No. 3 UCM and Senior Day Against SBU Highlight Big
Feb 15, 2010 | General, Men's Basketball
Complete Notes in PDF
With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Mavericks will look to cement a finish near the top of the conference as they play a pair of MIAA games this week. Wednesday they will travel to Central Missouri, No. 3 in the nation and first in the conference, for a 7:30 p.m. game and Saturday they will return home to host Southwest Baptist, tied with UNO at third in the MIAA, in a 3:30 p.m. game.
Saturday's game will be Senior Day and Mavericks seniors Dion Curry, Andrew Bridger and Matt Newman will be honored prior to their game.
The Mavericks are on a three-game winning streak after a pair of wins last week that helped move them into a tie for third in the MIAA with Southwest Baptist. UNO (17-6, 10-6 MIAA) beat Missouri Western on the road on Wednesday and then defeated Truman at home on Saturday.
The Mules (22-1, 15-1 MIAA) continued their winning ways with a pair of victories on the road last week. They topped Washburn on Wednesday and then avenged their only loss of the year on Saturday with a win at Fort Hays State.
Southwest Baptist (19-7, 10-6 MIAA) lost twice last week to fall into a tie with UNO. The Bearcats lost at Emporia State on Wednesday and then at Washburn on Saturday.
Junior guard Tyler Bullock continues to lead the Mavs in scoring and he enters the week tied for fourth in the conference with 17.8 points a game. The Mavs will face the top two scorers this week as UCM's Sanijay Watts leads the league with 22.2 points a game and SBU's Matt Rogers is second with 21.8 a game.
Following The Mavericks
Wednesday's game at Central Missouri will be broadcast on 90.7 KVNO FM and online at omavs.com/KVNO. Saturday's game against Southwest Baptist will be broadcast on 90.7-2 KVNO HD and online at omavs.com/kvnoHD2. Fans can find a link to live video for both games at omavs.com/LiveVideo and fans can find free live stats at www.ucmo.edu/athletics for Wednesday' game and at omavs.com/LiveStats for Saturday's game.
Most games throughout the year will be available through 90.7 KVNO FM or 90.7-2 KVNO HD. Live stats and video will be available for the remainder of the home games and many away games. Fans can find links to all live video, audio and stats through omavs.com/mbb on the schedule page.
The Coaches
UNO head coach Derrin Hansen is in his fifth year at Nebraska-Omaha and overall as a head coach. He is 86-56 with a .606 winning percentage. His winning percentage ranks fourth all-time among UNO coaches with at least four years at the school. Hansen served as the assistant coach at UNO from 1998-2005 before taking over for the 2005-06 season.
UCM's Kim Anderson is 180-60 (.750) in his eighth season with the Mules. Last year his team won the MIAA tournament and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight with a South Central Region tournament title. Anderson served as an assistant commissioner of the Big 12 Conference and he was an assistant coach at Missouri and Baylor. Anderson was the Big 8 player of the year in 1977 with the Tigers and he scored 1,289 points in his career.
Southwest Baptist coach Jeff Guiot is 126-50 (.716) in his sixth season with the Bearcats. He's led SBU to three MIAA regular season titles and last year his squad went to the NCAA South Central Region final. Prior to working at SBU, Guiot was the head coach at Bemidji State for three seasons. He led the Beavers to a 54-33 record and overall, he's 182-83 (.687) coaching four-year schools. Prior to the BSU job, he was the head coach at Neosho County Community College from 1993-94 to 1999-00. He's a graduate of Pittsburg State and he earned All-America honor with the Gorillas.
The Series
- UCM leads the all-time series against UNO, 5-2. Each team won its home game last year and the Mules won in Omaha this year.
- Prior to last year's MIAA meetings, the two hadn't met since the 1977-78 season.
- The series began in 1967-68 and the two teams have never met in an overtime game.
- UNO leads the all-time series against SBU, 2-1 after a win on the road this year and a split in last year's MIAA series.
