Omaha Set to Spar With Cal State Fullerton
Nov 29, 2016 | Men's Basketball
This Week
The Omaha men's basketball team visits Cal State Fullerton this Wednesday, Nov. 30 in the second stop of a four-game road swing. Tipoff is set for 9:30 p.m. CT at Titan Gym in Fullerton, Calif., and Gary Sharp will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2. Fans can stream audio on their smartphones by downloading NRG Media's app “1620 The Zone,” and links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
•Wednesday night's meeting at Cal State Fullerton marks Omaha's third game in the state of California this season.
•The Mavericks are 1-3 all-time against Big West teams -- 1-1 vs. UC Santa Barbara and 0-2 vs. former member Pacific.
•Omaha capped the 2015-16 season at 18-14 overall and 10-6 in the Summit League, finishing third in the conference standings. The Mavericks were picked fourth in the league's 2016-17 preseason poll last month.
•Senior guard Tra-Deon Hollins and junior forward Tre'Shawn Thurman were both named Preseason All-Summit, with Hollins on the first team and Thurman on the second team.
•Hollins was the nation's leader in both steals (127) and steals per game (3.9) as a junior.
•Senior guard Marcus Tyus has returned to the lineup after redshirting in 2015-16. Previously, Tyus had not played in a game since Feb. 7, 2015 at Denver, when he suffered a season-ending knee injury.
•UNO lost five letterwinners from 2015-16, including second-team All-Summit performers in guard Devin Patterson and forward Jake White.
•Omaha was a perfect 10-0 when shooting 50 percent or better last year. This year, the Mavericks are 1-1.
•Eight different Mavericks have had a double-figure scoring effort over the first six games this year.
•Thurman registered his second double-double of the year last Saturday at Eastern Michigan. In games with a Thurman double-double over the last three years, Omaha is 4-4.
Scouting the Cal State Fullerton Titans
Cal State Fullerton is 2-4 (0-0 Big West) on the year following a 76-67 loss to Alabama State last Saturday at the Global Sports Classic in Las Vegas. Tre' Coggins, who notched a team-high 19 points against ASU, averages a team-leading 20.2 points per game. Jackson Rowe (11.3) and Kyle Allman (10.7) also average in double figures.
Head coach Dedrique Taylor is in his fourth year with the Titans and carries a career record of 32-66.
Wednesday's meeting marks the first meeting between Omaha and CSUF. The two teams will meet a second time this season on Sunday, Dec. 18 at Baxter Arena.
Last Time Out: Mavericks Drop 94-77 Decision at Eastern Michigan
Turnovers proved costly for Omaha last Saturday, as the Mavericks fell 94-77 to Eastern Michigan at the EMU Convocation Center. Junior forward Tre'Shawn Thurman notched his second double-double of the year with team highs of 20 points and 10 rebounds, hitting 7-of-11 from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 at the line.
Sophomore guard Zach Jackson pitched in a career-high 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting, and senior guard Marcus Tyus rounded it out with 10 points alongside season bests of five rebounds and three assists and a career-high-tying three steals.
As a team, Omaha shot .500 (25-of-50) from the floor to Eastern Michigan's .557 (34-of-61), but a dismal .188 (3-of-16) from distance to EMU's .462 (6-of-13). The Eagles forced 24 Maverick turnovers with 16 steals and scored 36 points off miscues.
Man of Steal
In 2015-16, Tra-Deon Hollins led the nation in both total steals (127) and steals per game (3.97), well ahead of the second-ranked player, Hameed Ali of Texas A&M Corpus Christi (88; 2.67).
Hollins finished one steal shy of averaging a full 4.0 steals per game, and he was the first player in more than a decade to tally 3.5 steals per game while appearing in at least 25 contests.
If Hollins can surpass last year's steals output in his senior campaign, he can become just the 12th Division I player to average 4.0 steals or more for a season. The last time it happened was 2002, when Alabama A&M's Desmond Cambridge averaged a nation-leading 5.52 spg and Providence's John Linehan had 4.48 spg.
