Preview: Central Connecticut at Chicago State CHICAGO (Interstat) — The Central Connecticut Blue Devils look to continue their push toward a winning season when they visit the struggling Chicago State Cougars in a non-conference men’s basketball matchup Saturday at Jones Convocation Center. Central Connecticut (16-10) enters on a four-game winning streak, including a nail-biting 78-77 victory over Le Moyne on Thursday. The Blue Devils also defeated Chicago State 78-67 in New Britain on Feb. 5. Chicago State (6-22) seeks to halt a two-game skid and find consistency after a heartbreaking 60-59 home loss to Fairleigh Dickinson on Thursday. A key player to watch is Central Connecticut guard Melo Sanchez, who is coming off a 23-point performance in the win over Le Moyne. Sanchez scored 14 points in the first meeting against Chicago State this month. He has averaged 13.1 points over his last eight games, providing a reliable scoring option for the Blue Devils. For Chicago State, guard Doyel Cockrill will aim for a bounce-back game. He was held to three points in 18 minutes in the loss at Central Connecticut earlier this month but is capable of explosive outings, as shown by his 17-point, five-assist effort against Fairleigh Dickinson. The Blue Devils have found success with balanced scoring. In their recent win over Le Moyne, Darin Smith added 20 points and Max Frazier contributed 14 points and three blocks alongside Sanchez’s 23. The Cougars will need Cockrill and forward Stephen Byard, who had 15 points in the last game, to generate offense against a Central Connecticut team that has held three of its last four opponents under 70 points. This game, organized by the Northeast Conference, is a final non-conference tune-up for both teams before returning to their respective league schedules next week. Tip-off is set for Saturday afternoon in Chicago.