Bridger Climbing Charts as Career Winds Down
Senior guard Andrew Bridger became UNO's 31st member of the 1,000 point club with his fifth point on February 3 against Northwest Missouri, a free throw at 18:52 of the second half. He became just the third player to score 1,000 points with at least 400 assists and 100 steals. Dean Thompson (1980-84) and Calvin Kapels (2002-06) are the two other Mavs in the 1,000 points/400 assists/100 steals club.
Bridger is now 25th at UNO with 1,030 points and he's 21 away from moving into the top 20. He's third in career assists with 457 and six away from catching Derrick Jackson for second. He's seventh in steals with 153 and one away from sixth. Bridger is also in the top 10 in 3-point field goals (sixth with 143).
Rebounds Well Distributed
Three different Mavericks are in the top 12 in rebounding in the MIAA, each averaging nearly six a game. Eugene Bain is first on the team and sixth in the MIAA with 7.0 rebounds a game. Matt Newman is second on the team and 11th in the league with 6.0 a game and Dion Curry is 12th in the conference and third on the team with 5.9 a game.
These three players have coupled big scoring nights with big rebound nights to give them at least three double-doubles each. Bain had 12 points and 11 rebounds at FHSU for his team-leading fifth double-double of the year. Newman and Curry each have three double-doubles.
Mavs Drop to Seventh in Latest NCAA Region Poll
The Mavericks remained in the NCAA South Central Region ranking released last Wednesday but they dropped a spot to No. 7 in the poll. Nebraska-Omaha is 15-6 overall and 13-6 against teams within the region. Three MIAA teams are ahead of the Mavs. Central Missouri is No. 2, Fort Hays State is No. 3 and Southwest Baptist is No. 5.
The South Central Region is made up of the MIAA, Lone Star and Heartland conferences. Eight teams from the region advance to the NCAA tournament. The winners of each conference tournament receives an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament and the remaining five teams are selected from the regional ranking at the end of the regular season.
Bridger Leads MIAA in Assists
Andrew Bridger has six double-figure assist games this year and he leads the MIAA with 6.3 assists a game. His assists average was 12th best in the nation entering the week. The Mavericks are 6-0 when Bridger gets 10 or more assists. Bridger is third in the MIAA with a 2.0 assist/turnover ratio and he's only had more turnovers than assists twice this year.
Bridger is third on the team averaging 11.8 points a game. He's leading the team and he's fourth in the MIAA with an .861 free throw percentage. He's made 30 of 32 (.938) free throws in the final five minutes of games this year.
Bullock Near The Top In Shooting, Scoring
Senior guard Tyler Bullock is shooting .498 from the field, ninth best in the MIAA. He's leading the team and he's tied for fourth in the conference with 17.8 points a game. Bullock has led UNO in scoring 15 times and he's reached double figures 19 times.
Bullock scored a team season-high 32 points on January 27 in an 82-80 loss to No. 3 Fort Hays State. He shot 52 percent (11 for 21) from the field and 89 percent (8 for 9) from the free throw line. He was UNO's first 30-point scorer since Michael Jenkins on February 4 in last year's win against Northwest Missouri State. The 32 points scored by by Bullock is the most for a Mav since Jenkins scored 35 on November 17, 2007 against Bemidji State.
Bullock has scored 20 or more points 10 times and six of those times have come on the road. He averages 19.7 points a game and shoots 48 percent in UNO's nine road contests. In UNO's road opener at Rockhurst he was 12 for 13 from the field for 28 points.
Bain Strong Off the Boards and Strong to the Hoop
Junior forward Eugene Bain leads the team with 7.0 rebounds a game and he's fifth with 8.5 points a game. His rebounding average is sixth in the MIAA. Bain has six double-figure rebound games this year and five double-doubles.
Bain scored 12 points with 11 rebounds against Fort Hays State for his team-leading fifth double-double. He leads the team with a .551 field goal percentage but he hasn't attempted enough shots to rank in the MIAA standings.
Curry Scoring Big Inside For UNO
Senior forward Dion Curry scored in double figures in 11 of the first 13 games this year and was averaging 13.0 points a game at that time. Since then he had a seven-game drought without breaking double figures before he had 10 Saturday against Truman.
