Chicago State Cougars vs Wagner Seahawks Prediction, 2/28/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Chicago State Cougars vs Wagner Seahawks

Date: Saturday, February 28, 2026

Location: Spiro Sports Center in Staten Island, NY

TV: ESPN+

The Wagner Seahawks (12-16) are hosting the Chicago State Cougars (7-23) at Spiro Sports Center on Saturday.

The Chicago State Cougars stepped onto the hardwood against LIU and took a loss by a final of 73-56 in their last contest. Chicago State wrapped up the contest having earned a 36.1% FG percentage (22 of 61) and made 6 out of their 21 3-pointers. At the free throw line, the Cougars made 6 of 10 tries for a percentage of 60.0%. Regarding grabbing rebounds, they earned 24 with 7 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 15 assists in this game as well as forcing the other team into 16 turnovers and earning 8 steals. In relation to defense, Chicago State allowed their opponent to shoot 48.9% from the field on 22 of 45 shooting. LIU dished out 16 assists and had 7 steals in the matchup. Additionally, LIU collected 36 rebounds (8 offensive, 28 defensive), but didn't have a block. LIU ended up shooting 79.3% at the charity stripe by burying 23 of 29 shots. They buried 6 of 17 shots from long range. Concerning personal fouls, the Cougars ended up with 21 and LIU finished the game with 12 personal fouls.

Stephen Byard is a player who was a contributor for the contest. He recorded 17 points on 7 out of 12 shooting. He played 31 minutes and also totaled 8 rebounds. He shot 58.3% from the field and also distributed 1 assist.

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Chicago State comes into this one with a win-loss record of 7-23 this season. They turn it over 10.6 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 18.7 fouls every game. As a unit, Chicago State is pulling in 31.4 rebounds per game and has 352 dimes so far this season, which is 293rd in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Cougars are shooting 32.0% on 3-pointers (176 of 550) and 74.7% from the free throw line. They have an average of 65.6 pts per game (351st in the nation) while shooting 40.3% from the floor.

On defense, the Cougars are forcing their opponents into 13.3 turnovers per game while drawing 15.1 fouls. They currently rank 364th in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 557 surrendered for the season. The Cougars are giving up a shooting percentage of 47.1% (764 of 1,621) and they surrender 36.2 boards per contest as a squad. They are surrendering 35.0% on 3-point attempts while they are 238th in the country in points per game from their opponents (75.8).

In their last game, the Wagner Seahawks got the victory with a final of 65-62 when they played New Haven. When discussing how they cleaned up the glass, Wagner permitted New Haven to get 29 in total (7 on the offensive glass). They finished 21.7% from three-point range via 5 out of 23 and ended up shooting 19 out of 21 from the free throw line (90.5%). The Seahawks allowed New Haven to make 19 of their 54 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 35.2% for this contest. Overall, the Seahawks went 22 for 55 from the field which gave them a rate of 40.0%. In reference to three-point attempts, Wagner knocked down 9 out of 25 attempts (36.0%). They were able to bury 12 of the free throws for a clip of 85.7%. New Haven was called for 11 fouls in the game which took the Seahawks to the charity stripe for 14 attempts. They also coughed up the ball 7 times, while getting 4 steals for the game. The Seahawks collected 29 defensive boards and 5 offensive rebounds for a total of 34 in this contest.

John Awoke was important for the Seahawks for the game. He scored 15 points in his 33 mins on the hardwood and tallied 3 assists for this game. He converted 5 of 11 for this contest giving him a rate of 45.5%, and earned 3 rebounds.

Wagner has a win-loss mark of 12-16 this year. When it comes to offensive execution, the Seahawks are shooting 43.9% from the field, which has them ranked 270th in Division 1. Wagner has totaled 2,004 points for the campaign (71.6 per contest) and they average 37.3 rebounds per contest. They are earning an assist 12.6 times per game (280th in college hoops) and they are turning it over 12.9 times per game. The Seahawks are committing 18.6 personal fouls every game and they go 71.8% from the free throw line.

The Wagner defense gives up 34.0% on three-point shots (204 of 600) and opponents are knocking down 71.9% of their shots from the free throw line. They concede 14.0 assists and 33.4 rebounds per contest, which is ranked 234th and 121st in those categories on the defensive end. The Seahawks on defense are ranked 147th in college in points allowed per contest with 72.8. They are able to force 10.7 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.6% from the field (152nd in college hoops).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Wagner

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