Omaha Meets Oral Roberts for Tilt in Tulsa
Jan 20, 2017 | Men's Basketball
This Weekend
The Omaha men's basketball team hits the road for Oral Roberts this Saturday, Jan. 21. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. at the Mabee Center in Tulsa, Okla., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN3. Gary Sharp will have the radio call on 1290 KOIL, and fans can stream audio on their smartphones by downloading NRG Media's app “News Talk 1290 KOIL." Links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
•Omaha enters the weekend on a four-game win streak in place since Jan. 7.
•Five Omaha players average double-figure scoring: senior guard Marcus Tyus (16.3 ppg), junior forward Tre'Shawn Thurman (12.9 ppg), sophomore guard Zach Jackson (11.6 ppg), senior guard Tra-Deon Hollins (11.5 ppg) and sophomore forward Mitch Hahn (11.1 ppg).
•Tyus eclipsed 1,000 career points Jan. 4 vs. Fort Wayne, becoming the 37th Maverick to reach the milestone. Thurman is next in line, entering Wednesday's game with 980 career points.
•Tyus is averaging 22.0 points per game over seven games in league play, which ranks second in the conference. In non-conference, he had averaged 13.2 points per game.
•Hollins sits at 13th on the Summit League's all-time career steals list with 192.
•Omaha went 7-6 in non-conference play, marking its fourth straight season finishing .500 or better against non-conference opponents.
•Head coach Derrin Hansen has used three different lineups this year.
•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.
•Hollins and Thurman were both named Preseason All-Summit, with Hollins on the first team and Thurman on the second team.
•Omaha was a perfect 10-0 when shooting 50 percent or better last year. This year, the Mavericks are 3-1.
•Nine different Mavericks have scored in double figures this season.
•Thurman registered his team-leading fifth double-double of the year Jan. 4 vs. Fort Wayne. In games with a Thurman double-double over the last three seasons, Omaha is 6-5.
Scouting the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles
Oral Roberts enters the weekend with a record of 6-14 (2-4 Summit League) after a 90-80 win over South Dakota on Wednesday. Albert Owens scored a team-leading 21 points, while Aaron Anderson had a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Owens, ORU's leading scorer, averages 16.3 points per game, to rank seventh in the league. Kris Martin (14.6 ppg) and Jalen Bradley (13.9 ppg) also average double-figure scoring. The Golden Eagles were picked sixth in the preseason league poll.
Head coach Scott Sutton in his 18th season at ORU, carrying a career record of 326-239.
Saturday's game marks the seventh meeting all-time between Omaha and Oral Roberts, and the Golden Eagles lead the all-time series, 4-2. The two teams last met on Feb. 25, 2016 at Baxter Arena, with the Mavericks taking a 102-98 win. Omaha also won the last tilt in Tulsa on Jan. 23, 2016, triumphing 85-79.
Last Time Out: Tyus, Hollins Power Omaha Past Denver, 97-88
Senior guards Marcus Tyus and Tra-Deon Hollins scored a combined 54 points Wednesday night as Omaha extended its win streak to four games with a 97-88 win over Denver at Baxter Arena. Tyus was Omaha's leading scorer for the second straight game, finishing with a game-high 30 points on 9-of-16 shooting with four 3-pointers and an 8-of-9 showing at the free throw line. He added five rebounds, three assists and three steals, and the performance marked the Ramsey, Minn., native's fourth 30-point scoring output of the season.
Hollins finished with a season-high 24 points on 7-of-12 shooting while going 9-of-11 at the stripe and adding five points, four assists and two steals. His second steal of the night, which came late in the second half, cemented his place as Omaha's all-time career steals leader, as he now has 192 to eclipse the previous record of 191 set by former Maverick Calvin Kapels (2002-06).
Sophomore forward Mitch Hahn also shot 5-of-8 from the field with a trio of 3-pointers en route to 14 points, and sophomore guard Zach Jackson tallied 12 points on 3-of-5 shooting with a pair of threes.
Junior forward Tre'Shawn Thurman added seven points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal for the night.
Omaha shot 56.4 percent (31-of-55) from the floor, 60.0 percent (12-of-20) from long range and 79.3 percent (23-of-29) at the line. Denver finished at a Baxter Arena-record 63.6 percent (35-of-55) from the field, 50.0 percent (7-of-14) from deep and 64.7 percent (11-of-17) at the stripe. The Mavericks outboarded DU 27-25 and forced 13 Pioneer turnovers with the help of 10 steals.
Going Streaking
Omaha enters the weekend on a four-game win streak, its longest since winning six straight from Dec. 21, 2015 to Jan. 9, 2016.
The current win stretch has been spurred by 25.5 points per game from a red-hot Marcus Tyus, who has shot .515 (17-of-33) from long range and had three scoring efforts of 20+. Tyus started the streak with a 34-point showing at South Dakota State (Jan. 7) and added 13 points at IUPUI (Jan. 11), 25 points vs. Western Illinois (Jan. 14) and 30 vs. Denver (Jan. 18).
Tyus Joins 1,000 Point Club
He entered the 2016-17 season having not played a game since Feb. 7, 2015, but senior guard Marcus Tyus is now the most recent Omaha player to join the prestigious 1,000-Point Club. Over four active seasons (2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2016-17), he has amassed 1,112 career points to rank 23rd in school history. Tyus was the 37th UNO player to reach the 1,000 points milestone.
Omaha's active career leader for 3-pointers, Tyus moved up to 11th on the triples chart Jan. 14 vs. Western Illinois. His career total of 139 sits just behind former teammate CJ Carter (2011-15), who had 142.