Curry is fourth on the team with 10.8 points a game. He's third with 5.9 rebounds a game and he has four double-figure rebound games with three resulting in double-doubles. Curry went 8 for 12 from the field last week and he's second on the team shooting 55 percent for UNO.
Martin Continues Hot Shooting
Junior guard Jeff Martin enters the week with 70 3-pointers this year, the fifth highest single-season total at UNO. One more make will move him into a tie for fourth.
Martin is first in the MIAA with 3.0 made 3-pointers a game and he's fourth in the conference shooting .432 from long range. Overall, Martin is averaging 12.5 points a game and shooting 44 percent from the field and 43 percent from 3-point range.
Martin opened the year by reaching double figures in scoring in each of the first five games. He's on another streak right now with five straight games in double figures. Overall, he is second on the team lead with 18 double-figure scoring games.
78 percent of Martin's field goal attempts are 3-point attempts and he has more than twice as many 3-point makes than Andrew Bridger, second on the team from long range.
Newman Strong Off the Boards and Strong Off the Bench
Senior forward Matt Newman has started three straight games and he's averaging 9.7 points and 8.0 rebounds a game in those three games.
Overall, Newman is averaging 10.3 points and 8.8 rebounds in his four starts and off the bench, he averages 8.1 points and 5.4 rebounds.
In his first start this year, Newman had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds against Nebraska-Kearney on December 18. He followed that with another double-double, this time off the bench against Emporia State.
Harris Strong Off The Bench and Strong On the Road
Junior guard Torrian Harris is averaging 7.2 points a game and he's scored in double figures in four of the last seven games. During that stretch he's averaging 8.4 points a game and shooting 54 percent.
Harris has seven total double-figure scoring games this year and five of them have come in MIAA games on the road. Overall, he's averaging 9.4 points a game on the road and shooting 57 percent.
Coming Up
During the final week of the regular season the Mavericks will host Missouri Southern on Thursday, February 20, and then they'll play Saturday, February 25, at Pittsburg State.
The seedings and times for the MIAA postseason tournament will be announced after the final games on Saturday.
With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Mavericks will look to cement a finish near the top of the conference as they play a pair of MIAA games this week. Wednesday they will travel to Central Missouri, No. 3 in the nation and first in the conference, for a 7:30 p.m. game and Saturday they will return home to host Southwest Baptist, tied with UNO at third in the MIAA, in a 3:30 p.m. game.
Saturday's game will be Senior Day and Mavericks seniors Dion Curry, Andrew Bridger and Matt Newman will be honored prior to their game.
The Mavericks are on a three-game winning streak after a pair of wins last week that helped move them into a tie for third in the MIAA with Southwest Baptist. UNO (17-6, 10-6 MIAA) beat Missouri Western on the road on Wednesday and then defeated Truman at home on Saturday.
The Mules (22-1, 15-1 MIAA) continued their winning ways with a pair of victories on the road last week. They topped Washburn on Wednesday and then avenged their only loss of the year on Saturday with a win at Fort Hays State.
Southwest Baptist (19-7, 10-6 MIAA) lost twice last week to fall into a tie with UNO. The Bearcats lost at Emporia State on Wednesday and then at Washburn on Saturday.
Junior guard Tyler Bullock continues to lead the Mavs in scoring and he enters the week tied for fourth in the conference with 17.8 points a game. The Mavs will face the top two scorers this week as UCM's Sanijay Watts leads the league with 22.2 points a game and SBU's Matt Rogers is second with 21.8 a game.
Following The Mavericks
Wednesday's game at Central Missouri will be broadcast on 90.7 KVNO FM and online at omavs.com/KVNO. Saturday's game against Southwest Baptist will be broadcast on 90.7-2 KVNO HD and online at omavs.com/kvnoHD2. Fans can find a link to live video for both games at omavs.com/LiveVideo and fans can find free live stats at www.ucmo.edu/athletics for Wednesday' game and at omavs.com/LiveStats for Saturday's game.