Hollins has long been regarded for his defensive prowess and is no stranger to pacing the nation in steals, as he led all players in the NJCAA with 4.1 swipes per game while playing at Central CC in 2013-14.
Tyus on Track
Though he entered the 2016-17 season having not played a game since Feb. 7, 2015, senior guard Marcus Tyus is the next Omaha player on track to join the prestigious 1,000-Point Club. Over four seasons (2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2016-17), he has amassed 853 career points. If he reaches 1,000, Tyus will be the 37th UNO player to achieve the feat.
Omaha's active career leader for 3-pointers, Tyus is 15th on the Mavericks' career triples chart. His career total of 102 sits behind Devin Patterson (2013-16), who had 116.
Tracking Tre'Shawn
After 30 blocked shots to his credit as a freshman and 35 more as a sophomore, junior forward Tre'Shawn Thurman made his way into the top 10 in school history with 65 career blocks. Midway into the 2016-17 campaign, the Omaha Central product now sits at seventh on the list with 71, and his next hurdle is Matt Hagerbaumer (2010-14), who had 79 for sixth.
Thurman's 35 blocks in 2015-16 were the 10th-highest single-season mark in school history, and the total ranked him third in the Summit League. His 21 blocks in league play were also the second-most of any league player last year.
Action Jackson
Sophomore guard Zach Jackson started 24 games in his freshman campaign in 2015-16, averaging 3.5 points and 2.1 rebounds per contest. A native of Wichita, Kan., he scored in double figures twice, first notching 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting vs. Saint Mary's, then 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting at Montana State.
Jackson was the first Omaha freshman to start a season opener since CJ Carter in 2011. Jackson also had the distinction of making the first basket in Baxter Arena history, nailing a jumper 52 seconds into last year's season opener vs. UC Santa Barbara.
In Omaha's 2016-17 season opener, Nov. 12 at UCSB, Jackson scored 14 points and pulled down a career-best and game-high eight rebounds. He matched the rebounding performance Nov. 15 at Kansas State, grabbing eight more. Jackson has now scored in double figures in all but one game this season -- including his latest with a career-high 18 points at Eastern Michigan on Nov. 26 -- and he is second on the team for scoring and rebounding with 12.0 points and 4.8 boards per game.
Feelin' Hahn, Hahn, Hahn
Sophomore forward Mitch Hahn is averaging 9.2 points per game, the most of any Maverick coming off the bench.
The Fremont, Neb., native had an impressive debut Nov. 12 at UC Santa Barbara, leading all scorers with 15 points in reserve with five 3-pointers. Hahn was the first Maverick to knock down at least five triples in a season opener since former Maverick Jeff Martin did so in 2009-10.
Hahn matched his season best of 15 points Nov. 19 vs. Rice, shooting 5-of-7 with two 3-pointers. He now holds the team lead for threes made this season with 11.
Looking to the Bench
Omaha's bench outscored Buena Vista's bench 60-28 on Nov. 22. The last time the Mavericks' bench enjoyed a scoring margin of 30 or more was March 1, 2014, when UNO outscored Fort Wayne's reserves 59-26.
The 2016-17 Mavericks are averaging 30.8 points per game by bench scorers, the highest of any Derrin Hansen-coached team. The next highest average is courtesy of the 2013-14 squad, which had 24.9 bench points per game.
Stacking Up Nationally
Senior guard Tra-Deon Hollins ranks 11th nationally in steals per game (2.83), assists per game (6.8) and total steals (17) and 13th in total assists (41).
League Leaders
As a team, Omaha is the Summit League's leader in free throws made per game (18.5) and free throws attempted per game (24.5).
Individually, senior guard Tra-Deon Hollins leads the league in both assists (41) and steals (17) for the second straight year.