History-Making Hollins
Senior guard Tra-Deon Hollins is Omaha's all-time leader for both career and single-season steals. He joined the top 20 for career steals on Feb. 6, 2016 and finally claimed the career mark in his 52nd game as a Maverick, vs. Denver on Jan. 18, by passing Calvin Kapels (2002-06), who had 191. Hollins now has a career total of 192 swipes as he continues to add to his record mark.
Hollins' 196 assists last season were the second-highest single-season mark in school history. He broke into the all-time top 20 for assists Nov. 19 vs. Rice and is now ninth with 325, having passed Devin Patterson (2013-16), who had 311. Hollins now needs three more to tie for eighth on the list, which would match That Mott (1988-92), who had 328.
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.
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 in a tie for fifth on the list with 83, which matches Levy Jones (2003-05). Thurman's next hurdle is Frank Cypress (1993-95), who had 94.
Thurman most recently inked his name in the Omaha record books for career rebounds, joining the top 20 in school history on Dec. 21 at Pitt. He currently sits at 13th on the list with 538 boards, having passed Glenn Moberg (1975-79), who had 531. Thurman's next target is Dennis Forrest (1973-77), who grabbed 557.
Thurman is also on the brink of becoming the second Maverick this season to join the 1,000 Point Club. With 980 points to his credit entering this weekend, he needs 20 more to become the 38th 1,000-point scorer in school history.
Stacking Up Nationally
As a team, Omaha ranks seventh nationally for free throws made (376), as well as ninth for free throws attempted (507), 23rd for total steals (160), 26th for scoring offense (82.6), 31st for 3-pointers made (180), 37th for steals per game (8.0) and 48th for 3-pointers per game (9.0).
Individually, senior guard Tra-Deon Hollins is the nation's leader for total steals (65), as well as third for steals per game (3.3), fourth for total assists (129) and 10th for assists per game (6.5).
League Leaders
As a team, Omaha is the Summit League's leader in free throws made per game (18.8) and free throw attempts per game (25.4). Individually, senior guard Tra-Deon Hollins leads the way in steals (65) and assists (129) for the second straight season, and junior forward Tre'Shawn Thurman is also first for defensive rebounds (124).
Feelin' Hahn, Hahn, Hahn
Sophomore forward Mitch Hahn is averaging 11.1 points per game this season, the most of any Maverick coming off the bench. Over the last four contests, the Fremont, Neb., native has averaged 17.0 points per game and shot .577 (15-of-26) from deep, and he has four consecutive double-figure scoring performances.
Hahn scored a season-high 24 points Jan. 14 vs. Western Illinois, helped by his 6-of-8 showing from 3-point range. He is second on the team for threes made this season with 37.
Hahn 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.
Road Warriors
Omaha has played 13 of its first 20 games on the road this season and traveled 20,763 miles so far. The Mavericks had a challenging start to Summit League play, with four of their first five games away.
Senior guard Marcus Tyus has led the charge for Omaha in road battles with an average of 13.8 points per game, while junior forward Tre'Shawn Thurman pulls down 8.5 rebounds and 13.2 points per game in those contests. On the road, Omaha is a .754 free throw shooting team, up from .724 at home. The Mavericks also average 38.8 rebounds per game in away games compared to 32.4 at Baxter Arena.
Marcus Making His Mark
Senior guard Marcus Tyus tallied his fourth 30-point game of the season Jan. 18 vs. Denver. Previously, Tyus had a career-high 37 points Dec. 10 vs. Montana State, which tied for the sixth-best scoring performance in school history with Calvin Kapels vs. St. Cloud State (Jan. 26, 2006) and Devin Patterson at Duquesne (March 16, 2016). Tyus also dropped 33 at USC on Nov. 13 and 34 at South Dakota State on Jan. 7.
Action Jackson
Sophomore guard Zach Jackson is second on the team for rebounding with 4.9 boards per game and third for scoring with 11.6 points per game this season. In Omaha's season opener Nov. 12 at UCSB, he scored 14 points and pulled down a career-best and eight rebounds and has matched the rebounding performance twice more -- Nov. 15 at Kansas State and Dec. 3 at Iowa. Jackson also put up a career-high 21 points against the Hawkeyes, and he has scored in double figures in all but five games this season.
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 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.
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 26.8 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 26.6 bench points per game.
Compared to the Opposition
Over its 20 contests this season, Omaha has:
•More or equal field goals made compared to its opponent seven times
•More or equal 3-point field goals made compared to its opponent 10 times
•More or equal free throws made compared to its opponent 14 times
•More or equal rebounds compared to its opponent eight times
•More or equal assists compared to its opponent eight times
•More or equal steals compared to its opponent 11 times
•Fewer or equal turnovers compared to its opponent eight times
•More or equal blocks compared to its opponent nine times
Omaha Overseas
Five former Mavericks have gone on to play professionally overseas in the last two years: forward Mike Rostampour (Slovakia), guards CJ Carter (Macedonia), Devin Patterson (Lithuania) and Tim Smallwood (Italy) and guard/forward Randy Reed II (Tunisia).
Carter and Rostampour, both 2014-15 graduates, won league championships with their respective teams last season. Carter's MZT Skopje Aerodrom team captured the Prva Liga title, while Rostampour's BC Prievidza squad won the Slovak Extraliga crown.
Three members of the 2015-16 graduating class have also signed professional contracts. Patterson joined the BC Šiauliai club, which plays in the Lithuanian Basketball League and Baltic Basketball League, while Reed signed with Jeunesse Sportive d'El Mensah in Tunisia's Ligue 1. Smallwood signed most recently and will join Manerbio GoodBook in Italy's Serie C Gold league this weekend.
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 143-179 over all teams on the regular-season slate.
Next Up
Omaha welcomes South Dakota State on Saturday, Jan. 28. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Baxter Arena, and Gary Sharp and John Karhoff will have the radio call on 1620 The Zone. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
