WAVERLY, Iowa – The Wartburg College Knights men's basketball team (14-7 overall, 8-4 A-R-C) returns to action on Wednesday when they travel to face the Luther College Norse (7-13, 1-11) at 8 p.m. The Knights are sitting in third-place in the American Rivers Conference standings, while the Norse are ninth.
 
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The Series
The Orange and Black lead the all-time series lead at 93-42, which includes the first meeting of the season, 85-74, on Jan. 9. The Knights have won the last three meetings, dating back to Jan. 10, 2018.
 
Wartburg
The Knights are coming off of an 84-81 defeat to Simpson College on Thursday. Senior guard Jaran Sabus (Urbandale) leads the team and conference in scoring at 21.9 points/game. Senior guard Cam Kickbush (Reinbeck) is second on the squad with 16.5 points/game, while sophomore guard Max Smith Drahos (Cedar Rapids) is third with 12.2 points/game. Sabus' 5.9 rebounds/game lead the team, while senior center Josh Gehling (Dyersville) is second on the team with 5.3 rebounds/game. The Knights have gone 4-5 on the road, including 3-3 in conference road matchups.
 
Career Record Watch
Sabus' 1,492 career points rank fifth in program history, trailing fourth place by five points (1,498), third place by 27 points (1,519) and second place by 104 points (1,596). Kickbush ranks 29^th on the career points list with 1,058 points, trailing 28^th place by nine points (1,067), 27^th place by 38 points (1,096) and 26^th place by 54 points (1,112). Sabus' 446 career made free throws are third in program history, trailing second by four (450) and first by 78.
 
Single Season Record Watch
Kickbush's 74 made three-pointers this season rank second in an individual season in program history, trailing first place by five treys (79). Averaging 3.52 three-pointers a game, Kickbush is on pace to break the single-season mark within the next two games.
 
Luther
The Norse are coming off of a 90-81 loss to Simpson College on Monday evening. Leading the team in scoring is Jared Nicolaisen at 15.6 points/game, while Gage Thompson is second at 9.6 points/game. Nicolaisen previously exploded for 32 points on Dec. 6, 2018, in a 100-93 victory over Crown College. Nicolaisen's 4.8 rebounds/game lead the team, with Thompson trailing behind at 4.2 rebounds/game. Nicolaisen leads the team and is second in the conference in free throw percentage, converting on 84.2% of his attempts (64-76).  Luther has compiled a 3-6 record at home.
 
The Norse are coached by Mark Franzen, who is coaching in his 13^th season at Luther. Franzen, a 1994 graduate of Wartburg College, has led Luther to two conference title appearances (2011, 2013), winning the 2011 conference title over the Dubuque Spartans, 57-48. Franzen is assisted by John Androus and Eric Karius.  
 
National Stat Rankings
Wartburg is ranked in the top-100 of six statistical categories, which the NCAA updated on Monday. The Knights are 19^th in field goal percentage (49.3%), 25^th in three-point field goal percentage (39.7%), 57^th in rebound margin differential (5.3), 64^th in scoring offense (83.0 PPG), tied for 72^nd in free throws made (321) and are 77^th in scoring margin differential (7.9).
 
The Orange and Black have three players in the top-100 of 12 statistical categories. Kickbush is tied for 14^th in total three-point field goals made (74), tied for 19^th in three-point field goals made per game (3.52), 24^th in three-point field goal percentage (44.8%) and is tied for 39^th in three-point field goal attempts (165). Sabus is tied for 13^th in total free throws made (128), tied for 14^th in free throw attempts (162), 27^th in total points scored (459), 28^th in points per game (21.9), tied for 56^th in total field goals made (150) and is 96^th in field goal percentage (55.1%). Smith Drahos is tied for 59^th in total steals (44) and is tied for 66^th in steals per game (2.1).