Denver vs Northern Colorado Prediction 12/20/2025 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The Denver Pioneers and the Northern Colorado Bears meet Saturday in college basketball action from the Bank of Colorado Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Denver Pioneers vs. Northern Colorado Bears prediction.

Denver Pioneers Recap

The Denver Pioneers come into this game looking to add on to their 129-93 win over subdivision Colorado-Colorado Springs last time out to improve to 6-7 this season. After this game, Denver will head on the road for a game against Tulsa.

Pioneers Win 3 Of Last 4

Carson Johnson leads the Pioneers in scoring and assists with 18 PPG and 2.9 APG while Jeremiah Burke has 15.6 PPG with 5.3 RPG. Logan Kinsey has 12.2 PPG with 3.8 RPG and Julius Rollins has 10 PPG with 3.8 RPG to cap off the group of double-digit scorers for Denver so far this season. Zane Nelson has 9.7 PPG with 2.3 RPG and Shaun Wysocki has 9.7 PPG with 3.4 RPG as well on the year. As a team, Denver is averaging 83.9 PPG on 49.2% shooting from the field, 38.9% from three and 75% from the foul line this season.

Northern Colorado Bears Recap

The Northern Colorado Bears come into this game looking to bounce back from a 101-90 loss at the hands of Texas Tech last time out to sit at 9-2 this season. After this game, Northern Colorado will head on the road for a game against Colorado.

Bears Have Six-Game Win Streak Snapped

Quinn Denker leads the Bears in scoring and assists with 17.3 PPG and 6.1 APG along with 3.4 RPG while Brock Wisne has 15.8 PPG and a team-high 6.2 RPG to lead the Bears in rebounding in addition to 2.8 APG. Zach Bloch has 14.2 PPG with 2.9 RPG and 3.1 APG to cap off the trio of double-digit scorers for Northern Colorado so far this season. Ibu Yamazaki has 9.1 PPG with 3.5 RPG and Egan Shields has 7.9 PPG with 5.9 RPG as well so far this season. As a team, Northern Colorado is averaging 87.6 PPG on 50.9% shooting from the field, 38.4% from three and 76.5% from the foul line this season.

Denver Pioneers @ Northern Colorado Bears Betting Trends: December 20, 2025

Why the Northern Colorado Bears will win

• Northern Colorado has won each of its last seven games at Bank of Colorado Arena.
• Denver has lost 14 of its last 15 Saturday games against non-Conference opponents.
• Northern Colorado has won the first half in each of its last 11 games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Why the Denver Pioneers will win

• Denver has won three of its last four games.
• Denver has won the first half in three of its last four games.

Total Points Facts

• Thirty-six of Denver’s last 40 day games against non-Conference opponents have produced a total of 159 or fewer points.
• Each of Northern Colorado’s last five day games against non-Conference opponents at Bank of Colorado Arena have produced a total of 153 or fewer points.

Matchup/League Facts

• Northern Colorado ranks T358th among Division 1 teams for steals per game this season (4.6).
• Northern Colorado ranks 11th among Division 1 teams for effective field goal percentage this season (60.0%).
• Denver ranks 365th among Division 1 teams for opponent three-point percentage this season (43.0%).
• Denver ranks 362nd among Division 1 teams for opponent field goal percentage this season (50.7%).

Denver Pioneers vs. Northern Colorado Bears Prediction

I’m on Northern Colorado here. I get that Denver is an attractive underdog and I’ve made plenty by backing the Pioneers over the course of the season so far. However, the Pioneers have not been as attractive as of late as they’ve played a bunch of non D-I teams and have been getting smoked in spots where they have played division I competition. The Bears are a solid offensive team that plays with pace and can score points on you in bunches if you don’t bring your A-game. I think Northern Colorado wins this one rather handily, so give me the Bears in this one.

Chris Ruffolo's Pick: Northern Colorado -8.5