NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's basketball team is back on the court on Wednesday, as the Cardinals head to St. Olaf for a 7:30 p.m. conference game against the Oles.

The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-8 MIAC | 2-12 Overall)
at St. Olaf Oles (4-5 MIAC | 5-9 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals managed just 16 first-half points and could not recover, as Saint John's handed SMU a 63-46 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback Monday at the SMU Gym. … St. Olaf, meanwhile, could not cool off hot-shooting St. Thomas Monday, as the nation's top-ranked Tommies shot 57 percent from the field and cruised to a 94-64 victor over the Oles at Skoglund Center in Northfield, Minn.

SMU vs. St. Olaf — Earlier This Year:
November 28, 2012: Mark Schumacher (Perham, Minn.) scored a career-high 19 points, while Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.) recorded his first collegiate double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds in the Cardinals MIAC opener against St. Olaf at the SMU Gym. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the tandem's efforts were not enough, as St. Olaf surged to a 43-26 halftime advantage and handed SMU an 80-62 setback.

SMU vs. St. Olaf — A Year Ago:
December 3, 2011: SMU went point-for-point with St. Olaf in the second half of their Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup at the SMU Gym. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the first half was a different story, as the Oles built an 11-point, 35-24 halftime advantage, and held off a late Saint Mary's comeback to beat SMU 67-56.
January 28, 2012: Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) scored 18 points and Pat Freeman (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) added 14, but the duo's efforts were not enough against St. Olaf, as the Oles handed Saint Mary's a 90-69 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at Skoglund Center in Northfield, Minn.

Up Next:
The Cardinals stay on the road on Saturday, as SMU heads to Minneapolis, Minn., officially closing out the first half of the conference season with a 3 p.m. showdown with Augsburg. … St. Olaf is also on the road on Saturday, as the Oles head north to Collegeville, Minn., for a 3 p.m. matchup against Saint John's.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2012-13 Roster | 2012-13 Statistics | 2012-13 Schedule
Wednesday's game at St. Olaf is the seventh game in 15 days for the Cardinals, who are in the midst of a stretch that will have them playing 11 games in a 25-day span. … For the 10th straight game — and 11th time this season — Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.) led the Cardinals in scoring Monday, as the senior netted 10 points against Saint John's. … With his 10 points vs. Saint John's, Burfeind moved to within 78 points of becoming the 25th Cardinal to reach the 1,000 career-point milestone. … Burfeind has scored 10 or more points in all 11 game's he's played this season. He's also scored in double figures in 33 of his last 36 games and 41 times in his four-year collegiate career. … Among those 41 double-figure efforts have been 14 games of 20 or more points — including six this season. … Burfeind scored a season-high 28 points against Bethany Lutheran on Dec. 12, and netted 26 points last Saturday in a 75-72 win over Bethel. … Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.) equaled Burfeind's 10-point effort against Saint John's Monday. It was the second straight game and sixth time this season the freshman has scored in double figures. … Burfeind heads into Wednesday's conference game at St. Olaf owning a 19.5 ppg scoring average — first on the team and second in the MIAC. … Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.) and Mark Schumacher (Perham, Minn.) are also averaging in double figures heading into Wednesday's showdown with St. Olaf, netting 11.4 ppg and 10.8 ppg, respectively. … Swiggum has led the team in rebounding in eight of its 14 games and owns a team-best 91 rebounds (6.5 rpg). … Pederson, who recorded 80 assists a year ago — the most since Brensley Haywood dished out 81 assists during the 2006-2007 season — has recorded a career-best nine assists twice this season and enters Wednesday's game at St. Olaf boasting a team-best 68 assists through 14 games. … Swiggum and Schumacher have each notched their first collegiate double-double this season. Swiggum recorded 11 points and 10 rebounds against St. Olaf on Nov. 30, while Schumacher posted a 12-point, 11-rebound effort against North Central (Minn.) on Nov. 17. … Pederson logged 40 minutes against Macalester last Wednesday, marking the fourth time this season the sophomore guard has played every minute of a game. … After averaging 57.8 ppg a year ago, the Cardinals are on a 63.0 ppg clip in their first 14 games this season. … The Cardinals' 75-point performance against Bethel last Saturday marked the second time in their last four games that SMU has scored over 70 points. It was also three points shy of the team's season-best 78-point effort against North Central on Nov. 17.

Scouting The St. Olaf Oles:
2012-13 Roster | 2012-13 Statistics | 2012-13 Schedule
Monday's loss to top-ranked St. Thomas is the second-straight setback for the Oles. … St. Olaf has surrendered 90 or more points in each of its last two games — including a season-high 94 points against the Tommies. … St. Olaf, in the midst of a three-game homestand, has surrendered 80 or more points in six of its seven home games this season. … Justin Pahl was the only Ole to reach double figures against No. 1 St. Thomas Monday, scoring 17 points. Pahl went 4-for-5 from the field — including 3 of 4 from behind the 3-point line — and adding a 6-for-8 effort from the free throw line en route to his career-high 17 points. … Pahl became the third different player in as many games to lead the Oles in scoring. … Connor Nielsen, who has led the Oles in scoring a team-high five times — including a season-high 23-point effort against Macalester on Dec. 3 — enters Wednesday's game vs. Saint Mary's averaging a team-best 15.5 ppg. … Sterling Nielsen is also averaging in double figures for the Oles, scoring at a 12.9 ppg clip, while amassing a team-high 53 assists. … Josh Pratt hauled in a team-best seven rebounds vs. St. Thomas. It was the third straight game Pratt — who owns a team-best 65 boards (4.6 rpg) — has led the team in rebounding. … Nielsen and Pratt are the only Oles to have started all 14 games this season. … As a team, St. Olaf has drained 73 3-pointers, led by Pahl (17), Pratt (15) and Riley Aeikens (11). … St. Olaf is averaging 72.1 ppg. … Four of St. Olaf's five wins this season have come on the road — the Oles are just 1-6 on their home court.