Chicago State Cougars vs LIU Sharks Prediction, 2/26/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Chicago State Cougars vs LIU Sharks

Date: Thursday, February 26, 2026

Location: Steinberg Wellness Center in Brooklyn, NY

TV: ESPN+

The LIU Sharks (19-10) are welcoming the Chicago State Cougars (7-22) at Steinberg Wellness Center on Thursday.

The Chicago State Cougars faced Central Connecticut and walked away with a win by a score of 70-51 in their last game. Concerning fouls, the Cougars finished with 18 while Central Connecticut finished the game with 13 fouls. They also made 5 of their 24 shots from beyond the arc. Central Connecticut finished the contest at 80.0% at the charity stripe by making 12 of their 15 tries. Moreover, Central Connecticut snagged 32 rebounds (12 offensive, 20 defensive), but didn't have a block. Central Connecticut doled out 11 assists and had 3 steals in the game. When it comes to defense, Chicago State allowed their opponent to shoot 30.9% from the floor on 17 out of 55 shooting. They also recorded 21 assists in this contest in addition to forcing the opposition into 13 turnovers and getting 10 steals. Concerning grabbing rebounds, they earned 32 with 8 of them being of the offensive sort. From the charity stripe, the Cougars knocked down 10 of 12 attempts for a percentage of 83.3%. Chicago State finished the game with a 41.9% field goal percentage (26 of 62) and made 8 out of their 28 shots from distance.

CJ Ray is a guy who was important for the matchup. He finished the game shooting 58.3% from the field and distributed 1 assist. He was on the hardwood for 33 mins and also totaled 9 rebounds. He notched 15 points on 7 of 12 shooting.

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Chicago State comes into this one with a record of 7-22 this year. They turn the ball over 10.6 times per contest and as a unit they commit 18.7 fouls per game. As a unit, Chicago State is grabbing 31.4 boards per contest and has earned 337 dimes this season, which ranks 308th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Cougars are shooting 32.1% on shots from 3-point land (170 of 529) and 75.0% from the free throw line. They average 66.0 points per contest (348th in the nation) while hitting 40.4% from the floor.

When they are on defense, the Cougars are forcing their opponents into 13.2 turnovers per contest and they draw 15.2 fouls. They rank 364th in the nation in giving up assists to their opponents with 541 surrendered for the campaign. The Cougars defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 47.1% (742 of 1,576) and they concede 36.2 boards per game as a squad. They surrender 35.0% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are 242nd in D-1 in PPG from their opponents (75.9).

When they last stepped on the court, the LIU Sharks took a loss by a score of 91-83 against Mercyhurst. The Sharks corralled 18 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive boards totaling 24 for this contest. They gave up possession of the ball 13 times, while earning 4 steals for the matchup. Mercyhurst was called for 17 personal fouls in the game which took the Sharks to the charity stripe for a total of 20 attempts. They were able to convert 16 of the free throws for a percentage of 80.0%. When it comes to shots from beyond the perimeter, LIU made 5 out of 16 attempts (31.3%). At the conclusion of this game, the Sharks walked away from this one shooting 31 for 54 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 57.4%. The Sharks permitted Mercyhurst to knock down 34 out of their 63 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 54.0% for the contest. They wrapped up this game 33.3% from distance by going 6 out of 18 and ended up going 17 of 21 from the free throw line (81.0%). Concerning attacking the glass, LIU permitted Mercyhurst to get 25 in all (8 on the offensive glass).

Jamal Fuller ended up being important for the Sharks in this matchup. He converted 7 of 9 for this game for a field goal percentage of 77.8%, and had 2 rebounds. He accumulated 26 points in his 37 mins on the hardwood and had 3 dimes for the matchup.

LIU has a mark of 19-10 on the season. When it comes to offensive execution, the Sharks are connecting on 47.7% from the field, which ranks them 46th in college. LIU has tallied 2,150 pts so far this year (74.1 per contest) and they grab 35.5 boards per contest. They are dishing out assists 13.6 times per game (205th in Division 1) and they are losing possession via turnover 13.5 times per contest. The Sharks are responsible for committing 17.9 personal fouls per contest and they connect on 65.8% from the charity stripe.

The Sharks defensively are ranked 134th in college in points allowed per contest with 72.4. They are forcing 13.1 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 45.0% from the floor (237th in the nation). The LIU defense gives up 32.3% on 3-point shots (181 of 561) and their opponents are connecting on 68.4% of their free throw shots. They give up 12.5 dimes and 33.6 total rebounds per game, which is 108th and 128th in D-1.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Chicago State

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