History-Making Hollins
Junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins is Omaha's all-time single-season steals leader, and he joined the top 20 for career steals on Feb. 6, 2016. Hollins moved up to 10th in school history Nov. 19 vs. Rice and now has a career total of 144 swipes.
Hollins' 196 assists last season were also the second-highest single-season mark in school history. He broke into the all-time top 20 for assists Nov. 19 vs. Rice and has since moved up to 17th with 237 helpers.
Hollins had one of his finest performances of the 2015-16 season vs. Fort Wayne on Jan. 16, 2016, finishing with 23 points, a season-high 13 assists and a season-best eight steals alongside five rebounds. He claimed Omaha's single-season steals record (then 81) in the game, clearing the previous mark of 80 set by Vernon Manning (1981-82). Hollins was also the first Omaha player in six years to record a double-double off points and assists.
Compared to the Opposition
Over the first six contests of the 2016-17 season, Omaha has:
•More or equal 3-point field goals made compared to its opponent three times
•More or equal free throws made compared to its opponent four times
•More rebounds compared to its opponent two times
•More or equal steals compared to its opponent two times
•Fewer or equal turnovers compared to its opponent three times
•More or equal blocks compared to its opponent three times
2016-17 Slate = Tough Test for Mavericks
Omaha's 2016-17 schedule includes 29 games, and the team will play in 13 states against schools from nine other Division I conferences. The schedule has two opponents from both the Big 12 and Big West and one each from the Pac-12, Big Ten, ACC, Conference USA, MAC, Big Sky and WAC. Five opponents – USC, Iowa, Iowa State, Pitt and defending Summit League champion South Dakota State – played in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
The 2016-17 season also features four opponents the Mavericks have never faced: USC, Rice, Cal State Fullerton and Pitt. They now hold a combined all-time record of 134-174 over all teams on the regular-season slate.
Next Up
Omaha returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 3, visiting Iowa. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa, and the game will be broadcast live on BTN Plus. Gary Sharp will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2, and links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
The Omaha men's basketball team visits Cal State Fullerton this Wednesday, Nov. 30 in the second stop of a four-game road swing. Tipoff is set for 9:30 p.m. CT at Titan Gym in Fullerton, Calif., and Gary Sharp will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2. Fans can stream audio on their smartphones by downloading NRG Media's app “1620 The Zone,” and links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
•Wednesday night's meeting at Cal State Fullerton marks Omaha's third game in the state of California this season.
•The Mavericks are 1-3 all-time against Big West teams -- 1-1 vs. UC Santa Barbara and 0-2 vs. former member Pacific.
•Omaha capped the 2015-16 season at 18-14 overall and 10-6 in the Summit League, finishing third in the conference standings. The Mavericks were picked fourth in the league's 2016-17 preseason poll last month.
•Senior guard Tra-Deon Hollins and junior forward Tre'Shawn Thurman were both named Preseason All-Summit, with Hollins on the first team and Thurman on the second team.
•Hollins was the nation's leader in both steals (127) and steals per game (3.9) as a junior.
•Senior guard Marcus Tyus has returned to the lineup after redshirting in 2015-16. Previously, Tyus had not played in a game since Feb. 7, 2015 at Denver, when he suffered a season-ending knee injury.
•UNO lost five letterwinners from 2015-16, including second-team All-Summit performers in guard Devin Patterson and forward Jake White.
•Omaha was a perfect 10-0 when shooting 50 percent or better last year. This year, the Mavericks are 1-1.
•Eight different Mavericks have had a double-figure scoring effort over the first six games this year.
•Thurman registered his second double-double of the year last Saturday at Eastern Michigan. In games with a Thurman double-double over the last three years, Omaha is 4-4.
