Red Maple – Acer rubrum

The Chicago State Cougars men's basketball team represents Chicago State University in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The team currently competes as an independent and is led by third-year coach Scott Spinelli, who was hired on April 20, 2024.^[2] The Cougars play their home games at the Emil and Patricia Jones Convocation Center. The Cougars currently do not play in an NCAA Division I conference after departing from the WAC (Western Athletic Conference) in 2022. After the 2023–24 season, Chicago State will join the Northeast Conference.^[3]

The 2012–13 Cougars won the Great West Conference tournament championship to earn an automatic bid to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.^[4]

Conference affiliations

1966–67 to 1976–77 – NAIA Independent
1977–78 to 1980–81 – Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference
1981–82 to 1982–84 – NAIA Independent
1984–85 to 1992–93 – NCAA Division I Independent
1993–94 – East Coast Conference
1994–95 to 2005–06 – Mid-Continent Conference
2006–07 to 2008–09 – NCAA Division I Independent
2009–10 to 2012–13 – Great West Conference
2013–14 to 2021–22 – Western Athletic Conference
2022–23 to 2023–24 – NCAA Division I Independent
From 2024–25 – Northeast Conference

Postseason tournaments

NAIA Tournament results

The Cougars have appeared in three NAIA Tournaments. Their record is 5–3.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1981	First Round	Bethany Nazarene	L 63–69
1983	First Round Second Round	Tri-State West Virginia Wesleyan	W 76–65 L 70–87
1984	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game	Franklin Pierce Kearney State Chaminade Fort Hays State Westmont	W 79–62 W 105–104 ^2OT W 68–66 L 84–86 ^OT W 86–82 ^OT

CIT results

The Cougars have appeared in one CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). Their record is 0–1.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2013	First Round	UIC	L 69–80

CBI results

The Cougars have appeared in one College Basketball Invitational (CBI). They have a combined record of 1–1.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2024	First Round Second Round	UC San Diego Fairfield	W 77–75 L 74–77

References

^ Chicago State University Brand Style Guide (PDF). September 1, 2011. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
^ "Scott Spinelli Named Head Men's Basketball Coach at Chicago State University" (Press release). Chicago State Cougars. April 20, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
^ "Windy City Welcome: Chicago State Roars Into NEC" (Press release). Northeast Conference. December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
^ "Chicago State men's basketball ends 40-game Division I skid and hopes to begin a climb upward". Medill Reports Chicago. 2018-03-05. Retrieved 2018-05-22.

External links

Official website

[1] Chicago State University Brand Style Guide (PDF). September 1, 2011. Retrieved April 17, 2016.

[2] "Scott Spinelli Named Head Men's Basketball Coach at Chicago State University" (Press release). Chicago State Cougars. April 20, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.

[3] "Windy City Welcome: Chicago State Roars Into NEC" (Press release). Northeast Conference. December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.

[4] "Chicago State men's basketball ends 40-game Division I skid and hopes to begin a climb upward". Medill Reports Chicago. 2018-03-05. Retrieved 2018-05-22.

[2]

[3]

[4]

Chicago State Cougars men's basketball
Venues	Dickens Athletic Center (1971–2007) Emil and Patricia Jones Convocation Center (2007–present)
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25

Northeast Conference men's basketball
Current teams	Central Connecticut Blue Devils Fairleigh Dickinson Knights Le Moyne Dolphins LIU Sharks Merrimack Warriors (leaving in 2024) Sacred Heart Pioneers (leaving in 2024) Saint Francis Red Flash Stonehill Skyhawks Wagner Seahawks
Future teams	Chicago State Cougars Mercyhurst Lakers (both joining in 2024)
Championships & awards	Regular season champions Conference tournament Coach of the Year Player of the Year Defensive Player of the Year Rookie of the Year "Battle of Brooklyn"
Seasons	1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24