The Saint Xavier men’s basketball team continues to roll, winning their last five games as they advance to 19-5 on the season and 13-3 in the CCAC conference play. The Cougars have also received votes in the NAIA national coaches poll putting them on the cusp of being a top team in the nation.
Their last five wins have come against the University of St. Francis (Ill.), Governors State University, Trinity International University, Judson University, and St. Ambrose University which are all conference opponents.
None of these past games have been particularly close, as the Cougars have won convincingly each time. They appear to be pulling away from their competition and are on their way to winning a conference title.
Though there’s certainly still work to be done, there are a lot of positives for SXU. More specifically, their offensive efficiency is off the charts.
Over their five-game winning streak, SXU has shot a ridiculous percentage from the floor.
- @ St. Francis University (Ill.)- 54.9% from the floor, 50% from three
- @ Governors State- 46.8% from the floor, 23.5% from three
- Vs. Trinity International University (Ill.)- 62.3% from the floor, 42.9% from three
- Vs. Judson University- 53% from the floor, 41.4% from three
- @ St. Ambrose University- 49.1% from the floor, 23.5% from three
Overall on the season SXU averages-
- 85.5 points per game
- Shoots 51.3% from the floor
- Shoots 42.5% from three
Some of these games are just incredible and truly showcase how dangerous the Cougars can be offensively. It’s rare to see this kind of chemistry and efficiency in a team.
There is plenty of individual praise to go around as well, beginning with senior guard, Jaeden King, who leads the team in minutes, field goals, points per game, steals, and three-pointers made.
King has established himself as the “go-to guy” on the offensive side of the ball.
Junior forward, Kevin Bishop, has used his 6’6” frame all season to body defenders and is a force to be reckoned with in the paint. Bishop is third on the team in points per game and makes almost 60% of his shots.
He’s added 20 blocks on the season and has shown the ability to play lockdown defense.
Junior Guard, Cedric Johnson, is second on the team in points and plays the facilitator for the offense as he is second on the team with 66 assists. He’s been the “do it all” player for the Cougars this season.
There are more than enough great players on this team to talk about and everybody has contributed this season.
There are not many teams in the NAIA that have 19 wins this deep in the season and that’s a testament to the cohesiveness of this unit.
Overall, SXU appears to be a very dangerous team heating up at the right time. While they’ve won five straight games, their play has been tremendous from day one.
If I were an opponent, this is not a team I would want to mess with.
SXU plays their next game February 8 on the road against Cardinal Stritch University at 7 pm and wraps up the week at Chicago State University on February 11 at 2 pm.
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