Mercyhurst Lakers vs Syracuse Orange Prediction, 12/17/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Mercyhurst Lakers vs Syracuse Orange

Date: Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Location: JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, NY

TV: ACC Extra

JMA Wireless Dome is where the Syracuse Orange (6-4) will try to beat the Mercyhurst Lakers (4-7) on Wednesday.

The Mercyhurst Lakers faced Davidson and went home with a loss by a final score of 80-47 in their last contest. Mercyhurst finished the contest having earned a 40.0% field goal percentage (18 out of 45) and knocked down 4 out of their 13 3-point shots. At the charity stripe, the Lakers buried 7 of 16 attempts for a percentage of 43.8%. Concerning hauling in boards, they compiled 17 with 3 of them being of the offensive sort. They also dished out 10 assists for this game while creating 9 turnovers and having 3 steals. When talking about defense, Mercyhurst allowed 60.8% from the field on 31 out of 51 shooting. Davidson doled out 17 dimes and had 7 steals in the matchup. On top of that, Davidson totaled 38 rebounds (9 offensive, 29 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Davidson finished the contest at 64.7% when shooting free throws by converting 11 of 17 tries. They also made 7 of their 14 tries from 3-point land. Regarding fouls, the Lakers ended up with 18 while Davidson racked up 16 fouls.

Bernie Blunt III is one player who had an impact for this contest. He ended up going 46.2% from the field and also dished out 2 assists. He played 33 minutes and also snagged 3 rebounds. He ended up with 15 points on 6 of 13 shooting.

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Mercyhurst comes into this one with a mark of 4-7 on the campaign. They currently have an average of 65.6 points per game (346th in D-1) while hitting 44.9% from the field. The Lakers are connecting on 31.3% from downtown (66 of 211) and 58.3% from the free throw line. As a unit, Mercyhurst is pulling in 31.6 boards per game and has 165 assists on the campaign, which has them ranked 131st in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 10.9 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 18.9 fouls per game.

On the defensive end, the Lakers are forcing their opponents into 13.6 turnovers per contest and they draw 15.4 fouls. They are currently ranked 112th in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 129 surrendered so far this year. The Lakers defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 42.7% (238 of 558) and they surrender 34.8 boards per game as a unit. They are giving up 34.9% from beyond the arc and they are 44th in college in PPG from their opponents (66.6).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Syracuse Orange took a loss by a final score of 70-69 against Hofstra. The Orange were able to snag 16 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive rebounds for a total of 27 for this contest. They coughed it up 8 times, while getting 5 steals for this contest. Hofstra earned 15 fouls in the game which took the Orange to the charity stripe for 16 attempts. They were able to convert 9 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 56.3%. When talking about shots from beyond the perimeter, Syracuse converted 8 of their 23 attempts (34.8%). Overall, the Orange went 26 for 57 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 45.6%. The Orange permitted Hofstra to convert 26 of 53 attempts from the field which left them shooting 49.1% for the matchup. They went 66.7% from three-point range by going 12 of 18 and finished the game at 6 of 6 from the free throw line (100.0%). In relation to how they attacked the glass, Syracuse allowed Hofstra to collect 26 overall (8 on the offensive side).

JJ Starling ended up being a factor for the Orange for this game. He racked up 15 points in his 34 minutes on the hardwood and had 2 assists for the contest. He converted 6 out of 15 for the game for a field goal rate of 40.0%, and had 3 rebounds.

Syracuse has a mark of 6-4 for the year. The Orange are committing 15.9 fouls per game while shooting 56.8% from the charity stripe. They are getting an assist 13.8 times per game (240th in the nation) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 10.7 times per game. Syracuse has accumulated 726 pts this year (72.6 per game) and they grab 35.5 boards per contest. When it comes to offense, the Orange are connecting on 45.9% from the field, which has them ranked 165th in college.

The Orange defensively are ranked 25th in D-1 in PPG allowed with 65.0. They are able to force 14.5 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 39.0% from the floor (34th in college). The Syracuse defense allows 32.5% on three-point shots (63 of 194) and their opposition makes 73.2% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have allowed 12.0 dimes and 38.0 rebounds per game, which ranks 91st and 317th in the nation.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Syracuse

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