Valparaiso Beacons vs UNI Panthers Prediction, 12/29/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Valparaiso Beacons vs UNI Panthers

Date: Monday, December 29, 2025

Location: McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, IA

TV: ESPN+

The UNI Panthers (9-3) will try to beat the Valparaiso Beacons (6-6) at McLeod Center on Monday.

The Valparaiso Beacons faced Murray State and went home with a loss by a final score of 85-79 in their last game. Regarding fouls, the Beacons walked away with 24 while Murray State accumulated 17 fouls. They made 6 of their 18 tries from distance. Murray State finished the contest at 82.1% from the charity stripe by knocking down 23 of their 28 shots. Furthermore, Murray State snagged 31 boards (10 offensive, 21 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Murray State earned 12 assists and had 5 steals in this contest. Concerning defense, Valparaiso allowed the other team to shoot 49.1% from the field on 28 of 57 shooting. They also distributed 14 assists for this contest as well as forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and having 4 steals. Regarding getting rebounds, they collected 27 with 10 of them being offensive. From the free throw line, the Beacons made 10 of their 15 tries for a rate of 66.7%. Valparaiso finished the game having earned a 47.7% FG percentage (31 out of 65) and made 7 out of their 18 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Owen Dease is a guy who had an impact for this game. He totaled 25 points on 10 out of 13 shooting. He played 28 mins and also grabbed 4 rebounds. He ended up shooting 76.9% from the field and also totaled 2 assists.

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Valparaiso heads into this contest with a record of 6-6 on the year. They are turning it over 10.9 times per game and as a squad are committing 18.3 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Valparaiso is pulling in 38.3 rebounds per game and has earned 152 assists so far this season, which has them ranked 319th in the country in terms of passing. The Beacons are shooting 30.9% on shots from beyond the arc (88 of 285) and 69.7% from the free throw line. They are averaging 73.3 pts per game (279th in the country) while hitting 41.8% from the floor.

When they are on the defensive end, the Beacons are forcing 12.7 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 18.8 personal fouls. They relinquish 30.4% on three-point shots and they rank 131st in college hoops in PPG allowed (71.2). The Beacons defense is giving up an opponent FG percentage of 41.8% (289 of 691) and they relinquish 37.5 boards per contest as a group. They currently rank 38th in college in giving up assists with 134 surrendered on the year.

When they last played, the UNI Panthers took a defeat with a final score of 63-58 when they faced St. Mary's. When discussing cleaning up the glass, UNI allowed St. Mary's to pull down 40 in all (13 offensive). They went 20.0% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 4 out of 20 and walked away from this one shooting 25 of 27 from the charity stripe (92.6%). The Panthers permitted St. Mary's to make 17 of 53 attempts from the floor which had them sitting at 32.1% in this contest. When the final whistle blew, the Panthers ended up shooting 24 for 55 from the field which had them sitting at 43.6%. In relation to 3-pointers, UNI buried 7 of 20 attempts (35.0%). They were able to convert 3 of the free throws for a percentage of 75.0%. St. Mary's earned 11 personal fouls for this contest which took the Panthers to the charity stripe for a total of 4 shots. They also gave up possession of the ball 8 times, while recording 7 steals for the contest. The Panthers were able to collect 20 defensive rebounds and 2 offensive rebounds totaling 22 for the contest.

Trey Campbell ended up being important for the Panthers in the game. He had 18 points in his 38 minutes on the hardwood and had 5 dimes in the matchup. He made 8 out of 16 for this contest for a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and accumulated 5 rebounds.

UNI has a record of 9-3 this year. The Panthers have committed 15.5 fouls per contest and they hit 67.2% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 17.3 times per contest (59th in the country) and they lose possession via turnover 9.3 times per game. UNI has accounted for 854 points this year (71.2 per game) and they collect 33.3 boards per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Panthers are shooting 46.4% from the floor, which is 148th in college.

The UNI defense gives up 25.9% on 3-point attempts (69 of 266) and their opponents are converting on 71.7% of their shots from the charity stripe. They relinquish 10.2 assists and 36.7 boards on a nightly basis, which is ranked 22nd and 279th in those categories on the defensive end. The Panthers on the defensive side of the court are 2nd in college in points given up per game with 58.1. They are forcing their opponents into 14.0 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 36.9% from the floor (7th in D-1).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Valparaiso

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