Check out our free Youngstown State vs Central Michigan pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Mount Pleasant. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.

Youngstown State vs Central Michigan Pick & Preview: Wednesday, December 21st Betting Odds

Penguins vs Chippewas Matchup at a Glance

  • Sport: NCAAB
  • Teams: Youngstown State Penguins at Central Michigan Chippewas
  • Where: Mount Pleasant at McGuirk Arena
  • Date: Wednesday, December 21st
  • Betting Odds: Youngstown State -5.5, YNGST -240 | CMICH +190 O/U 152.0

Penguins Preview:

The Youngstown State Penguins head into today’s game in what will be their 13th game of the season, posting a record of 8-4. So far, the Penguins have played 7 games on the road, with a record of 4-3. This season, Youngstown State has been favored to win in 7 games, sitting with a mark of 5-2. For today’s contest, Youngstown State have a betting line set -5.5 points in their favor.

Youngstown State’s leading scorer this season is Dwayne Cohill who is averaging 17.5 points per contest. So far, Cohill has accounted for 20.41% of the team’s scoring. In addition, he is contributing 2.58 rebounds per game and 4.25 assists. Malek Green is the second leading scorer for the Penguins, averaging 14.42 points per game. Between him and Green, they are accounting for 37.2% of the team’s scoring.

Offensive production has been hard to come by for Youngstown State this season, as they are currently ranked 154th in college basketball at 72.8 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that that have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Penguins’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 34.7%, placing them 202nd in the NCAA.

Chippewas Preview:

Through 11 games, the Central Michigan Chippewas have an overall record of 4-7. So far this season, Central Michigan has played 6 games at home, sitting with a record of 4-2. For the season, Central Michigan has been the underdog in 6 games, sitting with a mark of 0-6. Currently, the oddsmakers have the lines set with the Chippewas being +5.5 point underdogs.

Brian Taylor comes into today’s game as the Chippewas’ leading scorer at 14.55 points per contest. Not only has Taylor been key to the team’s scoring efforts, but he is Central Michigan’s top rebounder at 6.55 boards per contest. Behind Taylor, the team has benefited from the strong play of Jesse Zarzuela who is second on the team in scoring at 14.11 points per game. Overall, he has hit 36.7% of his shots and is adding 1.89 boards per game.

Offensive production has been hard to come by for Central Michigan this season, as they are currently ranked 365th in college basketball at 65.9 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that that have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Chippewas’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 34.1%, placing them 240th in the NCAA.

Free Spread Prediction: Central Michigan Chippewas +5.5

A key to this matchup, will be 3-point shooting. Coming into the game, both Youngstown State and Central Michigan are excellent 3-point shooting teams, averaging 7.66 and 7.73 made 3’s per game, respectively. In terms of the odds, we like the Central Michigan Chippewas to cover as +5.5 point dogs. Look for their defense to do a good enough job closing out on the Penguins’ outside shooters to make things difficult for Youngstown State. At +5.5 we like the chances of Central Michigan covering the spread as underdogs.