# 2024–25 Chicago State Cougars men's basketball team

The 2024–25 Chicago State Cougars men's basketball team represented Chicago State University during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars, led by first-year head coach Scott Spinelli, played their home games at the Jones Convocation Center located in Chicago, Illinois, as first-year members of the Northeast Conference.

## Previous season

The Cougars finished the 2023–24 season 13–19. As an independent, they did not participate in any conference tournament. They received an invitation to the CBI, receiving the #15 seed, where they would upset UC San Diego in the first round, before losing to Fairfield in the quarterfinals. This season was the Cougars' last as an independent, as they joined the Northeast Conference for the 2024–25 season.

## Preseason polls
### Northeast Conference poll

The Northeast Conference released its preseason coaches' poll on October 24, 2024. The Cougars were picked to finish in sixth in the conference.
| Rank | Team |
| T-1. | Central Connecticut (5) |
| T-1. | Wagner (4) |
| 3. | Fairleigh Dickinson |
| 4. | Le Moyne |
| 5. | LIU |
| 6. | Chicago State |
| 7. | Mercyhurst |
| T-8. | Saint Francis |
| T-8. | Stonehill |
 first-place votes

### Preseason All-Conference Team

No Cougars were selected as members of the NEC Preseason All-Conference Team.

## 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 4, 2024* 7:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Loyola Chicago | L 72–79 | 0–1 | 13 – G. Spinelli | 6 – Jernigan | 5 – Sunderland | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,626) Chicago, IL |
| November 9, 2024* 7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | Youngstown State | L 60–80 | 0–2 | 15 – G. Spinelli | 6 – Forrest | 3 – G. Spinelli | Jones Convocation Center (525) Chicago, IL |
| November 12, 2024* 7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | | at Texas | L 58–105 | 0–3 | 14 – Tied | 7 – Forrest | 2 – Robinson Jr. | Moody Center (10,662) Austin, TX |
| November 16, 2024* 9:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at San Francisco Sunshine Slam Campus Game | L 37–82 | 0–4 | 8 – Forrest | 7 – Allen | 2 – G. Spinelli | Sobrato Center (1,864) San Francisco, CA |
| November 19, 2024* 6:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | Eastern Kentucky | L 66–86 | 0–5 | 15 – G. Spinelli | 5 – G. Spinelli | 4 – Robinson Jr. | Jones Convocation Center (101) Chicago, IL |
| November 22, 2024* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Indiana State | L 61–97 | 0–6 | 14 – Allen | 8 – Tied | 1 – Tied | Hulman Center (4,397) Terre Haute, IN |
| November 25, 2024* 9:30 a.m., BallerTV | | vs. Radford Sunshine Slam Ocean Bracket Semifinal | L 48–63 | 0–7 | 12 – Forrest | 6 – Tied | 3 – Crawford | Ocean Center (1,690) Daytona Beach, FL |
| November 26, 2024* 9:30 a.m., BallerTV | | vs. Drexel Sunshine Slam Ocean Bracket Third Place | L 71–83 | 0–8 | 19 – McKoy Jr. | 6 – McKoy Jr. | 4 – G. Spinelli | Ocean Center (1,548) Daytona Beach, FL |
| November 30, 2024* 12:00 p.m., Peacock | | at No. 15 Wisconsin | L 53–74 | 0–9 | 10 – Forrest | 11 – G. Spinelli | 3 – G. Spinelli | Kohl Center (14,711) Madison, WI |
| December 2, 2024* 7:00 p.m., Summit League Network | | at St. Thomas | L 76–98 | 0–10 | 15 – McKoy Jr. | 9 – Jernigan | 3 – Tied | Shoenecker Arena (879) St. Paul, MN |
| December 8, 2024* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Saint Louis | L 62–85 | 0–11 | 18 – Crawford | 7 – Forrest | 2 – Tied | Chaifetz Arena (4,815) St. Louis, MO |
| December 15, 2024* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Mercer | L 63–75 | 0–12 | 20 – Crawford | 9 – Tied | 6 – Crawford | Hawkins Arena (812) Macon, GA |
