Chicago State Cougars vs Illinois State Redbirds Prediction, 12/15/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Chicago State Cougars vs Illinois State Redbirds

Date: Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Location: Redbird Arena in Normal, IL

TV: ESPN3

Odds/Point Spread: Chicago State (+21)

The Illinois State Redbirds (2-3) host the Chicago State Cougars (0-6) at Redbird Arena on Tuesday. Illinois State opens this contest as 21-point favorites. The O/U is set at 145.5.

Chicago State will take the court with a mark of 0-6 so far this season. They lose possession by turning the ball over 16.0 times per game and as a unit they commit 22.5 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Chicago State is collecting 25.3 boards per game and has accounted for 61 dimes for the campaign, which is 167th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Cougars are shooting 23.1% on shots from 3-point land (31 of 134) and 68.5% from the charity stripe. They average 52.7 points per game (317th in college basketball) while connecting on 34.1% from the field. When they are on the defensive end, the Cougars have forced 11.8 turnovers per contest while drawing 15.3 personal fouls. The Cougars are giving up a shooting percentage of 53.5% (193 of 361) and they surrender 42.0 boards per game as a team. They are currently ranked 313th in Division 1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 112 relinquished for the season. They are conceding 39.2% on 3-point attempts and they are 312th in college basketball in PPG allowed (88.7).

The Chicago State Cougars faced off with the Loyola Ramblers and went home with a loss by a final score of 88-51 in their last game. Chicago State walked away from the contest having earned a 35.8% FG percentage (19 of 53) and made 2 out of their 18 shots from beyond the perimeter. At the free throw line, the Cougars knocked down 11 of their 14 attempts for a rate of 78.6%. Regarding grabbing rebounds, they collected a total of 26 with 5 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 10 assists for the game while earning 4 steals and 4 rejections. When discussing defending, Chicago State allowed their opponent to shoot 35.8% from the field on 19 out of 53. Loyola doled out 22 dimes and 5 steals in this contest. Moreover, the Ramblers grabbed 34 boards (5 offensive, 29 defensive) and added 4 rejections. Loyola finished 66.7% when shooting free throws by burying 8 of their 12 attempts. They also buried 8 out of their 22 tries from beyond the perimeter.

Levelle Zeigler is a guy who saw a lot of court time in this game. He ended up with 12 points on 5 out of 12 shooting. He played 36 minutes and also pulled down 2 boards. Zeigler ended up going 41.7% from the floor and distributed 2 dimes. Someone else that was a major factor in this contest for the Cougars was Carlo Marble. He snagged 4 boards and also had 2 assists. He walked away from this one shooting 42.9% from the field for the matchup by shooting 3-of-7 (7 points). When the final whistle blew, Marble played for 22 min.

Illinois State has a win-loss record of 2-3 so far this season. Illinois State has scored 457 pts for the year (91.4 per game) and they grab 40.8 boards per contest. The Redbirds have committed 21.0 fouls per contest and they connect on 63.5% from the charity stripe. In terms of offensive execution, the Redbirds are hitting on 52.7% from the floor, which is 52nd in the country. They are getting an assist 19.8 times per game (17th in the nation) and they lose possession via turnover 15.2 times per contest. The Redbirds on the defensive side of the court are 308th in college basketball in PPG given up with 86.4. They are able to force 14.4 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 44.4% from the field (214th in college basketball). The Illinois State defense surrenders 29.5% on shots from beyond the arc (43 of 146) and their opposition makes 68.2% of their shots from the charity stripe. They surrender 15.4 assists and 39.4 rebounds per contest, which ranks them 260th and 267th in those defensive categories.

In their last game, the Illinois State Redbirds walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 82-66 when they faced the Ball State Cardinals. The Redbirds earned 31 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive boards totaling 39 in this matchup. They also blocked 3 tries while recording 6 steals for this contest. The Cardinals were called for 13 fouls for this contest which got the Redbirds to the charity stripe for a total of 5 tries. They were able to knock down 1 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 20.0%. With respect to 3-point shots, Illinois State made 9 out of their 25 attempts (36.0%). In all, the Redbirds shot 28 out of 65 from the field which gave them a percentage of 43.1%. The Redbirds allowed the Cardinals to convert 30 of their 65 tries from the field which left them shooting 46.2% in this matchup. They went 32.1% from distance by going 9 of 28 and ended up shooting 13 of 20 from the free throw line (65.0%). When discussing cleaning up the glass, Illinois State allowed Ball State to snag 38 in total (8 on the offensive glass).

Josiah Strong saw a lot of time on the hardwood for the Redbirds in the matchup. He knocked down 6 out of 11 in the game giving him a rate of 54.5%, which earned him 14 points. Strong pulled down 6 rebounds in his 29 mins played and had 4 assists for the game. Someone else that ended up playing a role for Illinois State was Dusan Mahorcic. He accumulated 14 points in 26 minutes played via 7 out of 10 shooting in this game. Mahorcic finished going 70.0% from the floor as well as contributing 2 assists and 13 boards.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Chicago State (+21)

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