The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers are preparing for one of their most travel-heavy schedules in recent memory
The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers are preparing for one of their most travel-heavy schedules in recent memory, with games ranging Arizona to Illinois to Pennsylvania. Entering his second season in Conway, Justin Gray will look to bounce back from a rough first season with an overhauled roster and staff.
For more on the new roster, click here.
Non-Conference
Coastal Carolina opens the 2025–26 season on the road in the MAC–SBC Challenge, taking on Western Michigan on Nov. 3. The matchup is a rematch of last year’s opener in Conway, which saw the Chants grab a four-point victory,
The team returns to the HTC Center for two early home games, hosting Virginia–Lynchburg on Nov. 7 and Winthrop on Nov. 11. The Chants will quickly hit the road again, traveling to Jacksonville State on Nov. 14 for another rematch. Last year, the Gamecocks handed Coastal in Conway.
The Chanticleers compete in a Multi-Team Event hosted by Western Illinois. Coastal will take on Western Illinois on Nov. 21, followed by a matchup against North Dakota the next day. The Chants close out November at home with a familiar opponent, hosting Alabama A&M on Nov. 30 in yet another return matchup from last season.
December sees no home games for the Chants. Coastal heads to USC Upstate on Dec. 3, then travels to Winthrop again on Dec. 6 for the second time this season, a rare occurrence for a non-conference series.
The Chants will travel to Phoenix, Arizona for the first time ever, as they take on Grand Canyon on Dec. 13. The only time these two schools faced off was in 2016, which saw a 60-58 home win for Coastal. A trip to Philadelphia also marks an historical meeting, as the Chants take on Saint Joseph’s for the first time ever on Dec. 22.
The final non-conference game will take place in February, when Coastal Carolina hosts a to-be-announced MAC opponent as part of the return leg of the MAC–SBC Challenge
Conference
Sun Belt play begins on Dec. 18 with a rivalry game in Boone, as the Chanticleers visit App State. Two days later, they’ll continue their road start with a trip to Norfolk to face Old Dominion.
Conference play heads to Conway in 2026, when Georgia Southern visits on Jan. 1. That matchup begins a key four-game homestand, with Georgia State (Jan. 3), Old Dominion (Jan. 8), and App State (Jan. 10) all making the trip to the HTC Center.
The Chants then head out for a pair of interesting road games, visiting Marshall on Jan. 14 and Georgia Southern on Jan. 17. Two “west” division opponents, Texas State (Jan. 22) and Southern Miss (Jan. 24), will then come to Conway the following week.
Coastal Carolina closes out January with road matchups at South Alabama (Jan. 29) and ULM (Jan. 31) before returning home to face Arkansas State on Feb. 4.
The Chanticleers travel to Louisiana to play the Ragin’ Cajuns on Feb. 12, then return home to face defending conference champion James Madison on Feb. 18. A rematch with Marshall follows on Feb. 21, a game that usually draws one of the season’s biggest crowds at the HTC Center.
To close out the regular season, Coastal will visit Georgia State and James Madison in the final week of February before heading to Pensacola for the Sun Belt Tournament, which runs Mar. 3–9.
With a very interesting non-conference slate, and a competitive Sun Belt, the Chanticleers will have plenty of opportunities to show they are a new program in Gray’s second season.
About The Author
