Chicago State vs Utah Valley 1/27/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Utah Valley Wolverines will travel to the Jones Convocation Center to take on the Chicago State Cougars this Thursday night in College Basketball action.

The Utah Valley Wolverines won their 2^nd straight game and improved to 13-6 on the season after defeating the Lamar Cardinals, 58-41, this past Saturday. Utah Valley was incredible defensively against Lamar and had no trouble pulling away for the victory after going into halftime with a 32-16 lead. Utah Valley shot 35.3% from the field & 31.3% from beyond the arc while holding Lamar to just 27.9% from the field & 0.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Wolverines was Fardaws Aimaq who had a double-double with 15 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, & 1 steal.

On the season, Utah Valley is averaging 73.7 ppg on 46.0% shooting from the field. The Wolverines are averaging 6.7 three-pointers per game on 36.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Utah Valley has been led by Fardaws Aimaq (19.3 ppg, 14.0 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.5 bpg), Connor Harding (11.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.8 apg), Le’Tre Darthard (10.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.6 apg), & Blaze Nield (7.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.2 spg).

Defensively, Utah Valley is holding their opponents to an average of 64.1 ppg on 38.4% shooting from the field. The Wolverines have a rebound margin of 8.6 and a turnover margin of -3.3.

The Chicago State Cougars improved to 6-13 on the season after defeating the Lamar Cardinals, 67-56, on January 15^th. Chicago State trailed by a 41-34 margin at halftime, however, the Cougars dominated Lamar on both ends of the court in the 2^nd half and pulled away for the victory after taking a 58-47 lead with 4:29 left in regulation. Chicago State shot 50.0% from the field & 56.3% from beyond the arc while holding Lamar to just 31.1% from the field & 31.6% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Cougars was Brandon Betson who had 18 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, & 1 steal.

On the season, Chicago State is averaging 61.4 ppg on 38.1% shooting from the field. The Cougars are averaging 7.5 three-pointers per game on 30.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Chicago State has been led by Ali Abdou Dibba (14.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.5 spg), Brandon Betson (13.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.9 apg), Jahsean Corbett (12.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg), & Coreyoun Rushin (9.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.1 spg).

Defensively, Chicago State is allowing their opponents to average 73.5 ppg on 44.3% shooting from the field. The Cougars have a rebound margin of 0.3 and a turnover margin of -3.2.

The Wolverines are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games & 4-4 ATS in their last 8 road games. The Cougars are 10-5 ATS in their last 15 games & 6-3 ATS in their last 9 Thursday games.

Utah Valley has been solid on both ends of the court as the Wolverines come into this game ranked 131^st in scoring offense, 90^th in FG%, 59^th in scoring defense, & 16^th in defensive FG%. Chicago State has struggled on both ends of the court and come into this game ranked just 338^th in scoring offense, 346^th in FG%, & 283^rd in scoring defense.

Utah Valley is a solid mid-major team that has a double-double machine in Fardaws Aimaq, however, the Wolverines come into this game with just a 3-5 road record and have struggled with turnovers as they come into this game ranked 327^th in turnover margin. Chicago State hasn’t played in almost two weeks, however, the Cougars have won 2 of their last 3 games which includes a solid home victory over California Baptist and although I don’t think Chicago State picks up a win here, I think they do just enough to get us a cover. Good Luck!