Longwood Lancers vs North Carolina Central Eagles Prediction, 12/20/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Longwood Lancers vs North Carolina Central Eagles

Date: Saturday, December 20, 2025

Location: McDougald-McLendon Arena in Durham, NC

TV: ESPN+

The North Carolina Central Eagles (3-9) host the Longwood Lancers (6-6) at McDougald-McLendon Arena on Saturday.

The Longwood Lancers stepped onto the hardwood against Wake Forest and went home with a loss by a final score of 71-68 in their last game. Concerning fouls, the Lancers left the arena with 21 while Wake Forest racked up 19 fouls. They also converted 5 out of their 24 tries from distance. Wake Forest walked away from this one shooting 73.3% at the charity stripe by making 22 of their 30 attempts. Furthermore, Wake Forest collected 30 boards (6 offensive, 24 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Wake Forest earned 9 assists and had 9 steals for the contest. In regard to defense, Longwood allowed the other team to go 40.7% from the field on 22 of 54 shooting. They also recorded 16 dimes in the matchup in addition to forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and getting 5 steals. In the matter of hauling in rebounds, they earned 37 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Lancers made 16 of their 21 tries for a percentage of 76.2%. Longwood wrapped up the contest having earned a 35.5% FG percentage (22 of 62) and buried 8 of 31 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Redd Thompson is a player who came through for the game. He accumulated 22 points on 7 of 13 shooting. He played for 20 mins but didn't pull down any boards. He finished the game shooting 53.8% from the field but had no assists at the end of the game.

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Longwood will enter this contest with a win-loss mark of 6-6 for the season. They have an average of 77.6 points per contest (187th in D-1) while hitting 45.4% from the field. The Lancers are shooting 28.0% on three-point shots (60 of 214) and 76.9% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Longwood is snagging 36.6 boards per game and has accounted for 151 dimes this year, which has them ranked 230th in the country in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession via turnover 14.3 times per contest and as a team they are committing 18.8 personal fouls per game.

On defense, the Lancers are able to force 15.8 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 20.4 personal fouls. They are relinquishing 35.1% on 3-point attempts and they are ranked 236th in Division 1 in points per game allowed (75.3). The Lancers defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 46.3% (318 of 687) and they relinquish 31.9 rebounds per contest as a team. They are ranked 311th in college hoops in giving up assists to the opposition with 175 surrendered on the season.

When they last stepped on the court, the North Carolina Central Eagles got the victory with a final of 96-62 when they faced Mid-Atlantic Christian. The Eagles were able to corral 29 defensive boards and 18 offensive rebounds for a total of 47 in this matchup. They also turned it over 16 times, while recording 15 steals in the matchup. Mid-Atlantic Christian had 21 personal fouls in the game which took the Eagles to the free throw line for a total of 33 attempts. They were able to bury 19 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 57.6%. Pertaining to shots from beyond the perimeter, North Carolina Central buried 5 of 25 tries (20.0%). When all was said and done, the Eagles went 36 out of 67 from the floor which had them shooting 53.7%. The Eagles allowed Mid-Atlantic Christian to convert 21 of their 59 attempts from the field which left them shooting 35.6% in this matchup. They finished the game shooting 15.8% from three-point range by going 3 of 19 and ended up shooting 17 of 28 from the free throw line (60.7%). With respect to cleaning up the glass, North Carolina Central allowed Mid-Atlantic Christian to collect 30 overall (12 on the offensive glass).

Jae Slack ended up being a factor for the Eagles for the contest. He made 12 of 17 in the matchup for a field goal percentage of 70.6%, and tallied 11 rebounds. He earned 32 points in his 26 minutes of playing time and had 3 assists in this contest.

North Carolina Central has a win-loss record of 3-9 for the year. In terms of offensive execution, the Eagles are hitting on 40.3% from the field, which has them ranked 345th in college. North Carolina Central has 849 pts for the campaign (70.8 per contest) and they pull in 32.6 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 14.6 times per contest (177th in D-1) and they cough up possession 11.8 times per contest. The Eagles are committing 19.1 personal fouls every game while shooting 74.8% from the free throw line.

The North Carolina Central defense gives up 36.4% on shots from behind the 3-point line (116 of 319) and their opposition knocks down 71.2% of their foul shots. They have given up 16.2 dimes and 40.1 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is 323rd and 348th in college hoops. The Eagles defensively are ranked 310th in college in points given up per game with 79.3. They are able to force 15.3 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 46.1% from the field (303rd in the country).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take North Carolina Central

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