WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team kicks off the home portion of its 2016-17 schedule on Saturday, as the Cardinals entertain Luther in a 3 p.m. nonconference game
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-0 Overall) vs. Luther Norse (0-3 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—November 21, 2016 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals got 14 points from James Cullen, but it was not enough, as NCAA Division II Winona State handed Saint Mary's a 90-52 setback in an exhibition game at WSU's McCown Gym | Recap
• Luther—November 18-19, 2016 * Wheaton, Ill.: The Norse dropped both games at the Wheaton Tournament last weekend, falling to the host Thunder 64-51 on Nov. 18, before suffering an 88-78 setback to Bethel the following day | Wheaton Recap * Bethel Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Luther—Their Last Meeting:
• November 20, 2010 * Winona, Minn.: Chris Palmer (Faribault, Minn.) scored a game-high 23 points—including 16 in the first half—as the Cardinals opened the season with a 67-59 nonconference win over Luther at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals take to the road on Monday, heading to Indianola, Iowa, for a 7 p.m. nonconference game against Simpson.
• Luther: The Norse return home to Decorah, Iowa, on Monday, entertaining UW-La Crosse in an 8 p.m. nonconference contest.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• With their 84-50 win over Martin Luther on Nov. 15, the Cardinals have now won back-to-back season openers. Saint Mary's dropped Crossroads 83-66 to kick off the 2015-16 campaign. … Saint Mary's 84 points against Martin Luther in its season-opening 84-50 win were one shy of the Cardinals' season-high from a year ago. Saint Mary's, which eclipsed the 80-point barrier five times last season, scored a season-high 85-point effort in its 85-70 win over Macalester on Dec. 5. … The Cardinals' 85 points vs. the Scots a year ago marked the highest offensive output since Saint Mary's tossed in 87 in an 87-80 victory over Macalester on Dec. 4, 2010. … James Cullen (Western Springs, Ill.) scored a team-high 14 points—going 4-for-4 from the 3-point line—in the Cardinals' exhibition-game loss to NCAA Division II Winona State on Monday. … Eight of the Cardinals' 16 field goals against Winona State were 3-pointers. … Quashingm Smith-Pugh (St. Paul, Minn.) chipped in eight points against Winona State, including a 6-for-10 effort from the free throw line. … In his first game in a Cardinal uniform, Cole Kruger (Hayfield, Minn.) scored a team- and game-high 17 points against Martin Luther on Nov. 15. … Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.) and Smith-Pugh, both honorable-mention All-MIAC selections a year ago, each recorded double-doubles against Martin Luther on Nov. 15—Ferron scored 14 points and hauled in rebounds, while Smith-Pugh chipped in 11 points and 11 boards. … Ferron now owns three career double-doubles, while Smith-Pugh has two. … Smith-Pugh's 11 rebounds vs. Martin Luther were one shy of his career high, while Ferron's 11 boards were two shy of his collegiate best. … Smith-Pugh scored 10 or more points 17 times a year ago—including a career-best 24 points against Saint John's on Feb. 6. Smith-Pugh's 24 points were the most by a Cardinal last season. … Kevin Gleason (Minneapolis, Minn.) was the fourth Cardinal to score in double figures against Martin Luther on Nov. 15, finishing with 10 points. … Gleason also dished out a team-leading five assists vs. Martin Luther, while Kruger and Smith-Pugh each finished with four helpers. … The Cardinals knocked down 10 3-pointers against Martin Luther on Nov. 15. The 10 treys were one shy of last season's single-game high of 11 against Saint John's on Feb. 6. … The Cardinals closed out the season with nine wins a year ago—the most since the 2010-11 campaign, when Saint Mary's finished 9-16. The Cardinals' seven conference wins, meanwhile, are the most since going 7-13 in 2009-10.
 
Scouting The Luther Norse:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• The Norse head into Saturday's showdown against Saint Mary's still searching for their first win of the season—having dropped nonconference decisions to UW-Platteville (69-39), Wheaton (64-51), and Bethel (88-78). … Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the second of back-to-back contests against teams from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference—having faced Bethel last Saturday. … Luther's 78-point effort against Bethel in last Saturday's 88-78 loss was a season high. On the flip side, the Royals' 88 points were the most allowed by the Norse thus far this season. … Jared Nicolaisen heads to Saint Mary's as Luther's scoring leader, averaging 12.3 ppg. … Ray Whitlock and Christian Wright share the team lead in rebounds with 17 each (5.7 rpg), with Markell Lucas close behind with 13. … Nicolaisen and Luke Palmer each own a team-high four assists, while Whitlock has a team-best seven steals. … The Norse have knocked down 22 3-pointers through three games, led by Palmer with seven and Wright with five. … As a team, Luther is shooting 36 percent from the field (60-for-167) and have made 26 of 40 free throws (65 percent). … The Norse own a 103-97 rebound advantage through three games. … Luther has been outscored 221-168—98-68 in the game's opening 20 minutes, and 123-100 after halftime. … Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is Luther's fourth straight road game to open the season—the Norse kick off the home portion of their schedule against UW-La Crosse on Monday.