| December 19, 2024* 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Grand Canyon | L 51–74 | 0–13 | 11 – Crawford | 8 – Delancy | 3 – Crawford | Global Credit Union Arena (7,024) Phoenix, AZ |
| December 21, 2024* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Cal State Northridge | L 57–81 | 0–14 | 14 – Tied | 9 – Crawford | 6 – Crawford | Premier America Credit Union Arena (650) Northridge, CA |
| December 29, 2024* 1:00 p.m., BTN | | at No. 24 Illinois | L 64–117 | 0–15 | 20 – G. Spinelli | 6 – Forrest | 3 – G. Spinelli | State Farm Center (15,544) Champaign, IL |
| NEC regular season |||||||||
| January 3, 2025 6:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | at Wagner | W 64–52 | 1–15 (1–0) | 15 – Crawford | 7 – Cox | 3 – G. Spinelli | Spiro Sports Center (191) Staten Island, NY |
| January 5, 2024 1:00 p.m. | | at LIU | L 39–53 | 1–16 (1–1) | 9 – G. Spinelli | 9 – Forrest | 3 – Sunderland | Steinberg Wellness Center (126) Brooklyn, NY |
| January 12, 2025 1:00 p.m. | | Stonehill | L 52–68 | 1–17 (1–2) | 15 – Crawford | 6 – Jernigan | 2 – McKoy Jr. | Jones Convocation Center (145) Chicago, IL |
| January 18, 2025 1:00 p.m. | | Le Moyne | W 88–72 | 2–17 (2–2) | 24 – Forrest | 8 – Forrest | 7 – G. Spinelli | Jones Convocation Center (216) Chicago, IL |
| January 20, 2025 7:00 p.m. | | Fairleigh Dickinson | L 48–58 | 2–18 (2–3) | 17 – Forrest | 9 – Delancy | 3 – Tied | Jones Convocation Center (200) Chicago, IL |
| January 24, 2025 6:00 p.m. | | at Stonehill | L 73–75 | 2–19 (2–4) | 25 – Spinelli | 8 – Allen | 2 – Tied | Merkert Gymnasium (1,265) Easton, MA |
| January 26, 2025 12:00 p.m. | | at Central Connecticut | L 64–81 | 2–20 (2–5) | 13 – G. Spinelli | 8 – Allen | 4 – Sunderland | William H. Detrick Gymnasium (1,126) New Britain, CT |
| February 1, 2025 1:00 p.m. | | LIU | W 73–67 $^{OT}$ | 3–20 (3–5) | 19 – Forrest | 7 – G. Spinelli | 2 – Tied | Jones Convocation Center (185) Chicago, IL |
| February 6, 2025 6:00 p.m. | | Mercyhurst | W 85–78 | 4–20 (4–5) | 37 – Forrest | 7 – Forrest | 5 – G. Spinelli | Jones Convocation Center (85) Chicago, IL |
| February 8, 2025 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Saint Francis | L 69–81 | 4–21 (4–6) | 23 – G. Spinelli | 8 – Allen | 4 – G. Spinelli | Jones Convocation Center (275) Chicago, IL |
| February 13, 2025 6:00 p.m. | | at Fairleigh Dickinson | L 49–91 | 4–22 (4–7) | 15 – Allen | 9 – Allen | 5 – G. Spinelli | Bogota Savings Bank Center (257) Hackensack, NJ |
| February 15, 2025 1:00 p.m. | | at Le Moyne | L 75–80 | 4–23 (4–8) | 22 – Forrest | 8 – Allen | 4 – G. Spinelli | Ted Grant Court (520) DeWitt, NY |
| February 20, 2025 6:00 p.m. | | Central Connecticut | L 75–81 | 4–24 (4–9) | 20 – Cox | 10 – Cox | 5 – G. Spinelli | Jones Convocation Center (295) Chicago, IL |
| February 22, 2025 1:00 p.m. | | Wagner | L 52–64 | 4–25 (4–10) | 15 – Tied | 4 – Tied | 7 – G. Spinelli | Jones Convocation Center (235) Chicago, IL |
| February 27, 2025 6:00 p.m. | | at Mercyhurst | L 68–90 | 4–26 (4–11) | 19 – Forrest | 5 – Cox | 4 – G. Spinelli | Owen McCormick Court (654) Erie, PA |
| March 1, 2025 1:00 p.m. | | at Saint Francis | L 71–80 $^{OT}$ | 4–27 (4–12) | 22 – Allen | 10 – Robinson | 7 – G. Spinelli | DeGol Arena (899) Loretto, PA |
| NEC Tournament |||||||||
| March 5, 2025 7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | (7) | at (2) LIU Quarterfinals | L 57–68 | 4–28 | 17 – Forrest | 6 – Allen | 4 – G. Spinelli | Steinberg Wellness Center (278) Brooklyn, NY |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central. |||||||||
Sources