Chicago State Cougars vs Mercyhurst Lakers Prediction, 1/25/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Chicago State Cougars vs Mercyhurst Lakers

Date: Sunday, January 25, 2026

Location: Mercyhurst Athletic Center in Erie, PA

TV: ESPN+

The Chicago State Cougars (2-17) are hitting the road to Mercyhurst Athletic Center on Sunday where they will compete against the Mercyhurst Lakers (8-11).

The Chicago State Cougars took the court against New Haven and ended up losing by a score of 62-56 in their last game. Chicago State walked away from the game with a 43.4% field goal percentage (23 of 53) and knocked down 4 of 14 3-pointers. From the free throw line, the Cougars buried 6 of their 8 tries for a percentage of 75.0%. When discussing pulling down boards, they collected 19 with 5 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 13 assists in this matchup while forcing the other team into 16 turnovers and having 8 steals. Regarding the defense, Chicago State let their opponent shoot 41.7% from the floor on 20 out of 48 shooting. New Haven distributed 14 assists and had 5 steals for the contest. On top of that, New Haven grabbed 28 rebounds (8 offensive, 20 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. New Haven ended up shooting 100.0% at the free throw line by making 14 of their 14 tries. They converted 8 out of their 27 tries from long range. In the matter of fouls, the Cougars finished with 17 and New Haven recorded 12 fouls.

CJ Ray is someone who came through in this game. He notched 17 points on 8 of 18 shooting. He played for 39 mins played and also snagged 4 boards. He walked away from this one shooting 44.4% from the floor and also distributed 2 assists.

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Chicago State comes into this contest with a record of 2-17 for the campaign. They are giving up possession 11.9 times per game and as a group are committing 20.2 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Chicago State is collecting 31.4 boards per game and is sitting with 198 dimes on the season, which ranks 359th in the country in terms of passing the ball. The Cougars are connecting on 30.8% on shots from beyond the arc (100 of 325) and 75.7% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 65.6 points per contest (352nd in college hoops) while shooting 39.6% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Cougars have forced 13.5 turnovers per game and they draw 15.5 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 360th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 365 relinquished this season. The Cougars defense is giving up a FG percentage of 47.5% (509 of 1,072) and they surrender 37.8 rebounds per game as a team. They give up 35.0% on shots from downtown and they are ranked 327th in D-1 in opponents PPG (80.5).

The last time they took the court, the Mercyhurst Lakers went home victorious with a score of 79-61 when they faced Central Connecticut. The Lakers recorded 24 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive boards totaling 32 in the game. They also gave up possession of the ball 8 times, while getting 6 steals for the game. Central Connecticut had 11 personal fouls for this contest which took the Lakers to the free throw line for a total of 4 shots. They were able to make 4 of those for a rate of 100.0%. In reference to three-point shots, Mercyhurst made 9 out of their 17 tries (52.9%). When the game finished, the Lakers finished the game shooting 33 for 60 from the field which gave them a percentage of 55.0%. The Lakers permitted Central Connecticut to make 22 of 60 tries from the floor which left them shooting 36.7% in this matchup. They wrapped up this game 22.7% from 3-point land by connecting on 5 of 22 and walked away from this one shooting 12 out of 15 from the free throw line (80.0%). In regard to team rebounding, Mercyhurst permitted Central Connecticut to collect 25 in total (10 offensive).

Bernie Blunt III was important for the Lakers for the game. He made 7 out of 13 in the game for a field goal rate of 53.8%, and accounted for 5 rebounds. He totaled 20 points in his 31 minutes on the court, but wasn't able to earn an assist.

Mercyhurst has a win-loss record of 8-11 this season. As an offense, the Lakers are shooting 45.0% from the floor, which has them ranked 209th in the country. Mercyhurst has scored 1,271 points so far this year (66.9 per contest) and they grab 32.0 rebounds per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 14.7 times per game (150th in college) and they are turning it over 10.3 times per contest. The Lakers commit 18.1 personal fouls every game and they shoot 66.5% from the charity stripe.

The Lakers on the defensive end are ranked 25th in college in PPG given up with 66.1. They are forcing 13.5 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 43.0% from the floor (147th in college). The Mercyhurst defense gives up 33.5% on 3-point shots (117 of 349) and their opponents are converting on 71.1% of their shots from the free throw line. They concede 11.7 assists and 35.0 boards every game, which is ranked 61st and 215th in those defensive categories.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Chicago State

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