| MATCHUP | Nicholls State Colonels | UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros |
|---|---|---|
| Team Records | 4-8 | 5-7 |
| Where | UTRGV Fieldhouse, Edinburg, TX | |
| When | Wednesday, December 31, 2025 | |
| Time | 05:30 PM EST | |
| TV | ESPN+ | |
UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros Preview
UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros have a 5-6 record this season and are sitting in the 6th place of the Southland. They have a 2-2 home record and are coming off a 109-51 home win against College of Biblical Studies. Their previous three games were an 83-72 away win against Lamar, a 58-50 home loss against UT Arlington, and a 63-50 home win against Austin Peay.
Offensively, UT Rio Grande Valley averages 77.8 points per game, while allowing 70.1 points per game defensively. The Vaqueros shoot with 47% from the field and grab 37 rebounds per game, while dishing out 16.4 assists per game. They average 2.5 blocks per game and 6.4 steals per game defensively.
Marvin McGhee III leads UT Rio Grande Valley in scoring, with an average of 12.1 points per game, while shooting with 48.9% from the field and 76.5% from the free throw line. Koree Cotton leads the team in rebounds with 5.2 per game, while Always Wright adds a team-high 3 assists per game.
Nicholls Colonels Preview
Nicholls Colonels have a 3-8 record this season and are sitting in the 2nd place of the Southland. They have a 1-8 away record and are coming off a 95-82 away loss against Pacific. Their previous three games were a 79-64 home win against Houston Christian, a 117-49 home win against College of Biblical Studies, and a 74-67 home win against Incarnate Word.
Offensively, Nicholls averages 75.5 points per game, while allowing 77.9 points per game defensively. The Colonels shoot with 44% from the field and grab 32 rebounds per game, while dishing out 13.5 assists per game. They average 2.1 blocks per game and 9.9 steals per game defensively.
Jaylen Searles leads Nicholls in scoring, with an average of 13.1 points per game, while shooting with 43.5% from the field and 48.5% from the free throw line. Jalik Dunkley leads the team in rebounds with 6.5 per game, while Trae English adds a team-high 3.2 assists per game.
Nicholls vs UT Rio Grande Valley Prediction
In this Nicholls vs UT Rio Grande Valley Prediction, UT Rio Grande Valley is coming as -4 home favorites. UT Rio Grande Valley has been the better team this season, as they have a better overall record and are facing a Nicholls team that has been terrible on the road and will be playing their 10th game away from home out of their 12 total so far. But Nicholls is playing its best basketball of the season lately, with a 4-1 record in its last 5 games and are 3-1 against the spread, while UT Rio Grande Valley is 2-5 in its last 7 games. UT Rio Grande Valley has better numbers this season but given both teams’ recent form, I have to take the +4 points with Nicholls in this one.