When it comes to offensive execution, the Anteaters are hitting on 47.0% from the floor, which has them ranked 117th in Division 1.

The Anteaters are ranked 19th in Division 1 in points per game surrendered with 63.9. They are able to force 13.4 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 35.2% from the floor (2nd in the country). The UC Irvine defense surrenders 29.3% on 3-pointers (72 of 246) and opponents are connecting on 64.6% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have surrendered 11.4 dimes and 37.7 rebounds every game, which ranks 56th and 309th in D-1.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Belmont

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