MBB Preview: Storm set to open season at Wartburg

INDIANOLA, Iowa -- The season opener is finally here for Simpson men's basketball as the Storm travel to Wartburg for a nonconference bout on Tuesday, Jan. 12 inside Levick Arena. The contest will begin at 6:30 p.m.

After finishing 14-13 and landing in the American Rivers Conference tournament for the fifth straight season a year ago, the Storm (0-0) will look to increase their winning streak to four against the Knights (0-1) this Tuesday. Wartburg dropped its season opener, 71-70, to Edgewood on Jan. 3. 

GAME 1
Simpson (0-0, 0-0 A-R-C) at Wartburg (0-1, 0-0 A-R-C)
Tuesday, Jan. 12 | 6:30 p.m.
Levick Arena | Wartburg, Iowa
Live Video | Live Stats

WARTBURG ATTENDANCE POLICY
*Provided by Wartburg Athletics
"Two people per each participant (student-athlete/coach/staff member) will be permitted to attend basketball, volleyball, and wrestling home events inside Levick Arena. Seating for spectators will take place in the west bleachers across from the team benches."

Click HERE for the full release from Wartburg Athletics.

WARTBURG SERIES NOTES
For the 144th time, Wartburg and Simpson will meet on the hardwood as the Storm have won the last three contests ... Simpson swept the season series a year ago, winning by an average of 10 points ... the Storm claimed an 87-73 victory in the last meeting between the two conference foes to claim their largest margin of victory since winning by 20 during the 1997-98 campaign.

RECENT RESULTS
Feb. 15, 2020 — W, 87-73 (Waverly)
Jan. 22, 2020 — W, 71-65 (Indianola)
Jan. 31, 2019 — W, 84-81 (Indianola)
Nov. 28, 2018 — L, 92-81 (Waverly)
Feb. 20, 2018 — L, 76-72 (Indianola)

ABOUT THE KNIGHTS
A year after reaching the second round of the A-R-C Tournament, Wartburg is coming into the game with one blemish to its record after the season opener on Jan. 3 against Edgewood ... the Knights dropped a 71-70 contest at home after the visitors sunk a last-second 3-pointer to win ... three players scored in double figures for Wartburg as Mitch Gehling (12), Drew Olson (11) and Cade Daugherty (10) led the way.

LAST TIME OUT
For the second straight season, Simpson ended its campaign in the semifinal round of the A-R-C Tournament ... the Storm lost 91-77 to top-seeded Nebraska Wesleyan to close out the year on Feb. 27, 2020 ... the offense had four players score in double figures as Conor Riordan led the way with 22 points and Adam Reiter finished with a double-double of 17 points and 15 rebounds.

THE COACH
Head coach Brad Bjorkgren enters his sixth season at the helm of the program ... during that span, he has amassed a record of 74-56 overall and 42-37 in conference play, including five straight trips to the league tournament ... in Bjorkgren's first season as head coach, the squad tied for second in the league standings for the program's highest finish since 2003-04.

THE RETURNERS
The roster of returners includes three seniors, four juniors and eight sophomores ... after graduating four of the team's top five scorers last season, Simpson returns its fourth-leading scorer in sophomore Collin Lister (7.3) ... junior Chris Honz is back after grabbing 3.1 rebounds per outing during his sophomore slate.

THE NEWCOMERS
Simpson welcomes 10 freshmen and four transfers to the 2020-21 squad ... junior Deontei Johnson scored 5.3 points per game at North Arkansas College a year ago and junior Rhett Darland reached the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Tournament while appearing in 15 games for Des Moines Area Community College ... sophomore Rio Bingley saw action in 15 contests at Johnson County Community College ... freshman Tyler Johnson joins the program after winning a state title at Norwalk High School.

STORM NOTES
• Simpson in the national rankings at the end of the 2019-20 season:

16th — free throw percentage (76.8%)
16th — field goal percentage (48.8%)
24th — 3-point percentage (38.5%)

• Storm in the national rankings at the end of the 2019-20 season:

Conor Riordan — fourth in free throw percentage (91.3%) and ninth in assist to turnover ratio (3.1)
Adam Reiter — 15th in field goal percentage (62.7%)

UP NEXT
The Storm will play host to Coe this Saturday for a 2 p.m. contest. This will be a nonconference game for both squads as A-R-C play begins Jan. 23.