CHICAGO – The Chicago State athletic department announced the non-conference portion of the 2021-22 schedule today. The schedule features back-to-back home games to start the campaign, entertaining St. Thomas (Nov. 9) and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (Nov. 12) to open new head men's basketball coach
Gerald Gillion's first season on the bench for the Cougars.
"I'm really excited for the start of this season," Gillion said. "I think we have a great non-conference schedule lined up. We play some really good teams, so we'll have a chance to see where we're at, competitively, early in the season. I'm also excited about the trips to both coasts. It will give our student-athletes an opportunity to experience different parts of country and compete against some of the best competition in college basketball."
After not playing a home game during the 2020-21 COVID-shortened season, the Cougars will open the season with back-to-back home games for the second time in three seasons. The pair of home openers to begin the season also marks the first time since 1989-90 that Chicago State will open with back-to-back home games against Division I opponents when CSU opened against Northeastern Illinois (W, 81-67) who had just made the transition from NAIA to NCAA Division I, and Southern (L, 73-60). Based on 2020-21 records, the Cougars non-conference opponents check in with an average NET rating of 187.75, with Loyola Chicago (10), Drake (45) and UC Santa Barbara (54) ranking as the three highest rated teams on the schedule.
Following the two-game home stand to open the season, the Cougars will face 2020-21 Sweet Sixteen participant Loyola (Chicago) before traveling to the West Coast for a pair of games, Nov. 20 at Santa Barbara and Nov. 22 at Pacific. Following road games at Bowling Green State (Nov. 28) and Loyola (Md) (Dec. 1), the Cougars return for a three-game stretch against Tennessee State (Dec. 4) and regional rivals Illinois State (Dec. 11) and Northern Illinois (Dec. 13). Chicago State will close out the non-conference portion of the schedule with road games at IUPUI (Dec.16) and a swing through Iowa to face Drake (Dec. 19) and Iowa State (Dec. 21).
General admission and season tickets are now on sale (see links below in the schedule). Season tickets are available
here. A complete promotional schedule and times will be released at a later date.
2021-22 Chicago State Men's Basketball Schedule
Date Opponent Location Time
Nov. 9 St. Thomas Chicago, Ill. TBD
Tickets
Nov. 12 SIUE Chicago, Ill. TBD
Tickets
Nov. 16 at Loyola (Chicago) Chicago, Ill. TBD
Nov. 20 at Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, Calif. TBD
Nov. 22 at Pacific Pacific, Calif. TBD
Nov. 28 at BGSU Bowling Green, Ohio TBD
Dec. 1 at Loyola (Md) Baltimore, Md. TBD
Dec. 4 Tennessee State Chicago, Ill. TBD
Tickets
Dec. 11 Illinois State Chicago, Ill. TBD
Tickets
Dec. 13 Northern Ill. Chicago, Ill. TBD
Tickets
Dec. 16 at IUPUI Indianapolis, Ind. TBD
Dec. 19 at Drake Des Moines, Iowa TBD
Dec. 21 at Iowa State Ames, Iowa TBD
Dec. 30 at Grand Canyon Phoenix, Ari. TBD
Jan. 1 at New Mexico St. Las Cruces, N.M. TBD
Jan. 6 Seattle U Chicago, Ill. TBD
Tickets
Jan. 8 California Baptist Chicago, Ill. TBD
Tickets
Jan. 13 at UTRGV Edinburg, Tex. TBD
Jan. 15 at Lamar Beaumont, Tex. TBD
Jan. 27 Utah Valley Chicago, Ill. TBD
Tickets
Jan. 29 Dixie State Chicago, Ill. TBD
Tickets
Feb. 2 at Abilene Christian Abilene, Tex. TBD
Feb. 5 at Tarleton Stephenvville, Tex. TBD
Feb. 10 Stephen F. Austin Chicago, Ill. TBD
Tickets
Feb. 12 Sam Houston State Chicago, Ill. TBD
Tickets
Feb. 16 at Stephen F. Austin Nacogdoches, Tex. TBD
Feb. 19 Tarleton Chicago, Ill. TBD
Tickets
Feb. 23 Grand Canyon Chicago, Ill. TBD
Tickets
Feb. 26 New Mexico State Chicago, Ill. TBD
Tickets
Mar. 3 at California Baptist Riverside, Calif. TBD
Mar. 5 at Seattle U Seattle, Wash. TBD
Mar. 9-12 WAC Tournament Las Vegas, Nev. TBD
About Chicago State
Chicago State University Athletics is comprised of 15 intercollegiate teams involving over 150 student-athletes that compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and volleyball. CSU held memberships in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and NCAA Division II before transitioning to NCAA Division I in 1994. Melvin Bland was the first CSU student athlete to gain NAIA All-American status in 1974 as a wrestler. Fred Evans became the first black swimmer ever to win a national championship in 1975. CSU's women's basketball team earned a spot in the 2011 Women's Basketball Invitational and CSU's men's basketball team won the 2013 Great West Conference Tournament title and made an appearance in the CollegeInside.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). The Men's Outdoor Track & Field 4x100-Meter Relay team were 2019 Honorable Mention All-Americans and WAC Champions. Their feat marked the first time the Chicago State's men's track & field program was represented at the national meet.
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