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| School Name: | Chicago State University |
| Location: | Chicago, Illinois |
| Arena: | Jones Convocation Center |
| Capacity: | 17,000 |
| Conference: | NEC |
| Head coach: | Gerald Gillion |
Chicago State University was founded in 1867 and became permanently established in its original location as the Cook County Normal School in 1870. In 1897, the school was renamed Chicago Normal School, which became the Chicago Normal College in 1913. The school changed its name once again and became known as the Chicago Teachers College. In 1965, the state of Illinois acquired the institution and once again received a name change, this time as Illinois Teachers College: Chicago South (the Chicago South portion was soon dropped). In 1967, the institution became known as Chicago State College and, finally, gained university status and its current name in 1971.
The school's sports teams are called the Cougars and team colors are green and white. CSU participates in the NCAA's Division I. From 1994 until June 2006, CSU was a member of the Mid-Continent Conference, but withdrew and took independent status at that time. In 2009, the Cougars joined the Great West Conference, but that conference was a casualty of the early-2010s Division I realignment, disbanding in 2013. CSU then joined the Western Athletic Conference, remaining there until again becoming an independent in 2022. The Cougars spent two years as such before joining the Northeast Conference.