Central Connecticut Blue Devils vs Chicago State Cougars Prediction, 2/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Central Connecticut Blue Devils vs Chicago State Cougars

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Location: Jones Convocation Center in Chicago, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Central Connecticut Blue Devils (15-10) are traveling to Jones Convocation Center on Saturday where they will compete against the Chicago State Cougars (6-21).

The Central Connecticut Blue Devils faced off with Fairleigh Dickinson and walked away with a win by a score of 63-57 in their last game. With respect to fouls, the Blue Devils ended up with 18 while Fairleigh Dickinson racked up 17 fouls. They made 4 of their 24 attempts from beyond the arc. Fairleigh Dickinson went 82.6% from the free throw line by converting 19 of 23 shots. Moreover, Fairleigh Dickinson collected 34 boards (15 offensive, 19 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Fairleigh Dickinson recorded 4 dimes and had 2 steals in the matchup. With respect to the defense, Central Connecticut let their opponent shoot 31.5% from the field on 17 of 54 shooting. They also doled out 5 dimes in this game while forcing the opposition into 9 turnovers and earning 5 steals. When talking about getting rebounds, they compiled 31 with 10 of them being offensive. From the free throw line, the Blue Devils made 16 of their 17 shots for a rate of 94.1%. Central Connecticut wrapped up the contest with a 40.4% field goal percentage (21 of 52) and made 5 of their 18 3-point shots.

Darin Smith Jr. is someone who was a factor for the contest. He was able to score 17 points on 2 of 11 shooting. He saw the court for 28 minutes and also totaled 2 rebounds. He ended up going 18.2% from the field but wasn't able to get a dime.

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Central Connecticut will enter this matchup with a record of 15-10 on the campaign. They are turning it over 10.6 times per contest and as a team are committing 13.6 personal fouls per contest. As a team, Central Connecticut is snagging 34.5 boards per game and has accumulated 349 assists so far this year, which is 245th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. The Blue Devils are shooting 37.8% from downtown (188 of 497) and 77.1% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 75.1 points per contest (213th in the country) on 47.7% from the field.

On defense, the Blue Devils are forcing 9.6 turnovers per contest while drawing 15.8 personal fouls. They concede 33.0% on shots from beyond the arc and they are ranked 93rd in college hoops in opponents points per game (70.7). The Blue Devils defense is giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 42.4% (637 of 1,501) and they surrender 33.0 rebounds per game as a group. They are 175th in the nation in giving up assists to their opponents with 355 surrendered this season.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Chicago State Cougars took a loss by a score of 81-63 against Le Moyne. In the matter of rebounds, Chicago State allowed Le Moyne to get 34 in total (3 offensive). They went 44.4% from 3-point land by hitting 12 of 27 and finished the game at 15 out of 21 from the free throw line (71.4%). The Cougars allowed Le Moyne to convert 27 of their 51 attempts from the field which had them sitting at 52.9% in the game. When the final whistle blew, the Cougars shot 25 out of 66 from the field which gave them a percentage of 37.9%. In regard to shots from downtown, Chicago State made 7 of their 22 tries (31.8%). They were able to knock down 6 of the free throws for a rate of 60.0%. Le Moyne was called for 14 personal fouls in the game which got the Cougars to the free throw line for a total of 10 attempts. They also gave up possession of the ball 9 times, while getting 9 steals for the matchup. The Cougars were able to snag 23 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards for a total of 33 for this contest.

CJ Ray ended up having an impact for the Cougars in this matchup. He knocked down 6 out of 21 in this matchup giving him a rate of 28.6%, and had 10 rebounds. He accumulated 15 points in his 34 minutes of playing time and tallied 3 assists in this matchup.

Chicago State has a mark of 6-21 on the campaign. As an offense, the Cougars are hitting on 40.2% from the field, which ranks them 356th in the nation. Chicago State has accumulated 1,784 points this season (66.1 per contest) and they average 31.5 boards per game. They are earning an assist 11.0 times per game (349th in D-1) and they turn it over 10.9 times per contest. The Cougars are committing 18.8 personal fouls per game and they go 74.7% from the charity stripe.

The Chicago State defense allows 35.2% on shots from beyond the arc (280 of 796) and opponents are connecting on 74.2% of their free throw shots. They surrender 19.0 assists and 36.1 rebounds on a nightly basis, which ranks them 364th and 283rd in the country. The Cougars on the defensive end are ranked 282nd in D-1 in PPG given up with 77.4. They are forcing their opponents into 13.4 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 47.8% from the field (342nd in college).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Chicago State

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