Jacksonville State Gamecocks vs East Tennessee State Buccaneers Prediction, 12/20/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Jacksonville State Gamecocks vs East Tennessee State Buccaneers

Date: Saturday, December 20, 2025

Location: Freedom Hall in Johnson City, TN

TV: ESPN+

The Jacksonville State Gamecocks (4-5) are headed to Freedom Hall on Saturday where they will attempt to defeat the East Tennessee State Buccaneers (8-4).

The Jacksonville State Gamecocks stepped onto the hardwood against Eastern Kentucky and took a loss by a final of 62-59 in their last game. When talking about fouls, the Gamecocks ended up with 14 while Eastern Kentucky finished the game with 22 fouls. They buried 11 out of their 31 shots from 3-point land. Eastern Kentucky finished shooting 90.0% at the charity stripe by knocking down 9 of their 10 attempts. Furthermore, Eastern Kentucky totaled 36 boards (12 offensive, 24 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Eastern Kentucky dished out 11 dimes and had 3 steals for this game. When talking about the defense, Jacksonville State allowed the other team to shoot 37.5% from the floor on 21 out of 56 shooting. They also doled out 9 assists for the matchup in addition to forcing the other team into 13 turnovers and earning 5 steals. In terms of grabbing rebounds, they collected a total of 24 with 8 of them being of the offensive sort. At the charity stripe, the Gamecocks buried 19 of 25 shots for a percentage of 76.0%. Jacksonville State walked away from the contest having earned a 35.3% FG percentage (18 of 51) and converted 4 of their 18 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Mostapha El Moutaouakkil is one guy who was a major factor for the matchup. He accounted for 16 points on 5 of 16 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 30 minutes played and totaled 7 rebounds. He finished the contest at 31.3% from the field and recorded 2 dimes.

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Jacksonville State heads into this game with a mark of 4-5 this season. They currently have an average of 75.7 points per outing (227th in D-1) while connecting on 43.1% from the floor. The Gamecocks are connecting on 32.8% on 3-point shots (81 of 247) and 61.9% from the free throw line. As a team, Jacksonville State is pulling down 43.7 rebounds per game and is sitting with 129 assists this year, which is 322nd in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. They are turning it over 11.3 times per contest and as a group they commit 17.1 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Gamecocks are forcing their opponents into 11.8 turnovers per game and they draw 18.4 personal fouls. They rank 1st in the nation in giving up assists to the opposition with 88 surrendered this year. The Gamecocks defensively are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 36.1% (185 of 513) and they concede 35.3 rebounds per game as a group. They are giving up 25.0% on shots from distance while they are 10th in college hoops in PPG allowed (62.1).

In their last game, the East Tennessee State Buccaneers walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 77-58 against North Carolina. When talking about rebounding, East Tennessee State permitted North Carolina to pull down 35 in total (7 on the offensive side). They finished 32.0% from three-point range by hitting 8 out of 25 and ended up going 15 of 23 at the free throw line (65.2%). The Buccaneers permitted North Carolina to knock down 27 of 50 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 54.0% for the contest. Overall, the Buccaneers shot 20 out of 52 from the floor which gave them a rate of 38.5%. When discussing shots from beyond the perimeter, East Tennessee State knocked down 7 out of their 23 tries (30.4%). They were able to knock down 11 of them for a rate of 68.8%. North Carolina committed 15 fouls in this matchup which got the Buccaneers to the charity stripe for a total of 16 attempts. They also gave up possession 6 times, while getting 4 steals in this game. The Buccaneers snagged 16 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive rebounds for a total of 21 for this contest.

Brian Taylor ended up being a factor for the Buccaneers for the matchup. He made 4 of 13 for the game giving him a rate of 30.8%, and accounted for 5 rebounds. He recorded 14 points in his 39 mins on the court and tallied 3 dimes for the matchup.

East Tennessee State has a mark of 8-4 this season. The Buccaneers are committing 16.3 personal fouls every game and they hit 70.7% from the charity stripe. They are getting an assist 15.9 times per contest (104th in the country) and they lose possession via turnover 11.4 times per contest. East Tennessee State has 946 points for the season (78.8 per contest) and they grab 36.1 boards per game. When it comes to offense, the Buccaneers are shooting 48.4% from the field, which ranks them 69th in college.

The East Tennessee State defense allows 30.6% from downtown (99 of 324) and opponents are knocking down 72.8% of their free throw shots. They surrender 13.1 dimes and 33.3 rebounds per contest, which is 164th and 128th in the nation. The Buccaneers defensively are ranked 40th in D-1 in points given up per game with 66.4. They are forcing 14.7 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 40.1% from the floor (56th in the nation).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take East Tennessee State

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