Chicago State Cougars vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 12/29/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Chicago State Cougars vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Sunday, December 29, 2024

Location: State Farm Center in Champaign, IL

TV: BTN

State Farm Center is where the Illinois Fighting Illini (8-3) will take on the Chicago State Cougars (0-14) on Sunday.

The Chicago State Cougars faced off with Cal State Northridge and took a loss by a final of 81-57 in their last game. When talking about personal fouls, the Cougars ended up finishing with 23 while Cal State Northridge recorded 20 personal fouls. They made 4 of their 18 tries from three-point range. Cal State Northridge finished shooting 90.5% when shooting free throws by making 19 of 21 attempts. On top of that, Cal State Northridge grabbed 38 rebounds (10 offensive, 28 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Cal State Northridge recorded 21 dimes and had 10 steals for the matchup. Regarding the defense, Chicago State allowed their opponent to shoot 43.3% from the field on 29 out of 67 shooting. They also recorded 12 assists in this matchup in addition to creating 13 turnovers and getting 7 steals. In reference to grabbing boards, they collected 30 with 6 of them being offensive. When they shot from the free throw line, the Cougars converted 17 of their 28 shots for a rate of 60.7%. Chicago State wrapped up the contest having earned a 32.7% FG percentage (17 of 52) and converted 6 of 24 three-point attempts.

Matthew Robinson Jr. is a guy who was a major factor for the game. He went 66.7% from the floor and also distributed 1 assist. He played for 22 mins played but finished the game without grabbing a rebound. He left the arena with 14 points on 4 of 6 shooting.

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Chicago State will enter this matchup with a win-loss record of 0-14 on the campaign. They are averaging 59.6 points per outing (362nd in the country) while hitting 35.0% from the field. The Cougars are shooting 29.1% on three-point attempts (98 of 337) and 65.1% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Chicago State is grabbing 33.1 rebounds per contest and has 142 dimes so far this season, which is 318th in the country in terms of passing the rock. They are losing possession via turnover 14.8 times per contest and as a team are committing 20.7 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Cougars are able to force 12.7 turnovers per contest while drawing 14.9 personal fouls. They surrender 34.0% on 3-pointers and they rank 354th in college hoops in PPG allowed (83.0). The Cougars defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 47.0% (400 of 851) and they surrender 44.4 rebounds per contest as a squad. They currently rank 360th in D-1 in giving up assists with 239 conceded on the campaign.

When they last played, the Illinois Fighting Illini took home the win by a final score of 80-77 when they faced Missouri. When discussing rebounding, Illinois allowed Missouri to snag 30 overall (9 offensive). They went 23.1% from downtown via 3 of 13 and walked away from this one shooting 28 out of 37 from the free throw line (75.7%). The Fighting Illini allowed Missouri to bury 23 out of their 58 attempts from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 39.7% for the matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Fighting Illini shot 25 out of 57 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 43.9%. When talking about shooting from 3-point land, Illinois made 8 of their 26 attempts (30.8%). They were able to knock down 22 of those for a clip of 95.7%. Missouri earned 19 fouls for this contest which got the Fighting Illini to the free throw line for 23 shots. They also gave up possession 16 times, while recording 4 steals for the game. The Fighting Illini were able to corral 29 defensive boards and 11 offensive rebounds for a total of 40 for the matchup.

Tre White was important for the Fighting Illini in this game. He made 5 of 7 in this game for a field goal rate of 71.4%, and accumulated 8 rebounds. He recorded 13 points in his 26 mins of playing time, but went home with no dimes.

Illinois has a win-loss record of 8-3 for the year. As an offensive unit, the Fighting Illini are shooting 43.3% from the floor, which ranks them 264th in the nation. Illinois has 920 points for the season (83.6 per contest) and they average 45.3 boards per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 14.5 times per contest (154th in college) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 11.7 times per game. The Fighting Illini commit 17.1 personal fouls every game and they hit 75.4% from the free throw line.

The Illinois defense surrenders 26.2% on 3-point shots (61 of 233) and their opponents are making 63.9% of their free throw attempts. They surrender 9.8 assists and 33.9 rebounds per game, ranking them 16th and 163rd in college hoops. The Fighting Illini are ranked 51st in college in PPG given up with 65.7. They have forced 10.3 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 37.2% from the field (6th in college hoops).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Chicago State

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