WAVERLY, Iowa – Wartburg men's basketball are the host of the Buzz Levick Tip-Off Tournament this weekend and the Knights are in action on Friday, Nov. 19 against Monmouth College at 8 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 19 – 8:00 p.m. – Waverly, Iowa – Levick Arena
Wartburg Knights (2-0, 0-0 A-R-C) vs Monmouth Scots (0-3, 0-0)
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Coach Levick
The Buzz Levick tournament is held in honor of legendary head men's basketball coach Lewis "Buzz" Levick. Coach Levick was at the helm of the Wartburg Men's Basketball program for nearly three decades, winning 14 Iowa Conference Championships (including nine consecutive from 1967-1975), and complied a 510-226 record. Wartburg College has hosted the annual Buzz Levick tournament each November and Levick Arena was named in his honor when the Wartburg-Waverly Sports & Wellness Center opened in 2008.
At the time of his retirement in 1993, he was ranked 28th among the winningest men's collegiate coaches and was one of only 65 coaches in the nation with 500 or more wins. He was inducted into the Des Moines Registers Hall of Fame in 1998, the Wartburg Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999, was recognized as an honorary Wartburg alumnus in 2014, and in 2019 was honored as a Wartburg medal recipient for his inspiring commitment and loyalty to former players and his longtime service to the college.
Last Time Out
In a game that came down to the final seconds, Wartburg men's basketball defended Levick Arena in its home opener on Tuesday, Nov. 16 with a 95-93 victory over Grinnell College.
The Knights defended a late Pioneer push to win in a matchup of clashing styles. This game saw the game tied 11 separate times and 12 lead changes. Grinnell's run & gun style offense attempted 19 more field goal attempts than the Knights and 48 three-point attempts to Wartburg's zero. The Orange & Black dominated points in the paint 74-36 and shot the ball a lot more efficient with a team percentage of 62.7% compared to Grinnell's 39.7% from the field. Wartburg struggled with free throws, shooting just 52.5% after shooting 85% as a team the previous game.
Stat Leaders
Drew Olson was the leading scorer against Grinnell with 23 points off 80% shooting from the field and 7/12 from the free throw line. The senior guard also added five assists, five rebounds, and four steals for the Knights. Olson is the leading scorer for the Knights through two games with 20.5 points per game coming off 71.4% from the field. The Osage, Iowa native has added seven rebounds per game, four and a half steals per game, and three and a half assists per game to help pace the Knights early in the season.
Jack Molstead leads Wartburg in assists with an average of nine and a half through two games. The junior guard is also adding 13 points per game and shooting 50% from the field to help lead the Wartburg offense.
Marshun William has added 15 points per game and has gone 10/11 from the free throw line and his 90.9% leads the team.
Codey Hicks has also been a key offensive piece for the Orange & Black averaging 12.5 points per game from 80% shooting from the field.
The Knights are outrebounding opponents at an average of 47.5 to 30 through two games. The leading rebounder for Wartburg is
Trent Allard, who is coming off the bench averaging seven and a half and has also added two blocks and one steal.
Monmouth
The Monmouth Scots have started the season 0-3 with losses to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Loras College, and Coe College. The Scots were last in action when they were edged 73-68 by Coe College on Wednesday, Nov. 17.
Monmouth is averaging 66.3 points scored per game as a team compared to the Knights' 90 points per game. Wartburg has an advantage in field goal shooting efficiency as the Scots are shooting 46.8% from the field, while the Orange & Black are shooting 55.6%. The Scots lead Wartburg in three-point shooting efficiency with 35.7% from three while Wartburg is shooting 31.6% from three-point range.
Stat Leaders
The Scots' offense is led by Jordan Metcalf and Jonathon Oradiegwu, who are averaging 16 and 15 points per game respectively.
Metcalf is shooting 70.4% from the field and is averaging a team-high six boards per game along with three assists. Oradiegwu is shooting 52.4% from the field and 42.9% from the three-point line, while also adding four rebounds per game and two steals per game.
Cornell vs. Wisconsin Lutheran
The tournament will tip-off at 6 p.m. when 1-2 Cornell College takes on 3-0 Wisconsin Lutheran College. The winner will go on to play the winner of Wartburg vs. Monmouth in the championship game on Saturday at 4 p.m. and the loser will play the other losing team in a consolation game at 2 p.m.
The Rams won the first game of the season against Eureka College and then has lost two straight. Cornell has played Wartburg already this season and the Knights handed the Rams an 85-70 loss in that matchup. Cornell is led offensively by senior forward Marcus Quirk, who is averaging 16.7 per game through three games played and has added eight rebounds per game.
Wisconsin Lutheran enters the tournament with a perfect 3-0 record, including a win in its last contest Monday, November 15 over Beloit College 80-73. The Warriors average 88.3 points scored as a team off 45.6% shooting from the field and 35.8% from three-point range. Alex Vancrete leads the Warrior offense with 18.7 points per game and 54.8% shooting from the field. The senior guard also is shooting 50% from beyond the three-point arc with an average of almost two threes made per game.
Series History
Monmouth and Wartburg have only met twice previously in the schools' history. The most recent matchup came in 2015 where the Scots won 82-74, but the series is tied one apiece.
Wartburg and Cornell have met 44 times in program history and the Knights lead the all-time series 28-16, including the win from last week.
Wisconsin Lutheran College and Wartburg have met once in school history and if the schools matchup on Saturday it would be the first time since the 2013-14 season. The Warriors won that game 68-54 inside Levick Arena.
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