Mercyhurst Lakers vs Chicago State Cougars Prediction, 1/31/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Mercyhurst Lakers vs Chicago State Cougars

Date: Saturday, January 31, 2026

Location: Jones Convocation Center in Chicago, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Mercyhurst Lakers (10-11) are hitting the road to Jones Convocation Center on Saturday where they will go up against the Chicago State Cougars (2-19).

The Mercyhurst Lakers faced Chicago State and earned the victory with a final of 61-59 in their last contest. With respect to personal fouls, the Lakers finished with 9 and Chicago State totaled 8 personal fouls. They also converted 9 out of their 23 shots from 3-point range. Chicago State ended up going 72.7% from the free throw line by converting 8 of their 11 attempts. Furthermore, Chicago State totaled 28 rebounds (7 offensive, 21 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Chicago State earned 12 dimes and had 6 steals in this contest. In regard to the defense, Mercyhurst allowed 37.5% from the floor on 21 out of 56 shooting. They also recorded 19 assists for this contest while forcing the opposition into 6 turnovers and getting 4 steals. When talking about pulling down rebounds, they earned a total of 29 with 5 of them being offensive. At the free throw line, the Lakers made 5 of 7 attempts for a rate of 71.4%. Mercyhurst finished with a 46.0% field goal percentage (23 out of 50) and made 10 of their 25 three-point shots.

Bernie Blunt III is someone who was a major factor in this game. He ended up shooting 46.2% from the field and also totaled 1 assist. He was on the hardwood for 32 minutes played and pulled down 3 rebounds. He ended up scoring 19 points on 6 out of 13 shooting.

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Mercyhurst heads into this game with a win-loss mark of 10-11 on the campaign. They are losing possession via turnover 10.3 times per game and as a group they commit 17.5 fouls every game. As a unit, Mercyhurst is collecting 31.5 boards per game and is sitting with 312 dimes for the campaign, which is 139th in college in terms of passing the ball. The Lakers are hitting 32.8% on shots from downtown (124 of 378) and 67.5% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 66.3 pts per game (347th in college) while going 45.3% from the floor.

On the defensive end, the Lakers have forced 13.2 turnovers per contest and they draw 14.0 fouls. They give up 33.3% on shots from downtown and they are ranked 20th in Division 1 in opponents points per game (65.3). The Lakers are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 42.9% (469 of 1,093) and they relinquish 34.5 rebounds per game as a group. They are currently ranked 66th in Division 1 in giving up assists with 245 surrendered this year.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Chicago State Cougars took a loss by a final score of 61-59 when they faced Mercyhurst. The Cougars pulled down 21 defensive boards and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 28 in the game. They also coughed it up 6 times, while getting 6 steals in this game. Mercyhurst was called for 9 fouls in the game which got the Cougars to the free throw line for a total of 11 attempts. They were able to bury 8 of those for a percentage of 72.7%. When it comes to 3-point attempts, Chicago State knocked down 9 of their 23 attempts (39.1%). When the final whistle blew, the Cougars ended up going 21 out of 56 from the floor which gave them a rate of 37.5%. The Cougars permitted Mercyhurst to bury 23 of 50 tries from the field which left them shooting 46.0% for the contest. They shot 40.0% from beyond the arc by going 10 out of 25 and finished the game at 5 of 7 at the charity stripe (71.4%). When it comes to cleaning the glass, Chicago State allowed Mercyhurst to pull down 29 in total (5 on the offensive side).

Braelon Bush was important for the Cougars in the game. He made 5 out of 7 for this game giving him a field goal percentage of 71.4%, and accumulated 3 rebounds. He recorded 13 points in his 23 minutes on the court and totaled 1 assist in this game.

Chicago State has a record of 2-19 on the year. When it comes to executing on offense, the Cougars are hitting on 39.3% from the floor, which is 357th in the nation. Chicago State has scored 1,365 pts for the campaign (65.0 per game) and they collect 31.5 rebounds per contest. They are dishing out assists 10.3 times per contest (359th in D-1) and they are losing possession via turnover 11.7 times per game. The Cougars commit 19.3 personal fouls every game and they go 74.7% from the free throw line.

The Chicago State defense gives up 35.5% on shots from beyond the arc (227 of 639) and their opponents are making 74.0% of their shots from the free throw line. They relinquish 19.4 dimes and 37.4 rebounds on a nightly basis, which ranks them 364th and 321st in the nation. The Cougars on the defensive end are ranked 317th in college hoops in PPG surrendered with 79.6. They are able to force 13.4 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 47.7% from the floor (339th in college hoops).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Mercyhurst

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