Northern Colorado Bears (2-2) vs Chicago State Cougars (1-4)
Game Info: Tuesday, November 21, 2023 at 1:00 pm (Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya)
Betting Odds: Northern Colorado Bears -5 -- Over/Under: Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Chicago State Cougars and the Northern Colorado Bears meet Tuesday in college basketball action from Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya. Chicago State is sitting at 1-4 overall this year. The Cougars lost in a blowout to Southern Illinois last Thursday. As for Northern Colorado, they’re currently 2-2 and coming off a five-point loss to New Mexico State over the weekend. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Pick Dawgz.
Chicago State Cougars
The Cougars lost their first two games this year, falling 70-41 to Bowling Green and 66-61 to Mercer. Game three was Chicago State’s first win, coming 78-67 over Southern Indiana. In the Cal State Northridge matchup last Tuesday however, the Cougars fell back into the loss column 74-64 thanks to 54.5 percent shooting allowed and a 43-29 rebounding deficit.
Chicago State wasn’t able to bounce back versus Southern Illinois in their last game. The Cougars were down 31-22 by halftime and limped to the loss 71-55. Wesley Cardet led the team in scoring with 15 points and six rebounds. Jahsean Corbett added 13 points with eight boards as well.
Northern Colorado Bears
Over on the Bears’ side, they managed a couple of wins in their first two games. First was an 87-58 blowout over Colorado College, then an 81-60 victory versus Northern New Mexico. Last Tuesday Northern Colorado took their first loss 83-64 to Colorado State, posting a tepid 36.9 percent shooting alongside a 44-38 disadvantage on the boards.
Northern Colorado fell again in their most recent game versus New Mexico State, but the result was much closer. The Bears held a 40-28 lead going into the second half but couldn’t hang on in a 76-71 loss. Dejour Reaves led the way on 16 points with five rebounds, while Saint Thomas doubled up on 15 points and 13 boards.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’m going to stay with Northern Colorado. The Bears had a great first half against New Mexico State in their last outing but fell apart after the break. Northern Colorado ended up shooting a solid 43.4 percent from the field with 33 rebounds but only hit 18-of-28 (64.3 percent) from the line and coughed up 18 turnovers. It’ll take a cleaner game to stay in front of the Cougars, but Northern Colorado should be up for it.
Speaking of Chicago State, they hit just two of their nine 3-point shots in the loss to Southern Illinois and fell behind on the glass 36-26. The Cougars can follow along here if they play well, but ultimately it should be the Bears’ cover to take.