Most games throughout the year will be available through 90.7 KVNO FM or 90.7-2 KVNO HD. Live stats and video will be available for the remainder of the home games and many away games. Fans can find links to all live video, audio and stats through omavs.com/mbb on the schedule page.
The Coaches
UNO head coach Derrin Hansen is in his fifth year at Nebraska-Omaha and overall as a head coach. He is 86-56 with a .606 winning percentage. His winning percentage ranks fourth all-time among UNO coaches with at least four years at the school. Hansen served as the assistant coach at UNO from 1998-2005 before taking over for the 2005-06 season.
UCM's Kim Anderson is 180-60 (.750) in his eighth season with the Mules. Last year his team won the MIAA tournament and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight with a South Central Region tournament title. Anderson served as an assistant commissioner of the Big 12 Conference and he was an assistant coach at Missouri and Baylor. Anderson was the Big 8 player of the year in 1977 with the Tigers and he scored 1,289 points in his career.
Southwest Baptist coach Jeff Guiot is 126-50 (.716) in his sixth season with the Bearcats. He's led SBU to three MIAA regular season titles and last year his squad went to the NCAA South Central Region final. Prior to working at SBU, Guiot was the head coach at Bemidji State for three seasons. He led the Beavers to a 54-33 record and overall, he's 182-83 (.687) coaching four-year schools. Prior to the BSU job, he was the head coach at Neosho County Community College from 1993-94 to 1999-00. He's a graduate of Pittsburg State and he earned All-America honor with the Gorillas.
The Series
- UCM leads the all-time series against UNO, 5-2. Each team won its home game last year and the Mules won in Omaha this year.
- Prior to last year's MIAA meetings, the two hadn't met since the 1977-78 season.
- The series began in 1967-68 and the two teams have never met in an overtime game.
- UNO leads the all-time series against SBU, 2-1 after a win on the road this year and a split in last year's MIAA series.
Bridger Climbing Charts as Career Winds Down
Senior guard Andrew Bridger became UNO's 31st member of the 1,000 point club with his fifth point on February 3 against Northwest Missouri, a free throw at 18:52 of the second half. He became just the third player to score 1,000 points with at least 400 assists and 100 steals. Dean Thompson (1980-84) and Calvin Kapels (2002-06) are the two other Mavs in the 1,000 points/400 assists/100 steals club.
Bridger is now 25th at UNO with 1,030 points and he's 21 away from moving into the top 20. He's third in career assists with 457 and six away from catching Derrick Jackson for second. He's seventh in steals with 153 and one away from sixth. Bridger is also in the top 10 in 3-point field goals (sixth with 143).
Rebounds Well Distributed
Three different Mavericks are in the top 12 in rebounding in the MIAA, each averaging nearly six a game. Eugene Bain is first on the team and sixth in the MIAA with 7.0 rebounds a game. Matt Newman is second on the team and 11th in the league with 6.0 a game and Dion Curry is 12th in the conference and third on the team with 5.9 a game.
These three players have coupled big scoring nights with big rebound nights to give them at least three double-doubles each. Bain had 12 points and 11 rebounds at FHSU for his team-leading fifth double-double of the year. Newman and Curry each have three double-doubles.
Mavs Drop to Seventh in Latest NCAA Region Poll
The Mavericks remained in the NCAA South Central Region ranking released last Wednesday but they dropped a spot to No. 7 in the poll. Nebraska-Omaha is 15-6 overall and 13-6 against teams within the region. Three MIAA teams are ahead of the Mavs. Central Missouri is No. 2, Fort Hays State is No. 3 and Southwest Baptist is No. 5.
The South Central Region is made up of the MIAA, Lone Star and Heartland conferences. Eight teams from the region advance to the NCAA tournament. The winners of each conference tournament receives an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament and the remaining five teams are selected from the regional ranking at the end of the regular season.
Bridger Leads MIAA in Assists
Andrew Bridger has six double-figure assist games this year and he leads the MIAA with 6.3 assists a game. His assists average was 12th best in the nation entering the week. The Mavericks are 6-0 when Bridger gets 10 or more assists. Bridger is third in the MIAA with a 2.0 assist/turnover ratio and he's only had more turnovers than assists twice this year.
