2025–26 Chicago State Cougars men's basketball team
| 2025–26 Chicago State Cougars men's basketball | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Northeast Conference |
| Record | 2–11 (0–0 NEC) |
| Head coach |
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| Assistant coaches |
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| Home arena | Jones Convocation Center |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Connecticut | 0 | – | 0 | – | 6 | – | 5 | .545 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LIU | 0 | – | 0 | – | 6 | – | 6 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Haven ** | 0 | – | 0 | – | 5 | – | 6 | .455 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Le Moyne * | 0 | – | 0 | – | 5 | – | 7 | .417 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wagner | 0 | – | 0 | – | 4 | – | 6 | .400 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mercyhurst * | 0 | – | 0 | – | 5 | – | 8 | .385 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fairleigh Dickinson | 0 | – | 0 | – | 3 | – | 8 | .273 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stonehill | 0 | – | 0 | – | 3 | – | 9 | .250 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chicago State | 0 | – | 0 | – | 2 | – | 11 | .154 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saint Francis | 0 | – | 0 | – | 2 | – | 11 | .154 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2026 NEC tournament winner * ineligible for the 2026 NCAA tournament due to transition from Division II ** ineligible for both the 2026 NEC tournament and the 2026 NCAA tournament due to transition from Division II As of December 20, 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2025–26 Chicago State Cougars men's basketball team represents Chicago State University during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars, led by first-year head coach Landon Bussie, play their home games at the Jones Convocation Center located in Chicago, Illinois, as second-year members of the Northeast Conference.
Previous season
The Cougars finished the 2024–25 season 4–28, 4–12 in NEC play, to finish in a tie for eighth (last) place.[1] They were defeated by LIU in the NEC tournament.[2]
On March 7, 2025, the school announced that they would be firing head coach Scott Spinelli, after just one season at the helm.[3] On March 20, the school announced that they would be hiring Alcorn State head coach Landon Bussie as the team's new head coach.[4]
Preseason
On October 27, 2025, the NEC released their preseason coaches poll. Chicago State was picked to finish sixth in the conference.[5]
Preseason rankings
| Place | Team | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LIU* | ||
| 2 | Central Connecticut | ||
| 3 | Stonehill | ||
| 4 | Mercyhurst | ||
| 5 | Fairleigh Dickinson | ||
| 6 | Chicago State | ||
| 7 | Saint Francis | ||
| 8 | Wagner | ||
| 9 | Le Moyne | ||
| 10 | New Haven | ||
| (*) Unanimous selection | |||
Source:[5]
Preseason All-NEC Team
No players were named to the All-NEC Preseason Team.[6]
Roster
| 2025–26 Chicago State Cougars men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule and results
| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-conference regular season | |||||||||||
| November 3, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ |
at DePaul | L 62–92 | 0–1 |
16 – 2 tied | 9 – Tankersley | 3 – 2 tied | Wintrust Arena (3,495) Chicago, IL | ||||
| November 6, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ |
at Saint Louis | L 86–108 | 0–2 |
19 – Cox | 8 – Cox | 3 – Bush | Chaifetz Arena (3,522) St. Louis, MO | ||||
| November 11, 2025* 6:00 pm, ESPN+ |
at Butler | L 66–98 | 0–3 |
24 – Tankersley | 4 – Tankersley | 2 – 3 tied | Hinkle Fieldhouse (6,159) Indianapolis, IN | ||||
| November 15, 2025* 1:00 pm, NECFR |
UIC | L 63–67 | 0–4 |
15 – Bush | 6 – Byard | 3 – 2 tied | Jones Convocation Center (712) Chicago, IL | ||||
| November 18, 2025* 7:00 pm, B1G+ |
at Minnesota Acrisure Series on-campus game |
L 54–66 | 0–5 |
16 – Tankersley | 5 – Gibson | 3 – Bush | Williams Arena (6,774) Minneapolis, MN | ||||
| November 20, 2025* 6:00 pm, B1G+ |
at Iowa Acrisure Series on-campus game |
L 54–93 | 0–6 |
19 – Tankersley | 7 – Byard | 3 – Tankersley | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (9,265) Iowa City, IA | ||||
| November 25, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ |
at Purdue Fort Wayne Acrisure Series on-campus game |
L 77–90 | 0–7 |
