JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — The Saint Mary's University men's basketball team closes out its nonconference schedule Tuesday and Wednesday at the Illinois College Bill Merris Tournament. SMU opens vs. Millikin University at 5:30 p.m., while host Illinois Chicago squares off against Clarke at 7:30 p.m.



The Teams:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (6-1 Overall)
Millikin Big Blue (1-7 Overall)
Clarke Crusaders (8-5 Overall)
Illinois College Blueboys (5-1 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals rallied from a one-point, 37-36, halftime deficit — using a game-ending 19-5 run to cruise to a 69-55 nonconference win over Viterbo on Dec. 15 in La Crosse, Wis.. Host Illinois College has been off since Dec. 11, when the Blueboys collected a 73-71 win at Westminster College. … Millikin completed an 0-2 showing at the Transylvania University Tournament on Dec. 20-21, falling to Transylvania (82-37) and Piedmont (71-50). … Clarke has been off since Dec. 18, when the Crusaders dropped an 83-79 nonconference decision at Graceland.

Last Meeting:
The Cardinals have never faced any of the teams in this weekend's four-team Illinois College Tournament.

SMU Up Next:
The Cardinals return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Jan. 3, when they travel to St. Paul, Minn., for a 7:30 p.m. showdown against St. Thomas.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
With their win over Viterbo on Dec. 15, the Cardinals pushed their winning streak to four straight. … At 6-1 overall, the Cardinals have put together the second-best start to the season in program history. … SMU's win over Viterbo also pushed the Cardinals to a perfect 3-0 on the road this season. … The Cardinals have now won their last two games by identical 69-55 scores. … The Cardinals have trailed at halftime just once — 37-36 against Viterbo on Dec. 15. … Chris Palmer (Faribault, Minn.) scored a game-high 17 points against the V-Hawks on Dec. 15, going 6-for-10 from the field and a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line. … Palmer enters the Illinois College Tournament having made 45 of his 46 free throws — including his last 27 in a row. … Palmer scored a career-high 37 points in leading the Cardinals to their 79-64 win over Bethel on Dec. 6. Palmer's effort was the Cardinals' highest individual offensive output since Will Wright (Chicago, Ill.) scored 41 points vs. MacMurray on Nov. 22, 2008. … Palmer's 13 free throws made vs. the Royals were also the most since Holland drained 14 vs. Hamline on Feb. 11, 2009. … Palmer added 11 rebounds to his 37-point effort against Bethel en route to his third double-double of the season and 11th of his collegiate career. … Wright and Lukas Holland (La Crosse, Wis.) also scored in double figures against the V-Hawks on Dec. 15, with Wright tossing in 16 points, while Holland added 14. … Wright has now scored in double figures in 37 straight games — and 73 times in his 76 collegiate games. The senior guard has also eclipsed the 20-point barrier 30 times in his career. … Wright has netted 1,480 points in his four years at SMU, leaving him 64 points behind Ken Jansen for seventh all-time in career scoring. … Holland, meanwhile, boasts 1,182 career points, moving him past George Drouches and into 15th place all-time. … The Cardinals boasted two players with 20 or more points for the first time this season in their Dec. 4 win over Macalester, as Wright scored a game-high 29 points and Holland chipped in 23. Both were season highs. … SMU enters today's game vs. Millikin boasting three players averaging in double figures — Wright (18.0 ppg), Palmer (17.4 ppg), and Holland (14.7 ppg). … Palmer is also averaging a team-high 8.3 rpg. … Palmer leads the league in total rebounds (9.5 rpg) an defensive rebounds (32, 8.0 drpg) and is second in the MIAC in 3-point field goal percentage (.714, 5-for-7) in four conference contests. … Wright, meanwhile, is the conference leader in minutes played, averaging 37.50 minutes-per-game, tied for the league lead in scoring (20.3 ppg). … As a team, the Cardinals are second in NCAA Division III in free throw percentange (83.2, 114-for-137). … Through four conference games, the Cardinals are leading the MIAC in free-throw percentage (.889, 80-for-90), are second in 3-point percentage (.404, 23-for-57) and are third in field goal percentage (.477, 93-for-195). … SMU has outscored its opponents 213-161 in the game's opening 20 minutes | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics

Millikin Big Blue News and Notes:
The Big Blue enter the two-day tournament mired in a four-game losing streak. … Millikin has been held to 51 points or less in all four games during its current slide — including a season-low 29 points in a 47-29 loss at Adrian on Dec. 18 ¬— and six times in the team's eight games. … The Big Blue have played six of their first eight games on the road, and are still searching for their first road win. … Kyle Taylor scored 16 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in the Big Blue's 71-50 loss to Piedmont on Dec. 21. It was the second double-double of the season for Taylor. … Taylor's 16 points also equaled his career best, set earlier this season. … Taylor enters tonight's game vs. Saint Mary's averaging a team-high 9.0 ppg. He also leads the team in rebounds with 51 (6.4 rpg). … Millikin has surrendered 306 second-half points. … The Big Blue have been outscored 231-170 in the first half and 306-216 in the second | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics

Illinois College Blueboys News and Notes:
Illinois College has won the last three Bill Merris Tournaments by defeating Dominican (2005), Benedictine (2008), and MSOE (2009). … The Blueboys' two-point, 73-71 win over Westminster on Dec. 11 was their third straight win and the fifth in their first six games. … Brandon Berry scored a team-high 16 points — leading four Illinois College players in double figures — in their win over Westminster on Dec. 11. … Chris Marrs and Nathan Kohler each chipped in 12 points, while Craig Bals added 11. … Berry's game-high 16 points marked just the second time in the Blueboys' first six games that Bals has not led the team in scoring. … IC has scored 70 or more points in each of their six games, including a season-high 100 points in a 100-42, season-opening win over St. Louis Christian College. … Bals, who is averaging a team-best 19.0 ppg, has scored 20 or more points four times this season. … Bals is one of four Blueboys averaging in double figures heading into tournament play. Kohler (14.8 ppg), Jacob Tucker (12.8 ppg) and Brandon Berry (10.8 ppg) are the other three. … IC has knocked down 42 3-pointers, led by Bals and Berry with eight each. … IC has outscored its opponents 233-190 in the first half, while holding a 30-point, 254-224 scoring edge after halftime | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics

Clarke Crusaders News and Notes:
The Crusaders' four-point loss at Graceland on Dec. 18 snapped their two-game winning streak. … After opening the season with four straight wins, Clarke is just 4-5 in its last nine games. … Clarke's 79 points vs. Graceland were the most in a Crusader loss this season. Graceland's 83 points, meanwhile, marked the sixth times this season Clarke has surrendered 80 or more points. … Clarke boasted five players in double figures in their Dec. 18 loss at Graceland — including 15 points each by Eli Fitzsimons, Justin Heng and Brock Zins. … Heng owns the team's top individual scoring performance, netting 34 points in an 86-73 win over Hannibal-LaGrange on Nov. 6. Zins also owns a 30-point performance this season, netting 30 points in Clarke's 92-83 win over Trinity International on Nov. 23. … Mike Schindel comes into tournament play owning a team-leading 13.9 scoring average. Heng (13.2 ppg), Zins (11.7 ppg) and Chad Boston (11.4 ppg) are also averaging in double figures. … Clarke has scored 993 points this season, averaging 76.4 ppg. … The Crusaders are 4-2 on their home court, while also winning four times on the road, where they are 4-3 | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics