The Saint John's University basketball team returns to action with road trips to Saint Mary's and St. Olaf this Saturday and Monday, Jan. 2 and 4, respectively. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday at the SMU Gym in Winona (Directions | Listen Live | Live Stats), followed by a 7:30 p.m. opening tip at the Skoglund Center in Northfield (Directions | Listen Live | Live Stats | Live Video).
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (5-3, 2-1 MIAC) closed out 2009 with wins in five of its last six games, including a 71-54 victory over Macalester in its last contest nearly a month ago (Dec. 9). Four Johnnies scored in double figures, as sophomore Andy Burns (Shorewood, Minn./Minnetonka) posted 14 points, including 10 in the first half, and six assists. Junior Aaron Burtzel (Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori) added 11 points and six rebounds, while juniors Sam Blank (Rollingstone, Minn./Winona Cotter) and Nermin Hujdurovic (Tuzla, Bosnia/Medical) recorded 11 and 10 points off the bench, respectively. The two teams combined 39 points (20-19 Mac) off 32 turnovers (19-13 Mac) in the game. The Johnnies made their first four shots of the game, all three pointers, and finished eight of 16 from behind the arc. Head coach Jim Smith is now 65-27 all-time against Macalester, including a 36-10 record in Collegeville. The Johnnies have now won 19 of the last 20 meetings at Sexton Arena.
A LOOK AT THE CARDINALS: Saint Mary's (4-4, 2-1 MIAC) fell to NCAA Division II Winona State 83-70 on Monday, Dec. 28. As expected, the Cardinals are led by junior guards Lukas Holland and Will Wright, who each earned All-MIAC honors last season. Wright is averaging 18.8 points and five rebounds per game, while Holland is close behind with 17.8 points and four rebounds per game. Wright led SMU with 20 points and eight rebounds in the loss to Winona State on Monday. He has recorded a .563 shooting percentage (27-48), including a .474 mark from three- point range (9-19), and an average of 23.3 points in four career games against the Johnnies. He is also a perfect 30-for-30 from the free-throw line. Freshman forward Chris Palmer leads the squad with 6.8 rebounds per game and is third in scoring with a 12.3 average.
SJU swept the season series, 77-67 and 83-62, in 2008-09. The Johnnies are 68-20 all-time against SMU under the direction of head coach Jim Smith, but are just 25-19 in Winona. SJU has lost seven of the last 12 meetings at the SMU Gym; the last occurring Jan. 22, 2007 (66-63).
A LOOK AT THE OLES: St. Olaf (4-4, 2-1 MIAC) suffered a 69-58 loss at NCAA Division I North Dakota on Tuesday. Sophomore forward Stu Neville led all scorers with 20 points, while senior guard Mark Torell, the reigning MIAC Player of the Week, added 19 in the loss. Torell leads the Oles with 16.4 points per game, followed closely by sophomore guard Alfred Jaryan with a 16.3 average. Junior forward Nate Krosschell leads the squad in rebounding with 8.5 per game.
SJU and STO split the season series last year. The Oles won the first matchup 71-59 on Jan. 5 in Collegeville, but the Johnnies returned the favor with a 70-58 decision a month later in Northfield. SJU has won 16 of the last 21 meetings and are 57-24 all-time against the Oles under the direction of Smith. Like the Saint Mary's series, however, the Johnnies' road record is not as favorable as their record on the home court. SJU is 21-19 against St. Olaf in Northfield, compared to a 36-5 record in Collegeville.
RECORD BOOK WATCH: Junior Chris Schwartz (Sioux Falls, S.D./Lincoln) is currently ninth on the school's all-time list with 118 career three-pointers made. He needs eight to pass Dusty Lamker (1998-02) and tie Corey Jackson (1992-96) and Tyler Westman (2005-07) for sixth. Burtzel is currently ninth with 206 career assists and needs 23 to pass Jackson. He recently cracked the school's known Top 10 list in rebounding with 485 career boards. He needs seven to pass Josh Cherry (1992-96) for ninth.