18 – Tankersley | 4 – Cox | 2 – 3 tied | Memorial Coliseum (1,613) Fort Wayne, IN | ||||
| November 28, 2025* 3:00 pm, ESPN+ |
at Youngstown State | L 64–87 | 0–8 |
14 – 2 tied | 5 – Zatsepin | 5 – Cockrill III | Beeghly Center (1,356) Youngstown, OH | ||||
| December 1, 2025* 11:00 am, NECFR |
South Carolina State | Game cancelled–South Carolina State unable to travel due to inclement weather.[7] |
Jones Convocation Center Chicago, IL | ||||||||
| December 1, 2025* 11:00 am, NECFR |
Saint Xavier Education Day |
W 85–62 | 1–8 |
21 – Cockrill III | 11 – Cox | 3 – Tankersley | Jones Convocation Center (3,707) Chicago, IL | ||||
| December 6, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ |
at Illinois State | L 53–95 | 1–9 |
13 – Cockrill III | 8 – Ray | 1 – 5 tied | CEFCU Arena (3,881) Normal, IL | ||||
| December 14, 2025* 4:00 pm, ESPN+ |
at Loyola Chicago | W 84–75 | 2–9 |
22 – Cockrill III | 9 – Ray | 6 – Tankersley | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (1,972) Chicago, IL | ||||
| December 16, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ |
at Bowling Green | L 55–76 | 2–10 |
19 – Cockrill III | 7 – Byard | 2 – 2 tied | Stroh Center (1,715) Bowling Green, OH | ||||
| December 20, 2025* 12:00 pm, B1G+ |
at Indiana | L 58–78 | 2–11 |
12 – Larvadain | 4 – 4 tied | 1 – 7 tied | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (12,549) Bloomington, IN | ||||
| Conference regular season | |||||||||||
| January 2, 2026 6:00 pm, NECFR |
Wagner | Jones Convocation Center Chicago, IL | |||||||||
| January 4, 2026 1:00 pm, NECFR |
LIU | Jones Convocation Center Chicago, IL | |||||||||
| January 8, 2026 4:00 pm, NECFR |
at Fairleigh Dickinson | Bogota Savings Bank Center Hackensack, NJ | |||||||||
| January 10, 2026 1:00 pm, NECFR |
at Stonehill | Merkert Gymnasium Easton, MA | |||||||||
| January 17, 2026 1:00 pm, NECFR |
Le Moyne | Jones Convocation Center Chicago, IL | |||||||||
| January 19, 2026 6:00 pm, NECFR |
New Haven | Jones Convocation Center Chicago, IL | |||||||||
| January 23, 2026 6:00 pm, NECFR |
at Saint Francis | DeGol Arena Loretto, PA | |||||||||
| January 25, 2026 1:00 pm, NECFR |
at Mercyhurst | Owen McCormick Court Erie, PA | |||||||||
| January 29, 2026 6:00 pm, NECFR |
Saint Francis | Jones Convocation Center Chicago, IL | |||||||||
| January 31, 2026 1:00 pm, NECFR |
Mercyhurst | Jones Convocation Center Chicago, IL | |||||||||
| February 5, 2026 6:00 pm, NECFR |
at Central Connecticut | William H. Detrick Gymnasium New Britain, CT | |||||||||
| February 7, 2026 12:00 pm, NECFR |
at New Haven | Hazell Center West Haven, CT | |||||||||
| February 12, 2026 6:00 pm, NECFR |
Stonehill | Jones Convocation Center Chicago, IL | |||||||||
| February 14, 2026 12:00 pm, NECFR |
at Le Moyne | Ted Grant Court DeWitt, NY | |||||||||
| February 19, 2026 6:00 pm, NECFR |
Fairleigh Dickinson | Jones Convocation Center Chicago, IL | |||||||||
| February 21, 2026 1:00 pm, NECFR |
Central Connecticut | Jones Convocation Center Chicago, IL | |||||||||
| February 26, 2026 6:00 pm, NECFR |
at LIU | Steinberg Wellness Center Brooklyn, NY | |||||||||
| February 28, 2026 TBA, NECFR |
at Wagner | Spiro Sports Center Staten Island, NY | |||||||||
| Conference Tournament | |||||||||||
References
- ^ "2025 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Field Set". NEC. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ "Davis scores 35 as LIU takes down Chicago State 68-57 in Northeast Conference Tournament". FOX Sports. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ "Chicago State fires Scott Spinelli after 1 season as head coach". Busting Brackets. Retrieved November 15, 2025.
- ^ "Former HBCU Head Basketball Coach Takes Charge At Chicago State University". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ a b "Shark Hunt Begins: LIU Unanimously Named 2025-26 NEC Preseason Men's Basketball Favorite". NEC. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ "LIU All-Star Duo Highlights 2025-26 Preseason All-NEC Men's Basketball Team". NEC. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ Nunn, Joshua (December 1, 2025). "South Carolina State vs Chicago State Predictions, Picks, Odds for Monday, December 1". Action Network Inc. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
- ^ "2025-26 Men's Basketball Schedule". Chicago State University Athletics. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ "Chicago State Cougars 2025-26 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved November 18, 2025.