Chicago State Cougars vs San Diego Toreros Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Week 2
San Diego hosts Chicago State at Jenny Craig Pavilion, and the Toreros lay a big number with a profile that rates near even.
The Matchup
San Diego is favored like a team a class above its visitor, and its own numbers do not back that up. The Toreros are 2-1, scoring 83.3 points per game and allowing 78.3 this season, after a 12-21 West Coast Conference season in which they scored 74.5 and allowed 77.9. Chicago State arrives 2-2 from the Northeast Conference, scoring 68.3 and allowing 76.8, after a 7-25 season in which the Cougars scored 65.8 and allowed 76.1.
These rates blend this season's games with last season, and with both counted the Toreros rate barely better than the Cougars, nowhere near a two-touchdown favorite even at home. Dusty Stromer leads San Diego at 15.0 points per game, Chace Holley adds 3.3 assists per game, and Jose Roberto Tanchyn leads them at 6.7 rebounds per game.
Chicago State owns the best scorer in the game: Mike Price at 22.0 points per game, with Malik Olafioye at 2.2 assists per game and Kameron Foman at 6.0 rebounds per game. Stromer, Holley, Tanchyn, Price, Olafioye, and Foman all carry no injury designations into this game.
The counterpoint is the trip and the history. Chicago State crosses the country for this one, the Cougars won seven games last season, and if Price has an off night, their offense has no second act.
Key Factors
The first factor is Price, because an underdog with the game's best scorer has a way to answer runs that a balanced-but-bland road team lacks. His 22.0 points per game come with the ball in his hands late in clocks, exactly the possessions that decide whether a road team covers.
The second factor is San Diego's defense, which has allowed 78.3 points per game this season and allowed 77.9 last season. A favorite that cannot get stops cannot build the separation this number requires, however friendly the building.
The third factor is Chicago State's start. The Cougars have already won twice this season, which separates them from the hopeless road teams this kind of line is usually posted against.
San Diego is laying a contender's number with a profile that rates near even, and Chicago State has the best scorer on the floor to keep answering. The Toreros may well win, but this spread is too generous. Take Chicago State Cougars +14.5 at -110.
Game Information
| Date | Friday (11/13) |
|---|---|
| Start Time | 8:30 PM CT |
| How to Watch | ESPN+ |
| Venue | Jenny Craig Pavilion, San Diego |
| Spread | San Diego Toreros -14.5 |
| Total | 147.5 |
| Moneyline | San Diego Toreros -1,000 |
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