Who’s Playing
Northern Illinois @ Chicago State
Current Records: Northern Illinois 2-6; Chicago State 3-6
What to Know
The Northern Illinois Huskies are 5-0 against the Chicago State Cougars since December of 2015, and they’ll have a chance to extend that success Monday. They will face off against one another at 1 p.m. ET at Jones Convocation Center. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they’ll have plenty of motivation to get the ‘W.’
It’s never fun to lose, and it’s even less fun to lose 79-41, which was the final score in Northern Illinois’ tilt against the Dayton Flyers two weeks ago. Guard Keshawn Williams just could not get things rolling his way, finishing with only seven points on 3-for-13 shooting in his 27 minutes on the court.
Meanwhile, Chicago State entered their game against the Illinois State Redbirds this past Saturday without any home losses — but there’s a first time for everything. The Cougars came up short against Illinois State, falling 80-71. Five players on Chicago State scored in the double digits: Jahsean Corbett (17), Coreyoun Rushin (13), Favour Chukwukelu (11), Dominique Alexander (11), and Brandon Betson (10).
Barring any buzzer beaters, NIU is expected to win a tight contest. Those playing the odds have seen things go back and forth with NIU, who are 3-4 against the spread.
The losses put the Huskies at 2-6 and Chicago State at 3-6. A pair of offensive numbers to keep in mind before tip-off: NIU is stumbling into the contest with the 357th fewest points per game in college basketball, having accrued only 54.6 on average. Chicago State has experienced some struggles of their own as they have only been able to knock down 38.80% percent of their shots, which is the 12th lowest field goal percentage in college basketball. It’s possible one of these Achilles’ heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.
How To Watch
- When: Monday at 1 p.m. ET
- Where: Jones Convocation Center — Chicago, Illinois
- Follow: CBS Sports App
Odds
The Huskies are a slight 1.5-point favorite against the Cougars, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 1.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
Over/Under: -110
See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Northern Illinois have won all of the games they’ve played against Chicago State in the last seven years.
- Dec 18, 2020 – Northern Illinois 64 vs. Chicago State 54
- Dec 19, 2019 – Northern Illinois 75 vs. Chicago State 60
- Dec 22, 2018 – Northern Illinois 100 vs. Chicago State 59
- Dec 02, 2017 – Northern Illinois 95 vs. Chicago State 77
- Dec 02, 2015 – Northern Illinois 80 vs. Chicago State 58
