UC Santa Barbara Gauchos vs Green Bay Phoenix Prediction, 12/17/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UC Santa Barbara Gauchos vs Green Bay Phoenix

Date: Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Location: Kress Center in Green Bay, WI

TV: ESPN+

Kress Center is the site where the Green Bay Phoenix (5-7) will try to beat the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (8-3) on Wednesday.

The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos faced off with Utah Valley and took a loss by a final of 68-53 in their last game. Concerning personal fouls, the Gauchos ended up walking away with 14 and Utah Valley finished the game with 14 personal fouls. They knocked down 8 of their 22 tries from 3-point land. Utah Valley finished 77.8% from the free throw line by knocking down 14 of 18 shots. Moreover, Utah Valley pulled down 34 rebounds (11 offensive, 23 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Utah Valley totaled 17 dimes and had 12 steals in this contest. When talking about defense, UC Santa Barbara allowed the other team to go 40.4% from the field on 23 of 57 shooting. They also doled out 7 dimes for this contest in addition to forcing the other team into 15 turnovers and earning 11 steals. Pertaining to grabbing rebounds, they compiled 32 with 9 of them being of the offensive sort. From the free throw line, the Gauchos converted 12 of their 14 tries for a percentage of 85.7%. UC Santa Barbara walked away from the game having earned a 35.8% FG percentage (19 out of 53) and knocked down 3 of their 13 three-point shots.

Colin Smith is someone who came through for the contest. He ended up finishing with 10 points on 3 out of 9 shooting. He played 31 minutes played and pulled down 3 rebounds. He finished the game at 33.3% from the field and distributed 1 assist.

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UC Santa Barbara comes into this game with a win-loss mark of 8-3 on the year. They average 80.8 points per contest (118th in Division 1) while hitting 46.1% from the floor. The Gauchos are shooting 37.1% from downtown (88 of 237) and 76.3% from the free throw line. As a team, UC Santa Barbara is pulling down 37.3 rebounds per game and has 158 dimes this season, which has them ranked 177th in Division 1 in terms of passing. They turn it over 12.5 times per game and as a unit they commit 18.5 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end of the court, the Gauchos are able to force 13.5 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 20.5 personal fouls. They are giving up 37.6% from 3-point land and they rank 177th in college in points per game allowed (72.9). The Gauchos defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 45.6% (272 of 597) and they concede 30.1 boards per game as a squad. They are 178th in the nation in allowing assists to the opposition with 142 conceded this season.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Green Bay Phoenix took home the win by a final score of 85-75 against IU Indy. The Phoenix were able to snag 29 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 36 in the matchup. They coughed up the ball 11 times, while earning 5 steals for this game. IU Indy committed 22 personal fouls in the matchup which got the Phoenix to the charity stripe for 31 tries. They were able to bury 26 of the free throw tries for a clip of 83.9%. With respect to shooting from distance, Green Bay knocked down 9 of their 21 tries (42.9%). When the game finished, the Phoenix went 25 out of 52 from the floor which had them shooting 48.1%. The Phoenix allowed IU Indy to make 24 of 61 attempts from the floor which had them at 39.3% in the game. They finished 25.9% from three-point range by going 7 of 27 and ended up shooting 20 out of 26 from the charity stripe (76.9%). In relation to how they cleaned up the glass, Green Bay permitted IU Indy to pull down 30 in total (7 on the offensive glass).

C.J. O'Hara was important for the Phoenix for the contest. He accumulated 20 points in his 37 minutes on the court, but went home with no dimes. He converted 6 of 8 for this contest for a field goal rate of 75.0%, and had 5 rebounds.

Green Bay has a record of 5-7 so far this year. On the offensive side of the court, the Phoenix are shooting 45.2% from the floor, which is 192nd in college. Green Bay has scored 878 points on the year (73.2 per contest) and they collect 33.5 boards per game. They are getting an assist 12.6 times per game (296th in the nation) and they are turning it over 11.2 times per game. The Phoenix are responsible for committing 18.4 fouls every game and they connect on 71.9% from the free throw line.

The Green Bay defense surrenders 32.9% on shots from beyond the perimeter (98 of 298) and opponents are connecting on 71.6% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have conceded 15.2 dimes and 33.9 total boards per game, which is ranked 289th and 148th in those categories. The Phoenix defensively are ranked 247th in D-1 in PPG surrendered with 75.9. They are able to force 9.3 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 45.0% from the floor (258th in college hoops).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Green Bay

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