Bridger is third on the team averaging 11.8 points a game. He's leading the team and he's fourth in the MIAA with an .861 free throw percentage. He's made 30 of 32 (.938) free throws in the final five minutes of games this year.
Bullock Near The Top In Shooting, Scoring
Senior guard Tyler Bullock is shooting .498 from the field, ninth best in the MIAA. He's leading the team and he's tied for fourth in the conference with 17.8 points a game. Bullock has led UNO in scoring 15 times and he's reached double figures 19 times.
Bullock scored a team season-high 32 points on January 27 in an 82-80 loss to No. 3 Fort Hays State. He shot 52 percent (11 for 21) from the field and 89 percent (8 for 9) from the free throw line. He was UNO's first 30-point scorer since Michael Jenkins on February 4 in last year's win against Northwest Missouri State. The 32 points scored by by Bullock is the most for a Mav since Jenkins scored 35 on November 17, 2007 against Bemidji State.
Bullock has scored 20 or more points 10 times and six of those times have come on the road. He averages 19.7 points a game and shoots 48 percent in UNO's nine road contests. In UNO's road opener at Rockhurst he was 12 for 13 from the field for 28 points.
Bain Strong Off the Boards and Strong to the Hoop
Junior forward Eugene Bain leads the team with 7.0 rebounds a game and he's fifth with 8.5 points a game. His rebounding average is sixth in the MIAA. Bain has six double-figure rebound games this year and five double-doubles.
Bain scored 12 points with 11 rebounds against Fort Hays State for his team-leading fifth double-double. He leads the team with a .551 field goal percentage but he hasn't attempted enough shots to rank in the MIAA standings.
Curry Scoring Big Inside For UNO
Senior forward Dion Curry scored in double figures in 11 of the first 13 games this year and was averaging 13.0 points a game at that time. Since then he had a seven-game drought without breaking double figures before he had 10 Saturday against Truman.
Curry is fourth on the team with 10.8 points a game. He's third with 5.9 rebounds a game and he has four double-figure rebound games with three resulting in double-doubles. Curry went 8 for 12 from the field last week and he's second on the team shooting 55 percent for UNO.
Martin Continues Hot Shooting
Junior guard Jeff Martin enters the week with 70 3-pointers this year, the fifth highest single-season total at UNO. One more make will move him into a tie for fourth.
Martin is first in the MIAA with 3.0 made 3-pointers a game and he's fourth in the conference shooting .432 from long range. Overall, Martin is averaging 12.5 points a game and shooting 44 percent from the field and 43 percent from 3-point range.
Martin opened the year by reaching double figures in scoring in each of the first five games. He's on another streak right now with five straight games in double figures. Overall, he is second on the team lead with 18 double-figure scoring games.
78 percent of Martin's field goal attempts are 3-point attempts and he has more than twice as many 3-point makes than Andrew Bridger, second on the team from long range.
Newman Strong Off the Boards and Strong Off the Bench
Senior forward Matt Newman has started three straight games and he's averaging 9.7 points and 8.0 rebounds a game in those three games.
Overall, Newman is averaging 10.3 points and 8.8 rebounds in his four starts and off the bench, he averages 8.1 points and 5.4 rebounds.
In his first start this year, Newman had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds against Nebraska-Kearney on December 18. He followed that with another double-double, this time off the bench against Emporia State.
Harris Strong Off The Bench and Strong On the Road
Junior guard Torrian Harris is averaging 7.2 points a game and he's scored in double figures in four of the last seven games. During that stretch he's averaging 8.4 points a game and shooting 54 percent.
Harris has seven total double-figure scoring games this year and five of them have come in MIAA games on the road. Overall, he's averaging 9.4 points a game on the road and shooting 57 percent.
Coming Up
During the final week of the regular season the Mavericks will host Missouri Southern on Thursday, February 20, and then they'll play Saturday, February 25, at Pittsburg State.
The seedings and times for the MIAA postseason tournament will be announced after the final games on Saturday.
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