Central Arkansas Bears vs East Tennessee State Buccaneers Prediction, 11/29/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Central Arkansas Bears vs East Tennessee State Buccaneers

Date: Saturday, November 29, 2025

Location: Freedom Hall in Johnson City, TN

TV: ESPN+

Freedom Hall is where the East Tennessee State Buccaneers (5-1) will take on the Central Arkansas Bears (3-4) on Saturday.

The Central Arkansas Bears stepped onto the hardwood against Eastern Illinois and took home the win by a score of 81-60 in their last game. Central Arkansas wrapped up the contest having earned a 55.6% field goal percentage (30 of 54) and made 13 out of their 30 shots from beyond the perimeter. At the charity stripe, the Bears buried 8 of 13 attempts for a rate of 61.5%. When it comes to pulling down boards, they compiled a total of 32 with 9 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 20 assists for this contest as well as forcing 11 turnovers and earning 7 steals. When talking about defending, Central Arkansas allowed 43.1% from the floor on 22 of 51 shooting. Eastern Illinois dished out 9 dimes and had 5 steals in this contest. Furthermore, Eastern Illinois totaled 20 rebounds (4 offensive, 16 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Eastern Illinois ended up shooting 91.7% at the charity stripe by knocking down 11 of 12 tries. They converted 5 of 21 tries from distance. When it comes to fouls, the Bears ended up walking away with 11 and Eastern Illinois recorded 9 fouls.

Camren Hunter is a player who was a major contributor for this game. He accumulated 19 points on 7 of 10 shooting. He played for 31 minutes and also snagged 4 rebounds. He finished the contest at 70.0% from the floor and dished out 2 dimes.

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Central Arkansas steps onto the hardwood with a win-loss mark of 3-4 this season. They are averaging 75.1 points per contest (242nd in the nation) while going 43.0% from the field. The Bears are shooting 31.1% on shots from downtown (69 of 222) and 62.1% from the free throw line. As a team, Central Arkansas is pulling in 39.0 boards per game and has 98 assists so far this year, which is 189th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession by turning the ball over 13.0 times per contest and as a team are committing 17.0 personal fouls every game.

Defensively, the Bears are forcing 12.4 turnovers per contest and they draw 15.6 personal fouls. They give up 31.1% on 3-point attempts while they are 233rd in college in PPG allowed (76.1). The Bears defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 42.2% (182 of 431) and they surrender 37.0 boards per contest as a squad. They are 307th in college in giving up assists with 106 surrendered this year.

For their last game, the East Tennessee State Buccaneers took home the win by a final score of 97-55 when they played UL Monroe. Concerning cleaning up the glass, East Tennessee State allowed UL Monroe to pull down 24 in total (7 offensive). They finished 22.2% from distance by going 6 out of 27 and ended up going 11 out of 14 at the free throw line (78.6%). The Buccaneers allowed UL Monroe to make 19 of their 57 attempts from the floor which left them with a rate of 33.3% in the game. When the final whistle blew, the Buccaneers ended up going 39 for 66 from the field which had them shooting 59.1%. Regarding shots from 3-point land, East Tennessee State converted 11 out of 24 tries (45.8%). They were able to make 8 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 80.0%. UL Monroe committed 7 fouls for this contest which got the Buccaneers to the free throw line for 10 attempts. They gave up possession of the ball 10 times, while earning 8 steals for this contest. The Buccaneers earned 29 defensive boards and 11 offensive rebounds for a total of 40 in the game.

Jaylen Smith ended up being a major contributor for the Buccaneers for the contest. He had 15 points in his 19 minutes on the court and had 5 dimes in this game. He converted 6 of 8 for the game for a rate of 75.0%, and had 1 rebound.

East Tennessee State has a record of 5-1 this year. As an offensive team, the Buccaneers are shooting 50.1% from the floor, which is ranked 43rd in college. East Tennessee State has accumulated 493 pts on the year (82.2 per contest) and they snag 37.2 rebounds per game. They are earning an assist 15.7 times per game (137th in the country) and they are turning it over 10.7 times per game. The Buccaneers commit 16.0 fouls every game while shooting 72.0% from the free throw line.

The Buccaneers are ranked 16th in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 62.0. They have forced 16.8 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 38.1% from the field (43rd in college). The East Tennessee State defense allows 28.3% on shots from beyond the arc (41 of 145) and their opponents are connecting on 74.3% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have relinquished 10.8 dimes and 33.3 total rebounds per game, which is 60th and 122nd in college.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take East Tennessee State

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