Preview: Chicago State Men's Basketball vs. GCU Feb. 23 at 7 p.m.

The Chicago State men's basketball team is scheduled to host Grand Canyon University on Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. at the Jones Convocation Center in Chicago. GCU is currently 18-6 overall and 9-4 in conference play while the Cougars are 6-20 overall and 2-11 in the WAC.

Chicago State opened conference play with GCU on Dec. 30 with the Antelopes winning 80-63. GCU holds a 13-2 advantage in the all-time series with the last Cougars victory coming during the 2015 season when CSU swept the two-game season series, winning 56-55 on the road then claiming a 74-70 win at home.

Chicago State will close out the home portion of their Western Athletic Conference over the next week, hosting  GCU (2/23) and New Mexico State (2/26) before taking to the road to close out the regular season at California Baptist (3/2) and at Seattle (3/5). The top 10 eligible  teams in the WAC will move on to the conference tournament March 9-12 in Las Vegas. The Cougars are currently ninth, a half-game ahead of UTRGV and two games in front of Lamar.

COVID Protocols:
Face Coverings and Social Distancing will be implemented during athletically related activities to prevent transmission and prevent outbreaks based on current local guidelines.

PLEASE NOTE: Per City of Chicago and Cook County mandates, effective Jan 3, patrons to the Jones Convocation Center must show proof of vaccination in accordance with updated requirements. This is applicable to all patrons ages 5 and over.

Here's how to watch, follow and attend:

Chicago State Cougars vs. Grand Canyon University Antelopes Date | Time Wednesday, February 23 | 7:00 p.m. Location Jones Convocation Center | Chicago, Illinois Television ESPN+ Tickets  Tickets Live Stats Live Stats Game Notes Chicago State Game Notes

 
Last time out...vs. Tarleton
Brandon Betson was one of two players in double figures with a team-high 12 points. He has led the team in scoring nine times this season, has eclipsed the 20-point mark four times and has scored in double figures 22 times this season. He has converted at least one three-point field goal in 24 of 27 games this season and has converted more than one in a game on 20 occasions. He leads the team in three-point percentage (64-173, .370) which currently ranks sixth on CSU's single-season leaders list in that category.

Jahsean Corbett had a game-high 12 rebounds. He has led the team in rebounding on 10 occasions this season and has notched double digits boards four times. He has also led the team in scoring seven times and reached double digits 16 times. He has three double-doubles and registered the highest single-game point output this season for the Cougars with 26 points at New Mexico State.

Kedrick Green was one of two players in double figures with 10 points, his fourth double-digit scoring effort in the past seven games after missing the first seven conference games of the season.

J.J. Harris logged 17 minutes, the most since Jan. 1 (20, at New Mexico State) during a stretch where he missed six games. He tied a season high with eight field goal attempts. He had a team-high and season-high four assists and led the team for the first time this season.

Last time at Grand Canyon University
Ali Dibba made his collegiate debut with a team-high 21 points on 6-of-9 shooting (1-of-2 three-point field goals), 8-of-11 free throws, with seven rebounds and two steals. The 21 points in his Cougars debut were the most since Brandon Betson scored 22 in CSU's season-opening win vs. St. Thomas.

Brandon Betson was held to single-digit scoring for the third consecutive game after scoring in double figures in the first 11 games of the season.

J.J. Harris played a season-high 22 minutes and tied a season high with eight field goal attempts.

Coreyoun Rushin tied a season high with six field-goal attempts and scored a season-high 16 points.

Previously...
Ali Dibba scored a team-high 24, leading the team in scoring against Seattle U. He established career highs in field goals made (8) and attempted (12), three-point field goals made (2) and attempted (5), assists (1) and blocks (2).

Jahsean Corbett missed the game at UTRGV and to that point had started every game as a freshman. He had his third double-double against the Cyclones, with 14 points and 11 rebounds, leading CSU in both categories (tying Coreyoun Rushin with 11 rebounds). He established new season highs in free throws made (8) and attempted (13) and tied season highs  in assists (2) and steals (3).

Brandon Betson scored 15 of the Cougars 27 first-half points in the win at IUPUI, helping CSU through a cold-shooting start. Betson made 5-of-10 first half shots (50 percent) as the rest of the team connected on just 4-of-21 (19 percent). Betson attempted (and missed) just one second-half shot, a three pointer, and his 15 points ranked second on the team. He also pulled down a season-high six rebounds.

