CONWAY, S.C. - The Coastal Carolina University men's basketball team and head coach Cliff Ellis have announced its 2009-10 schedule today (Aug. 13). The schedule features a home opener against an in-state rival, a trip to Duke and the NIT Season Tip-Off and a full slate of Big South Conference action.

The Chanticleers open the 2009-10 season Friday, Nov. 13 against the College of Charleston in Kimbel Arena. Coastal Carolina will open the season at home for the third consecutive year. Coastal Carolina makes a quick turnaround to face Duke Monday, Nov. 16 at the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C. The Chanticleers then will face either Charlotte or Elon on Tuesday, Nov. 17 in the NIT Season Tip-Off East Regional championship/consolation game. A home game against Voorhees Saturday, Nov. 21 will be followed by the second portion of the NIT Season Tip-Off either in New York, N.Y. or in a consolation bracket on a campus site.

A home game against Allen Nov. 28 is followed by the opening of the Big South schedule Thursday, Dec. 3 at VMI. The Chants also face Liberty Saturday, Dec. 5 to finish the Virginia swing. Coastal Carolina will take a week off for final exams before returning to the floor Dec. 12 against Bridgewater. The first of a home-and-home series against Georgia Southern takes place Tuesday Dec. 15 in Statesboro, Ga. That is followed by the start of a five-game homestand. The Chants face Savannah State Saturday, Dec. 19, Cornell of Iowa Sunday, Dec. 27 and the return trip for Georgia Southern Tuesday, Dec. 29.

The Chanticleers start the New Year Saturday, Jan. 2 against Winthrop and finish the homestand Monday, Jan. 4 against Presbyterian. A road trip to UNC Asheville and Gardner-Webb is followed by home games against Radford and High Point Jan. 14 and 16. Coastal Carolina hits the road for three straight games, starting with Charleston Southern Jan. 23. The Chants face Presbyterian Jan. 28 and Winthrop Jan. 30.

Coastal Carolina opens February with a home game against Gardner-Webb Thursday, Feb. 4. The Chanticleers face UNC Asheville in Kimbel Feb. 6 before another three-game roadtrip. The Chants are at High Point Feb. 11, Radford Feb. 13 and are out-of-conference at North Carolina Central Feb. 15.

The Chants end the Big South regular-season schedule with a three-game homestand. Coastal Carolina faces Charleston Southern Feb. 20, Liberty Feb. 25 and VMI Feb. 27.

"The schedule is exciting, testy and will tell us a lot about ourselves," Ellis stated. "It starts with the College of Charleston with a coaching friend (Bobby Cremins). It's a fun rivalry. What a great way to open the season to be at home. Then we leave from there to go to the Preseason NIT, which is such an honor for us to even be in. We go into what is considered the toughest place to play in the country to play against one of the toughest teams traditionally to play. Right off the bat, we go through a very tough schedule. That is followed up with early conference openers on the road in VMI and Liberty. I think we are more physically talented of all the teams that I have had here, yet there is going to be a lot of youth and inexperience and that's going to be tested early on."

Game times for Coastal Carolina's home game will be released at a later date.