Scouting the Cal State Fullerton Titans
Cal State Fullerton is 2-4 (0-0 Big West) on the year following a 76-67 loss to Alabama State last Saturday at the Global Sports Classic in Las Vegas. Tre' Coggins, who notched a team-high 19 points against ASU, averages a team-leading 20.2 points per game. Jackson Rowe (11.3) and Kyle Allman (10.7) also average in double figures.
Head coach Dedrique Taylor is in his fourth year with the Titans and carries a career record of 32-66.
Wednesday's meeting marks the first meeting between Omaha and CSUF. The two teams will meet a second time this season on Sunday, Dec. 18 at Baxter Arena.
Last Time Out: Mavericks Drop 94-77 Decision at Eastern Michigan
Turnovers proved costly for Omaha last Saturday, as the Mavericks fell 94-77 to Eastern Michigan at the EMU Convocation Center. Junior forward Tre'Shawn Thurman notched his second double-double of the year with team highs of 20 points and 10 rebounds, hitting 7-of-11 from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 at the line.
Sophomore guard Zach Jackson pitched in a career-high 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting, and senior guard Marcus Tyus rounded it out with 10 points alongside season bests of five rebounds and three assists and a career-high-tying three steals.
As a team, Omaha shot .500 (25-of-50) from the floor to Eastern Michigan's .557 (34-of-61), but a dismal .188 (3-of-16) from distance to EMU's .462 (6-of-13). The Eagles forced 24 Maverick turnovers with 16 steals and scored 36 points off miscues.
Man of Steal
In 2015-16, Tra-Deon Hollins led the nation in both total steals (127) and steals per game (3.97), well ahead of the second-ranked player, Hameed Ali of Texas A&M Corpus Christi (88; 2.67).
Hollins finished one steal shy of averaging a full 4.0 steals per game, and he was the first player in more than a decade to tally 3.5 steals per game while appearing in at least 25 contests.
If Hollins can surpass last year's steals output in his senior campaign, he can become just the 12th Division I player to average 4.0 steals or more for a season. The last time it happened was 2002, when Alabama A&M's Desmond Cambridge averaged a nation-leading 5.52 spg and Providence's John Linehan had 4.48 spg.
Hollins has long been regarded for his defensive prowess and is no stranger to pacing the nation in steals, as he led all players in the NJCAA with 4.1 swipes per game while playing at Central CC in 2013-14.
Tyus on Track
Though he entered the 2016-17 season having not played a game since Feb. 7, 2015, senior guard Marcus Tyus is the next Omaha player on track to join the prestigious 1,000-Point Club. Over four seasons (2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2016-17), he has amassed 853 career points. If he reaches 1,000, Tyus will be the 37th UNO player to achieve the feat.
Omaha's active career leader for 3-pointers, Tyus is 15th on the Mavericks' career triples chart. His career total of 102 sits behind Devin Patterson (2013-16), who had 116.
Tracking Tre'Shawn
After 30 blocked shots to his credit as a freshman and 35 more as a sophomore, junior forward Tre'Shawn Thurman made his way into the top 10 in school history with 65 career blocks. Midway into the 2016-17 campaign, the Omaha Central product now sits at seventh on the list with 71, and his next hurdle is Matt Hagerbaumer (2010-14), who had 79 for sixth.
Thurman's 35 blocks in 2015-16 were the 10th-highest single-season mark in school history, and the total ranked him third in the Summit League. His 21 blocks in league play were also the second-most of any league player last year.
Action Jackson
Sophomore guard Zach Jackson started 24 games in his freshman campaign in 2015-16, averaging 3.5 points and 2.1 rebounds per contest. A native of Wichita, Kan., he scored in double figures twice, first notching 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting vs. Saint Mary's, then 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting at Montana State.
Jackson was the first Omaha freshman to start a season opener since CJ Carter in 2011. Jackson also had the distinction of making the first basket in Baxter Arena history, nailing a jumper 52 seconds into last year's season opener vs. UC Santa Barbara.