Favour Chukwukelu came off the bench and established several season highs at Loyola Maryland. He played a season-high 29 minutes (previous high was 14) and, after converting only one three-point field goal in the previous six games, was 4-of-8 from beyond the arc for a season-high 12 points. Chukwukelu also had a season high two rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Freshman Bryce Johnson who returned to action against Seattle U, had not played since Nov. 28 due to injury and had put together a pair of impressive scoring efforts earlier this season. After not scoring in the first game against St. Thomas extending into the first half against SIUE, Johnson scored 17 second-half points to key the win. In a span of one minute, he nailed a three-point field goal (13:58), converted a traditional three-point play with a put back, foul and free throw and nailed another three pointer (12:57) to turn a one-point deficit into a seven-point Cougars lead. A little over a minute later, after SIUE cut the lead to five, he hit another three to account for 12 of CSU's 13 points in a two-minute span. Then, after being held scoreless in the first half at Pacific, he scored a game-high 24 second-half points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-9 three-point field goals.

Senior Coreyoun Rushin is the only Chicago native on the Cougars roster. Rushin, a 2017 Chicago Sun-Times All-State, Chicago Public League All-City and Red-West All-Conference performer, transferred to Chicago State from Idaho State. He played in just two games last season as a transfer for the Cougars, gaining immediate eligibility based on an NCAA Division I Council vote which granted a blanket waiver to allow all Division I transfers to play immediately in 2020-21. After just two games, CSU suspended the season.

Pierce Blount and Jincho Rivera each made their collegiate debut at Drake. Blount logged four minutes and grabbed two rebounds while Rivera played four minutes, attempting two three-point field goals and picking up one steal.

Players of the Week...
Chicago State freshman Ali Dibba was named TicketSmarter WAC Men's Basketball Freshman of the Week for December 27 through January 2, following games at Grand Canyon University and New Mexico State University. Dibba, who made his collegiate basketball debut at GCU, scored a team-high 21 points on 6-of-9 shooting (1-of-2 three-point field goals), 8-of-11 free throws, with seven rebounds and two steals. The 21 points in his Cougars debut were the most since Brandon Betson scored 22 in CSU's season-opening win vs. St. Thomas.

Brandon Betson was named the TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for November 8-14. He earned the honor leading the Cougars in scoring in their two season-opening wins. He opened the season with 22 points and four assists in a 77-72 win over St. Thomas, then added 18 points and three assists in a 67-56 win over visiting SIUE. On the week, he averaged 20.0 points per game on 14-of-27 shooting (.519).

Betson was an all-conference performer at his two previous stops, earning first-team All-Central Conference at Daytona State as a sophomore where he had seven 20+-point scoring performances and was named first-team IEAC at San Bernardino College as a freshman where he averaged 19.5 points per game with 12 20+-point scoring performances with a season-high 45 points. He also averaged 45.2 percent from the field, including 41.5 percent from beyond the three-point arc.

Milestones...
Chicago State's season-opening win over St. Thomas was head coach Gerald Gillion's first as a collegiate head coach ... That win also snapped a 28-game Cougars losing streak, dating back to December 2019, an 89-81 win over SIUE in Edwardsville, Illinois ... The game against St. Thomas was the Cougars first action in nearly a year, last playing Dec. 20, 2020, in what turned out to be a nine-game, COVID-shortened 2020-21 season ... The Cougars win over SIUE (67-56) marked the Cougars first two-game win streak over Division I opponents since the 2014-15 season (Feb. 26 vs. GCU, W, 74-70; Feb. 28 vs. Utah Valley, 65-44) ... Chicago State won three straight home games for the first time since 2018-19 after winning the first three home games of the 2021-22 season ... The road win over IUPUI win was the Cougars first on the road this season and first road win since Dec. 4, 2019 at SIUE (89-81), a span of 24 games away from the Jones Convocation Center (includes two neutral site games) ... the Cougars earned their first Western Athletic Conference victory since March 2018 (vs. UMKC, W 96-82) when the Cougars beat California Baptist 58-56 at home on Jan. 8 ... Chicago State's 67-56 win at Lamar was the Cougars first conference road victory since Jan. 12, 2017 when CSU beat Utah Valley in Orem, 70-61.

Up Next:
The Chicago State men's basketball team will wrap up the home portion of their schedule on Saturday, Feb. 26, welcoming New Mexico State to the JCC for a 2 p.m. tip. The Aggies are the WAC's preseason favorite in both the coaches and media polls and they've lived up to that billing and are tied for the top spot in the league standings with Seattle U with an 11-2 record and are 21-4 overall.