New Orleans Privateers vs UT Rio Grande Vaqueros Prediction, 12/29/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: New Orleans Privateers vs UTRGV Vaqueros

Date: Monday, December 29, 2025

Location: UTRGV Fieldhouse in Edinburg, TX

TV: ESPN+

The UTRGV Vaqueros (5-6) are welcoming the New Orleans Privateers (3-8) at UTRGV Fieldhouse on Monday.

The New Orleans Privateers played Houston and went home with a loss by a final score of 99-57 in their last game. New Orleans finished the contest with a 37.8% field goal percentage (17 of 45) and made 4 of their 14 three-point attempts. At the free throw line, the Privateers buried 19 of their 23 attempts for a rate of 82.6%. With respect to grabbing rebounds, they compiled 28 with 10 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 7 dimes in this matchup while forcing 6 turnovers and getting 3 steals. In the matter of the defense, New Orleans allowed the other team to go 54.2% from the field on 32 of 59 shooting. Houston recorded 23 assists and had 11 steals for this contest. Moreover, Houston pulled down 30 boards (10 offensive, 20 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Houston ended up shooting 77.4% at the charity stripe by burying 24 of their 31 attempts. They also buried 11 of their 23 attempts from distance. In reference to fouls, the Privateers ended up walking away with 24 while Houston finished the game with 19 fouls.

MJ Thomas is one player who was a major factor in this game. He left the arena with 17 points on 4 of 6 shooting. He played for 35 mins played and also snagged 8 boards. He ended up shooting 66.7% from the field and recorded 1 assist.

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New Orleans will play this game with a win-loss mark of 3-8 for the campaign. They are turning it over 15.5 times per game and as a unit they are committing 20.7 personal fouls per contest. As a unit, New Orleans is pulling in 35.7 rebounds per game and has tallied 147 assists this year, which ranks 335th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Privateers are connecting on 34.6% on shots from 3-point land (83 of 240) and 73.6% from the charity stripe. They average 71.9 points per contest (297th in D-1) while shooting 42.4% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Privateers are able to force 9.5 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.4 fouls. They give up 32.7% on 3-point shots while they are 344th in college in points per game allowed (83.7). The Privateers defense is allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 45.1% (308 of 683) and they surrender 36.7 rebounds per game as a squad. They are currently ranked 293rd in D-1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 194 relinquished on the campaign.

When they last stepped on the court, the UTRGV Vaqueros went home victorious with a score of 109-51 when they faced College Of Biblical Studies. In regard to how they attacked the glass, UT Rio Grande allowed College Of Biblical Studies to get 19 overall (5 on the offensive glass). They went 21.4% from downtown by connecting on 6 out of 28 and finished the contest at 13 out of 16 at the charity stripe (81.3%). The Vaqueros permitted College Of Biblical Studies to bury 16 out of 58 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 27.6% in this matchup. When the final whistle was blown, the Vaqueros shot 40 for 70 from the field which had them shooting 57.1%. In the matter of shooting from 3-point land, UT Rio Grande converted 14 out of 33 attempts (42.4%). They were able to make 15 of the free throws for a rate of 68.2%. College Of Biblical Studies committed 18 personal fouls for this contest which got the Vaqueros to the free throw line for a total of 22 attempts. They coughed up the ball 6 times, while getting 5 steals for the contest. The Vaqueros pulled down 31 defensive rebounds and 15 offensive rebounds totaling 46 for the contest.

Marvin McGhee III ended up having an impact for the Vaqueros for the matchup. He made 5 of 8 in this game for a field goal rate of 62.5%, and accounted for 3 rebounds. He earned 15 points in his 14 minutes on the court and accumulated 1 assist for this game.

UT Rio Grande has a record of 5-6 for the campaign. The Vaqueros commit 18.0 personal fouls every game and they go 70.4% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 16.4 times per contest (95th in Division 1) and they turn it over 11.1 times per game. UT Rio Grande has scored 856 points so far this season (77.8 per game) and they grab 37.0 rebounds per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Vaqueros are connecting on 46.9% from the floor, which is ranked 126th in the nation.

The UT Rio Grande defense gives up 30.6% on shots from beyond the perimeter (86 of 281) and their opponents are knocking down 70.9% of their shots from the free throw line. They have conceded 14.1 assists and 35.1 boards every game, which has them ranked 239th and 214th in the country. The Vaqueros on defense are ranked 104th in D-1 in PPG allowed with 70.1. They are able to force 11.8 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 40.7% from the field (71st in college).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take UT Rio Grande and under the total points

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