In Omaha's 2016-17 season opener, Nov. 12 at UCSB, Jackson scored 14 points and pulled down a career-best and game-high eight rebounds. He matched the rebounding performance Nov. 15 at Kansas State, grabbing eight more. Jackson has now scored in double figures in all but one game this season -- including his latest with a career-high 18 points at Eastern Michigan on Nov. 26 -- and he is second on the team for scoring and rebounding with 12.0 points and 4.8 boards per game.
Feelin' Hahn, Hahn, Hahn
Sophomore forward Mitch Hahn is averaging 9.2 points per game, the most of any Maverick coming off the bench.
The Fremont, Neb., native had an impressive debut Nov. 12 at UC Santa Barbara, leading all scorers with 15 points in reserve with five 3-pointers. Hahn was the first Maverick to knock down at least five triples in a season opener since former Maverick Jeff Martin did so in 2009-10.
Hahn matched his season best of 15 points Nov. 19 vs. Rice, shooting 5-of-7 with two 3-pointers. He now holds the team lead for threes made this season with 11.
Looking to the Bench
Omaha's bench outscored Buena Vista's bench 60-28 on Nov. 22. The last time the Mavericks' bench enjoyed a scoring margin of 30 or more was March 1, 2014, when UNO outscored Fort Wayne's reserves 59-26.
The 2016-17 Mavericks are averaging 30.8 points per game by bench scorers, the highest of any Derrin Hansen-coached team. The next highest average is courtesy of the 2013-14 squad, which had 24.9 bench points per game.
Stacking Up Nationally
Senior guard Tra-Deon Hollins ranks 11th nationally in steals per game (2.83), assists per game (6.8) and total steals (17) and 13th in total assists (41).
League Leaders
As a team, Omaha is the Summit League's leader in free throws made per game (18.5) and free throws attempted per game (24.5).
Individually, senior guard Tra-Deon Hollins leads the league in both assists (41) and steals (17) for the second straight year.
History-Making Hollins
Junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins is Omaha's all-time single-season steals leader, and he joined the top 20 for career steals on Feb. 6, 2016. Hollins moved up to 10th in school history Nov. 19 vs. Rice and now has a career total of 144 swipes.
Hollins' 196 assists last season were also the second-highest single-season mark in school history. He broke into the all-time top 20 for assists Nov. 19 vs. Rice and has since moved up to 17th with 237 helpers.
Hollins had one of his finest performances of the 2015-16 season vs. Fort Wayne on Jan. 16, 2016, finishing with 23 points, a season-high 13 assists and a season-best eight steals alongside five rebounds. He claimed Omaha's single-season steals record (then 81) in the game, clearing the previous mark of 80 set by Vernon Manning (1981-82). Hollins was also the first Omaha player in six years to record a double-double off points and assists.
Compared to the Opposition
Over the first six contests of the 2016-17 season, Omaha has:
•More or equal 3-point field goals made compared to its opponent three times
•More or equal free throws made compared to its opponent four times
•More rebounds compared to its opponent two times
•More or equal steals compared to its opponent two times
•Fewer or equal turnovers compared to its opponent three times
•More or equal blocks compared to its opponent three times
2016-17 Slate = Tough Test for Mavericks
Omaha's 2016-17 schedule includes 29 games, and the team will play in 13 states against schools from nine other Division I conferences. The schedule has two opponents from both the Big 12 and Big West and one each from the Pac-12, Big Ten, ACC, Conference USA, MAC, Big Sky and WAC. Five opponents – USC, Iowa, Iowa State, Pitt and defending Summit League champion South Dakota State – played in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
The 2016-17 season also features four opponents the Mavericks have never faced: USC, Rice, Cal State Fullerton and Pitt. They now hold a combined all-time record of 134-174 over all teams on the regular-season slate.
Next Up
Omaha returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 3, visiting Iowa. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa, and the game will be broadcast live on BTN Plus. Gary Sharp will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2, and links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
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