Mercer Bears vs UCF Knights Prediction, 12/17/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Mercer Bears vs UCF Knights

Date: Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Location: Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, FL

TV: ESPN+

Addition Financial Arena is the location where the UCF Knights (8-1) will compete against the Mercer Bears (7-3) on Wednesday.

The Mercer Bears faced off with Clemson and ended up losing by a score of 70-63 in their last contest. Mercer finished having earned a 48.1% field goal percentage (26 out of 54) and knocked down 6 out of their 22 3-point attempts. From the free throw line, the Bears made 5 of 10 attempts for a rate of 50.0%. In regard to rebounding, they compiled 24 with 3 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 10 dimes in this game in addition to creating 9 turnovers and getting 5 steals. When it comes to defending, Mercer let their opponent shoot 46.3% from the field on 25 of 54 shooting. Clemson recorded 9 dimes and had 7 steals for the game. On top of that, Clemson had 33 rebounds (7 offensive, 26 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Clemson finished shooting 75.0% at the free throw line by making 12 of their 16 attempts. They also made 8 out of their 26 shots from distance. Regarding fouls, the Bears ended up finishing with 15 while Clemson finished the game with 13 fouls.

Baraka Okojie is a player who was a contributor in this matchup. He went 47.1% from the floor and recorded 5 assists. He played for 37 minutes played and also grabbed 3 boards. He accounted for 20 points on 8 out of 17 shooting.

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Mercer steps onto the court with a record of 7-3 for the year. They currently have an average of 82.5 points per game (98th in the nation) while going 45.4% from the floor. The Bears are connecting on 33.6% on 3-pointers (94 of 280) and 69.6% from the free throw line. As a team, Mercer is grabbing 38.1 rebounds per game and has earned 150 assists on the year, which ranks 221st in college hoops in terms of passing. They are turning it over 10.3 times per game and as a group they commit 15.2 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Bears are forcing 14.6 turnovers per game while drawing 18.2 personal fouls. They currently rank 148th in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 138 surrendered on the campaign. The Bears defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 42.5% (276 of 649) and they concede 40.1 rebounds per game as a group. They concede 30.8% on 3-point attempts and they rank 210th in D-1 in PPG from their opponents (74.1).

When they last played, the UCF Knights got the victory with a final of 86-61 against Towson. The Knights collected 18 defensive boards and 8 offensive boards for a total of 26 in this matchup. They also turned it over 8 times, while recording 4 steals for the matchup. Towson committed 16 fouls in the matchup which got the Knights to the charity stripe for a total of 21 tries. They were able to make 19 of them for a clip of 90.5%. Regarding 3-point attempts, UCF made 5 of 17 tries (29.4%). When the final whistle was blown, the Knights ended up going 31 out of 56 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 55.4%. The Knights permitted Towson to convert 25 of their 55 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 45.5% for the contest. They shot 23.8% from beyond the arc by going 5 out of 21 and walked away from this one shooting 6 out of 13 at the free throw line (46.2%). When it comes to attacking the glass, UCF allowed Towson to get 21 in all (9 offensive).

Themus Fulks was important for the Knights for the contest. He earned 20 points in his 30 mins on the court and accounted for 8 dimes for the contest. He made 8 out of 11 in this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 72.7%, and had 3 rebounds.

UCF has a record of 8-1 this season. As an offense, the Knights are connecting on 50.0% from the field, which has them ranked 33rd in college hoops. UCF has 792 pts so far this year (88.0 per game) and they collect 40.2 boards per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 18.1 times per contest (37th in college hoops) and they are turning it over 12.1 times per game. The Knights are responsible for committing 18.3 fouls per contest and they hit 75.4% from the free throw line.

The Knights are ranked 231st in college in PPG allowed with 75.1. They are forcing 12.1 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 41.6% from the field (103rd in the country). The UCF defense concedes 31.4% on 3-pointers (75 of 239) and their opponents are connecting on 77.0% of their free throw attempts. They give up 12.9 assists and 30.0 boards per game, which has them ranked 146th and 21st in those categories on the defensive end.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Mercer

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