Cal Baptist vs Chicago State 3/2/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Chicago State Cougars will travel to the CBU Events Center to take on the California Baptist Lancers this Wednesday night in College Basketball action.

The Chicago State Cougars snapped a 9-game losing streak and improved to 7-22 on the season after upsetting the New Mexico State Aggies, 61-59, this past Saturday. Chicago State came into the game as 17-point underdogs, however, the Cougars were outstanding on the defense end against the Aggies and was able to pull off the upset after Brandon Betson hit a game-winning layup with just 2.4 seconds left in regulation. Chicago State shot 42.9% from the field & 43.5% from beyond the arc while holding New Mexico State to just 36.2% shooting from the field & 33.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Cougars was Brandon Betson who had 17 points, 5 rebounds, & 8 assists.

On the season, Chicago State is averaging 62.8 ppg on 39.2% shooting from the field. The Cougars are averaging 7.8 three-pointers per game on 31.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Chicago State has been led by Brandon Betson (13.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.1 apg), Jahsean Corbett (11.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg), Coreyoun Rushin (10.1 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.1 spg), & Dominique Alexander (7.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.2 spg).

Defensively, Chicago State is allowing their opponents to an average of 75.0 ppg on 46.4% shooting from the field. The Cougars have a rebound margin of -1.6 and a turnover margin of -2.8.

The California Baptist Lancers dropped to 15-14 on the season after being defeated by the Utah Valley Wolverines, 63-54, this past Saturday. California Baptist struggled on the offensive end against Utah Valley and could not fight back after going into halftime trailing by a 30-18 margin. California Baptist shot 32.3% from the field & 14.3% from beyond the arc while allowing Utah Valley to shoot 39.1% from the field & 22.2% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Lancers was Taran Armstrong who had 22 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, & 1 steal.

On the season, California Baptist is averaging 72.0 ppg on 44.2% shooting from the field. The Lancers are averaging 7.8 three-pointers per game on 32.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, California Baptist has been led by Daniel Akin (12.1 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.1 bpg), Tre Armstrong (11.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.5 apg), Ty Rowell (11.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 3.3 apg), & Taran Armstrong (10.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 6.5 apg).

Defensively, California Baptist is holding their opponents to an average of 67.5 ppg on 40.9% shooting from the field. The Lancers have a rebound margin of 3.5 and a turnover margin of -1.6.

The Cougars are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games & 1-5 ATS in their last 6 March games. The Lancers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 home games & 0-5 ATS in their last 5 Wednesday games.

California Baptist is no doubt the better team, however, it’s hard not to be impressed by Chicago State after seeing the Cougars upset on of the best WAC teams in the New Mexico State aggies this past weekend. California Baptist can struggle sometimes on the offensive end as the Lancers have averaged just 57.0 ppg in their last five losses and as the Cougars were able to defeat California Baptist by a 58-56 margin earlier this season at home, I think Chicago State does enough with the double-digit points to get us a cover. Good Luck!