SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
Wartburg enters Saturday's contest tied with Loras in the conference ranks at 2-2. The Knights have produced a mixed bag of results thus far, losing to both Dubuque and Luther in conference play. Offensively Wartburg is led by Jordan Cannon, a first team all-Iowa Conference nominee last season. This season Cannon already has one player of the week honor under his name, while averaging 15.1 points per game on 49.7 percent shooting. Cannon knows how to pick his shots, but struggles at the free-throw line shooting 57.6 percent. Wartburg's most rock-solid shooter is Nick Webber who's consistency from the field paced the Knights offense in an overtime win over Buena Vista last week. Webber averages 13.3 points per game on 51.7 percent shooting, while shooting a stellar 81.3 percent from the charity stripe and 43.5 percent from the promised land. The Knights have struggled in the post this season, getting beaten out by forwards such as Kennedy Drey and Colby Taylor in conference play. This bodes well for Mirko Grcic, who ranks fifth in scoring at 17.7 per game. Wartburg has success when they're able to force turnovers, leading the conference in steals per game at 8.7.

ALL-TIME RECORD AGAINST WARTBURG
The Knights are out to a 48-47 advantage over Loras throughout their storied history, dating back to the 1919-1920 season. In their first meeting, Loras was victorious by a final score of 32-17.

LAST TIME AGAINST WARTBURG
In their final matchup of the 2014-2015 season, the Knights bested Loras by a final score of 64-63. Loras was unable to score in the final minute of regulation aftering bringing themselves within a lone point. Nathaniel Smith and Aaron Schueller each recorded 20+ point games for Loras, combing for 41. No other Duhawks reached double-digits in scoring. Wartburg had four players score in double-digits, with Clay Cook and Marc Ellis leading the way at 12 points apiece. Loras held Jordan Cannon in check resulting in just 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting from the field, 1-of-5 from beyond the arc.

WEEK TWO RECAP: DUHAWKS DROP TWO ON THE ROAD
Loras struggled to maintain momentum in the Iowa Conference race last week, dropping each of their two games. The Duhawks were done in by early struggles in each game, finding themselves unable to convert on scoring opportunities. Against Simpson Loras shot 35.7 percent from the field in the first half, while shooting a paltry 24.1 percent in the first against Central. This left the Duhawks to dig themselves out of a 10-point hole against the Storm, a disadvantage that they couldn't overcome. Grcic was the most consistent performer for Loras throughout the week, combining to score 41 points over the two games. Outside of the senior, Loras was hampered by inefficient efforts from the field. Another bright spot was Justin VanWambeke's 9-of-10 performance from the free-throw line against Central where he typically shoots 71.3 percent.

THE FRIENDLY CONFINES
Loras has held a distinct home-court advantage this season, heading into this weeks slate of games against Luther and Wartburg at 5-1 on Lillis Court. The Duhawks are currently riding a four game home winning streak, including a 2-0 record at home during conference play. On average Loras has scored 83.6 points per game at home, greater than their season average of 76.5. On the defensive end, opponents have averaged just 72 points per game on Lillis Court this season, down from a 74.7 average in total.

DUHAWKS FOCUSING ON SECOND HALF EFFICIENCY
The Duhawks are looking to bounce back in week three of conference play following a week in which they dropped to 2-2 in the IIAC. Of their seven wins this season, the Duhawks headed into halftime with an advantage four times. However, Loras is 4-4 in games when they head into the locker-room ahead at halftime. In comparison, the Duhawks a 3-4 when trailing at the halftime horn. Getting off to a quick start and putting pressure on opponents will be a major factor in winning this week.