ST. PAUL, Minn.  — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team hits the road on Wednesday, traveling to nationally ranked St. Thomas for a 7 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against the Tommies
 
The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-2 MIAC | 1-2 Overall) at No. 8 St. Thomas Tommies (1-1 MIAC | 5-1 Overall)
 
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals boasted three players in double figures, but they could not cool off Bethel's red-hot shooting from behind the arc, as the Royals drained 14 3-pointers in dealing Saint Mary's a 77-52 MIAC setback Monday at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• St. Thomas: Fifth-ranked St. Thomas had three players record double doubles—led by Ryan Saarela's career-high 20 points and 13 rebounds—as the Tommies dropped Saint John's 77-69 Saturday in Collegeville, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Thomas—A Year Ago:
• January 11, 2014: Saint Mary's got a first-hand look at the juggernaut that is league-leading and nationally-ranked St. Thomas. The Tommies scored the game's first nine points and shot a blistering 50 percent from the field in handing the Cardinals an 87-58 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• February 8, 2014: Ronnie Ortiz (Dayton, Ohio) tossed in a team-high 14 points, but Saint Mary's could not slow down high-powered and nationally ranked St. Thomas at Schoenecker Arena. The Tommies erupted for 42 first-half points — shooting 57 percent from the field — and never cooled off, as UST handed the Cardinals a 92-59 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback in St. Paul, Minn. | Recap
 
Up Next:
•  Saint Mary's: The Cardinals step out of conference play on Dec. 20, squaring off against Viterbo in a 3 p.m. nonconference game at the Saint Mary's Gym.
• St. Thomas: The Tommies hit the road Saturday, traveling to Si Melby Hall in Minneapolis, Minn., for a 3 p.m. conference game against Augsburg.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2014-15 Roster | 2014-15 Schedule | 2014-15 Statistics
Wednesday's game against nationally ranked St. Thomas is the first road game for the Cardinals. Saint Mary's will play four of its next five games on the road—the lone exception a 3 p.m. home contest against Viterbo on Dec. 20. … Nick Ogren (Stillwater, Minn.) scored a team- and career-high 11 points in Saint Mary's loss to Bethel Monday. … Ogren was a perfect 3-for-3 from the 3-point line in the first half en route to his career-best offensive performance. … Ronnie Ortiz (Dayton, Ohio) and Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.) each chipped in 10 points vs. the Royals Monday. … Swiggum also hauled in a season-high seven rebounds for the second straight game. … Ortiz, who tossed in a season-high 15 points to pace the Cardinals against Augsburg last Saturday, has scored in double figures in all three of Saint Mary's games this season. … Saint Mary's has put three players in double figures in two of their first three games this season. … Ortiz heads into Wednesday's matchup at St. Thomas averaging 13.0 ppg, while Swiggum is second at 9.3 ppg. … Jake Rhyner (Apple Valley, Minn.) knocked down a team-best three 3-pointers en route to his collegiate-best 11-point effort vs. Hamline on Dec. 3. … Swiggum, an honorable-mention All-MIAC selection in a year ago—and the team-leader in both scoring average (12.3 ppg) and rebounding (7.4 rpg)—has a team-high 19 rebounds (6.3 rpg) through three games. … Saint Mary's, which drained 113 3-pointers last season, tossed in seven treys vs. Bethel and head into Wednesday's game at UST with 10 treys. … Ogren has netted a team-high five 3-pointers through three games, while Ortiz and Ryyner each have four. … The Cardinals' 70-67 win over Hamline snapped their eight-game losing streak vs. the Pipers, dating back to a 98-77 win on Feb. 10, 2010. … Last Wednesday's win over Hamline was also the Cardinals' first season-opening victory since beating Crown 78-57 to kick off the 2010-11 season.
 
Scouting The St. Thomas Tommies:
2014-15 Roster | 2014-15 Schedule | 2014-15 Statistics
The Tommies had their season-opening five-game winning streak snapped with a 68-65 loss at Gustavus last Wednesday. UST regrouped with a 77-69 win over Saint John's on Saturday. … UST—ranked No. 8 in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25—has not lost back-to-back MIAC games since January, 2005 when the Tommies fell on the road 93-91 at Hamline and 90-80 at Gustavus in a three-day span. … The Tommies boasted three players who recorded double-doubles in their 77-69 win over Saint John's Saturday—led by Ryan Saarela's 20-point, 13-rebound effort. Jimmy Remke chipped in 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Conner Nord tallied 10 points and 12 boards. … Saarela's 20 points and Remke's 16 were both career highs. … UST amassed 52 rebounds vs. SJU Saturday—including 23 offensive boards that led to 35 second-chance points. … The Tommies enter Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's with six players averaging in double figures—Grant Schaeffer (15.3 ppg), Taylor Montero (13.0 ppg), Marcus Alipate (12.3 ppg), Cortez Tillman (12.0 ppg), Nord (11.8 ppg), and Saarela (10.7 ppg). … As a team, the Tommies are averaging 79.3 ppg and have eclipsed the 90-point barrier twice—beating Whitman 96-86 and Whitworth 90-69. … St. Thomas has drained 45 3-pointers this season, led by Alipate with 18, Tillman with 13 and Montero with 10. … Nord has collected a team-leading 44 rebounds (7.3 rpg), while Schaefer is the team-leader in assists (26) and steals (10). … St. Thomas has recorded 162 victories over the last seven seasons (2008-2015) — the most in Division III and an average of 27 per season. The Tommies' 157-24 won-loss record includes a 118-15 record against conference opponents. … St. Thomas has made 15 NCAA tournament appearances, including trips in each of the last nine years.