Fairleigh Dickinson Knights vs Chicago State Cougars Prediction, 2/19/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Fairleigh Dickinson Knights vs Chicago State Cougars

Date: Thursday, February 19, 2026

Location: Jones Convocation Center in Chicago, IL

TV: ESPN+

Jones Convocation Center is the site where the Chicago State Cougars (6-21) will take on the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (10-17) on Thursday.

The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights played Central Connecticut and took a loss by a score of 63-57 in their last contest. Fairleigh Dickinson wrapped up the contest with a 31.5% FG percentage (17 out of 54) and buried 4 out of their 24 shots from 3-point land. From the charity stripe, the Knights made 19 of their 23 tries for a rate of 82.6%. In regard to grabbing boards, they earned 34 with 15 of them being offensive. They also distributed 4 assists for this game in addition to forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and earning 2 steals. Regarding the defense, Fairleigh Dickinson allowed 40.4% from the floor on 21 of 52 shooting. Central Connecticut distributed 5 assists and had 5 steals in this game. In addition, Central Connecticut pulled down 31 rebounds (10 offensive, 21 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Central Connecticut went 94.1% from the free throw line by converting 16 of their 17 attempts. They buried 5 out of their 18 shots from distance. In regard to personal fouls, the Knights walked away with 17 while Central Connecticut racked up 18 personal fouls.

Arthur Cox is one guy who was a major factor for this game. He notched 16 points on 5 out of 12 shooting. He saw the court for 21 minutes and also grabbed 8 rebounds. He finished 41.7% from the floor but wasn't able to get a dime.

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Fairleigh Dickinson enters this contest with a win-loss mark of 10-17 this year. They are turning it over 11.7 times per game and as a group they are committing 17.4 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Fairleigh Dickinson is pulling down 35.9 rebounds per game and has earned 324 dimes so far this season, which is 288th in college in terms of passing. The Knights are connecting on 30.5% on shots beyond the perimeter (218 of 715) and 70.8% from the free throw line. They are averaging 67.9 points per game (337th in D-1) on 41.1% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Knights are able to force 11.2 turnovers every game and they draw 17.0 personal fouls. They are relinquishing 35.1% on shots from distance and they are ranked 74th in college hoops in PPG allowed (69.7). The Knights defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 44.7% (650 of 1,454) and they concede 32.9 boards per contest as a group. They rank 82nd in the country in allowing assists to their opponents with 317 relinquished on the campaign.

In their last game, the Chicago State Cougars took a loss by a final score of 81-63 when they faced Le Moyne. Regarding rebounding, Chicago State allowed Le Moyne to get 34 in all (3 on the offensive side). They finished 44.4% from behind the 3-point line by shooting 12 of 27 and walked away from this one shooting 15 out of 21 from the free throw line (71.4%). The Cougars allowed Le Moyne to knock down 27 out of 51 tries from the field which had them sitting at 52.9% in this matchup. At the conclusion of this game, the Cougars finished the game shooting 25 for 66 from the field which gave them a rate of 37.9%. Concerning three-point shots, Chicago State converted 7 of their 22 attempts (31.8%). They were able to make 6 of the free throws for a rate of 60.0%. Le Moyne was called for 14 personal fouls for 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 recording 9 steals for this game. The Cougars were able to pull down 23 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive boards totaling 33 for the contest.

CJ Ray ended up being a factor for the Cougars in this matchup. He had 15 points in his 34 minutes on the court and added 3 dimes for this contest. He made 6 of 21 for the contest for a field goal rate of 28.6%, and earned 10 rebounds.

Chicago State has a win-loss mark of 6-21 so far this season. The Cougars are committing 18.8 fouls per game and they shoot 74.7% from the free throw line. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 11.0 times per game (349th in college) and they lose possession via turnover 10.9 times per game. Chicago State has 1,784 pts for the campaign (66.1 per contest) and they pull in 31.5 rebounds per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Cougars are hitting on 40.2% from the floor, which ranks them 355th in Division 1.

The Chicago State defense surrenders 35.2% on shots from behind the 3-point line (280 of 796) and their opponents are knocking down 74.2% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have given up 19.0 dimes and 36.1 rebounds every game, which has them ranked 364th and 283rd in D-1. The Cougars on the defensive side of the court are 281st in the nation in points given up per game with 77.4. They are forcing 13.4 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 47.8% from the floor (342nd in college hoops).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Chicago State

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