Posted: Jan 19, 2016

Storm men head to Wartburg's Levick Arena on Wednesday

INDIANOLA, Iowa - The Simpson men's basketball team travels to Wartburg's Levick Arena for an Iowa Conference clash with the Knights on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.

Game Setup
Matchup: Simpson (9-6, 2-2) at Wartburg (9-6, 2-2)
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 20
Time: 8 p.m.
Location: Levick Arena - Waverly, Iowa

Live Coverage
Live Video: Go-Knights.net

Last Time Out
Reigning league MVP Andre Norris had 15 points and 14 rebounds, and Dubuque beat Simpson 74-64 on Saturday, Jan. 16 at Cowles Fieldhouse. Sam Amsbaugh scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half to lead the Storm, who pulled within three points with 7:46 left in the game after trailing by as many as 12. The IIAC preseason favorite Spartans responded with a 15-6 run to pull away.

A look at Wartburg
The Knights are 9-6 overall and 2-2 in the Iowa Conference following an 83-80 overtime win at Buena Vista last Saturday. Wartburg is led by returning all-IIAC guard Jordan Cannon, who averages 15.1 points per game and shoots nearly 50 percent from the field. The team's second-leading scorer - Nick Webber - is coming off a 22-point performance in the win over Buena Vista, including the go-ahead jumper with 1:07 left in overtime. The Knights lead the IIAC field goal percentage (47.7).

The all-time series
Wednesday marks the 133rd meeting in a series that dates back to the 1945-46 season. Simpson is 42-90 all-time against Wartburg, including 1-5 in the last three seasons. Simpson has had its share of problems on the road at Wartburg, going 2-14 in Waverly since the 1999-2000 season. The Storm lost both meetings last season.

TOP 5 STORM STORYLINES

1. Separation Wednesday
Coming into Wednesday night's Iowa Conference matchups, one game is all that separates seven of the league's eight teams. Simpson and Wartburg are two of five teams with a 2-2 record in conference play, behind Central (3-1) and Dubuque (3-1). A win will be crucial to staying with the lead pack as we near the halfway point of the conference slate.

2. IIAC Player of the Week Amsbaugh looks to stay hot
Sophomore forward Sam Amsbaugh earned Iowa Conference Player of the Week honors after averaging 20.5 points and five rebounds as the Storm went 1-1 last week. He looks for his third-straight 20-point game after putting up 21 in Wednesday's 78-60 win over Loras and 20 in the loss to Dubuque. Amsbaugh is one of just five Iowa Conference players averaging at least 19 points and seven rebounds (19 ppg, 7.3 rpg) in IIAC play.

3. Old-school approach paying dividends for the Storm
Simpson's early-season success can be largely attributed to some less-than-glamorous trends. The Storm are currently tops in the IIAC in defense, free throw percentage and turnover margin. Though not always highlight-worthy, Simpson allows just 71.6 points per game, makes 75.2 percent of its free throws and is +5.33 in the turnover margin. The Storm have yet to commit more turnovers than an opponent and have held three of four IIAC foes below their season scoring average.

4. Bench boost
The Storm have benefited from solid bench play so far in 2015-16. Through 15 games, Simpson's bench has outscored opponents by more than seven points per game. The Storm's reserves average 26.8 points per game, led by Sam Amsbaugh's 17.9 in seven games coming off the bench.

5. What a difference a year makes
It took the 2015-16 Storm just 11 games to surpass last year's win total. First-year head coach Brad Bjorkgren led Simpson to a 7-4 mark, the best record through 11 games since the 2006-07 team also went 7-4. That team finished 18-9, the program's last winning season. Simpson is currently 9-6, already a three-game improvement over last season.

The coach
Brad Bjorkgren is in his first season as head coach of the Storm. The Simpson alum coached Urbandale High School for 27 seasons, winning nearly 400 games, nine conference championships and appearing in seven Class 4A State Tournaments.

Up next
Simpson returns home Saturday, Jan. 23 when it hosts Luther.