RIVER FOREST, Ill. -- After a challenging two-game stretch of non-conference games, the Concordia-Chicago Cougars are ready to begin Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play tomorrow afternoon at Marian University.

Tip off is slated for a 2 p.m. start time, with complete coverage available at cucougars.com/coverage and @cuc_menhoops on Twitter. 

Last Time Out... Concordia-Chicago last took to the floor on Wednesday night for a midweek tilt at UW-Platteville. The Cougars had a strong first half, leading by as many as seven points, but between eight different lead changes, the Pioneers eventually went on to win the contest, 89-72. Jalen Meeks led the Cougars with 16 points, and Landen Gladney was one rebound shy of a double-double with 13 points and nine boards. UW-Platteville was CUC's second consecutive opponent who is receiving votes in the d3hoops.com's national rankings. 

Notables... The Cougars are 1-4 through their last five conference openers, most recently defeating Rockford last season to kick off NACC play. In the win, Landen Gladney had his third-straight career double-double with 18 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Between their last 10 match ups against the Sabres, Marian holds the advantage in a 7-3 ledger. However, CUC most recently defeated Marian on Nov. 27, 2018 in a 98-83 victory. Jalen Meeks had a monstrous 23-point, 11-rebound night for the Cougars during the win and earned himself NACC Athlete of the Week as a result. 

Newbies... In addition to a solid group of returners, CUC's newcomers have come to make an immediate impact on the team. Between Raushaun Amos, Brent Hatten, Xeo Golding and Charlie Reznikoff, the four have combined for 76 of Concordia-Chicago's 157 total points this season. As a rookie, Hatten has already worked his way into CUC's starting rotation as he produced 16 points in his collegiate debut against Loras, earned the start against Platteville and shot 3-of-6 from the floor for 10 points against the Pioneers. 

Scouting the Sabres... Marian University is winless through its first four games of the season, averaging 59.3 points per game. Among their preseason schedule, the Sabres have faced No. 12 Saint John's (Minn.) and fallen twice in overtime to Holy Family and UW-La Crosse. Logan Hamilton leads the Sabres with 16.0 points per game, followed by DeAndre Ross who is averaging 13.3 points per game while shooting 48.0 percent from the floor. 

Kollar's Corner... "We did a lot of things well against a tremendous team in Platteville the other night," said Head Coach Steve Kollar. "We competed extremely hard defensively and fought on the glass for about 30 minutes, but we had a few breakdowns and lack of execution that made the difference in that game. We are working towards being more consistent and focusing on bringing that intensity and attention to detail for all 40 minutes. You can see improvement in all areas and we saw a huge jump from game one to game two, so we are excited to take that next step as a group. Our guys will be jacked and ready to go for the NACC opener at Marian."

Stat You Can't Live Without... Through their first four games of the season, the Marian Sabres have gotten to the free throw line just 30 times. Averaging 7.5 trips to the charity stripe per game, the Sabres have allowed their four opponents to reach the line for a combined 110 times. In just two games so far, the Cougars have reached 56 times, draining 39 free throws for a 69.6 free throw percentage. 

The finish x Jalen Meeks pic.twitter.com/QJPkHErRha

— CUC Men's Basketball (@cuc_menhoops) November 21, 2019