CONWAY, S.C. – After an 11-day holiday rest, the Coastal Carolina University men's basketball team will jump back into action this week, as the Chanticleers will host three games over a four-day span.
 
The Chants will open Sun Belt Conference play when they host ULM on Thursday, Dec. 30 at 7 p.m. ET. The Ragin' Cajuns from Louisiana will visit the HTC Center on Saturday, Jan. 1, for a 2 p.m. ET matinee, and the third game will have the Chants hosting a non-conference contest versus Emory & Henry at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jan. 2.
 
ABOUT COASTAL
 
While the Chanticleers are coming off an 84-80 road loss at Middle Tennessee back on Dec. 19, it may have been one of their better games on the offensive end of the court this season. Both Rudi Williams (26 points) and Vince Cole (20 points) had phenomenal scoring games while Essam Mostafa picked up his sixth double-double of the season with 19 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
CCU will enter the three-game stretch with a 7-4 record and have won six of their last eight games. The Chants are a strong 6-1 at home on the year with wins over highly-regarded South Carolina, Winthrop, and Wofford.
 
Mostafa is the team leader in points and rebounds averaging 17.1 and 9.8, respectively. Williams is averaging 14.5 points, while Cole is at 12.1 points per game.
 
Ebrima Dibba continues to lead the team and Sun Belt in assists with 6.2 per game which also ranks 13th nationally. Garrick Green is averaging 6.9 points per game but seems to have found his shooting stroke as he is now shooting 43 percent from the field and 38 percent on his three-point attempts.
 
Newcomer Will Likayi transferred to CCU known as a solid three-point shooter. The season didn't start out that way, as Likayi only hit three of his first 17 three-point attempts over the first six games. Since then, he has hit nine of his last 15 three-point attempts for 60 percent and has his season average up to 38 percent.
 
COASTAL vs ULM HISTORY
 
CCU holds a 6-2 lead in the overall series and is undefeated at 3-0 in games played in Conway. An interesting fact in the series is of the eight games played, three have been in neutral locations, including the series-opener back in 1992 at the Hawaii Pre-Holiday Tournament, which was a 77-68 Chanticleer win.
 
Since joining the Sun Belt, the Chants and Warhawks have met on a more consistent basis, with CCU winning four of the six games since becoming members. They did not meet last year due to the change in the conference schedule due to COVID-19, however, CCU won 93-64 in Conway the last time they met back in 2020.
 
ULM enters the game 8-4 overall but may be not only the surprise team of the early season so far, but also one of the hottest team in the conference as they enter the game Thursday as winners of eight consecutive games. The Warhawks were picked to finish last by a vote of the conference coaches in the Sun Belt Conference Coaches preseason poll.
 
This game will feature the top-two scoring offenses in the conference as the Warhawks are averaging 80.7 points per game, while the Chants are not too far behind averaging 78.5 points per game.
 
COASTAL vs LOUISIANA HISTORY
 
Louisiana has not been kind to CCU since the start of the series, winning five of the six contests. The lone CCU win was a 96-79 victory during the 2018-19 season.
 
The last time the two teams played back in 2020, it was a barn-burner as the final score turned out to be 108-101 with the Chants coming up on the short end of the score.
 
Louisiana enters Sun Belt action with a 5-5 non-conference record and will be looking to end a two-game losing streak once conference play begins.
 
COASTAL vs EMORY & HENRY HISTORY
 
Emory & Henry is an NCAA Division II program located in Emory, Va., and will be facing the Chanticleers for the first time. The game was a late add for the Chanticleers and will mark the final non-conference game of the season for CCU.
 
Emory & Henry enters the game with a 7-4 record and winners of four of their last six games, averaging over 81 points per game over that stretch.
 
The Wasp' will have another high-scoring offense as they average over 82 points per game while shooting 48 percent from the field and 32 percent on their three-point attempts. They have four players that average in double-figures in points.
 
All three games can be heard on WRNN 99.5 Hot Talk and watched live on ESPN+. Links for both along with live stats can be found at www.GoCCUSports.com.
 
For complete coverage of CCU men's basketball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalMBB (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUSports.com.