Sunday, November 12
Norman, Okla.
2 p.m.
Omaha
at
Oklahoma
Junior Zach Jackson and the Mavericks visit Oklahoma on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Photo by: Mark Kuhlmann
Mavericks Set for Sunday Tilt With Sooners
Nov 11, 2017 | Men's Basketball
This Weekend
The Omaha men's basketball team continues its opening road trip this Sunday, Nov. 12, with tipoff set for 2 p.m. at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla. The game will be televised live on Fox Sports Oklahoma and Fox College Sports Central, and Gary Sharp will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
• Sunday's game at Oklahoma marks the fifth time Omaha will face a team from the Big 12 in the Division I era. The Mavericks previously squared off with K-State in 2014-15 and 2016-17, Iowa State in 2012-13 and 2016-17 and Texas Tech in 2012-13.
• Omaha came a shot shy of its first NCAA Tournament bid in the Division I era last season, falling 79-77 to South Dakota State in the Summit League Championship. The Mavericks were 18-14 (9-7 Summit League) en route to their second straight third-place finish in the regular-season standings.
• The Mavericks return a pair of double-figure scorers in juniors Mitch Hahn (11.7 ppg) and Zach Jackson (10.8).
• Omaha returns seven letterwinners from its 2016-17 squad, including a Summit League All-Newcomer pick in Hahn.
• The current Maverick roster totes a combined 73 career starts.
• Head coach Derrin Hansen enters his 13th year at Omaha in 2017-18 and needs just three wins to reach 200 career victories.
• Omaha ranked 13th nationally with 83.9 points per game last season.
• Omaha had at least one scorer tally 20+ points in 16 of the last 17 games last year.
• Omaha went 7-6 in non-conference play in 2016-17, marking its fourth straight season finishing .500 or better against non-conference opponents.
Scouting the Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma went 11-20 (5-13 Big 12) last season to finish ninth in the Big 12. Freshman guard Trae Young, a McDonald's All-American and five-star recruit, was tabbed an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection entering his inaugural campaign. Head coach Lon Kruger enters his seventh season at OU with a record of 122-77 and a career record of 601-381 over 22 years.
Sunday's game marks the first meeting all-time between Omaha and Oklahoma.
Last Time Out: Montana State Spoils Mavericks' Season Opener, 89-80 in OT
Omaha dropped its season opener Friday night, falling 89-80 in overtime to Montana State at Four Seasons Arena. Senior Daniel Norl exploded for a career-high 29 points in his first career start, shooting 13-of-18 from the floor while adding nine rebounds and two steals.
Junior Mitch Hahn had his second career double-double on 12 points and 10 rebounds along with two assists and a steal. Classmate Zach Jackson matched him with 12 more points for the night, and senior Lamar Wofford-Humphrey narrowly missed a double-double of his own with 10 points and nine boards.
Omaha shot 42.93 percent (30-of-71) from the field but a dismal 10.0 percent (2-of-20) from long range, while Montana State finished at 43.8 percent (32-of-73) from the floor and 29.6 percent (8-of-27) from three. The Mavericks had the edge on the glass, 46-42.
Meyer's Return to Montana
Billings, Mont., native and Maverick senior Daniel Meyer made his second collegiate appearance in his home state Friday night with Omaha's season opener at Montana State. Meyer and the Mavericks previously visited MSU on Dec. 6, 2015, when they won 100-97 on a buzzer beater in Bozeman.
Meyer has been mainstay for Omaha over the last few seasons, appearing in every game in 2015-16 and 2016-17. As a junior, he made 11 starts and finished the year with 2.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. He had one of his best performances in Summit League play, pulling down a season-high nine rebounds with two blocks vs. Oral Roberts.
Meyer is Omaha's active career leader for offensive rebounds (80), blocks (26) and games played (86).
Road Warriors
Omaha plays 18 of its 30 games on the road in 2017-18, including seven straight to open the season while its home facility, Baxter Arena, plays host to the U.S. Olympic Curling Trials. The Mavericks begin with three games in one continuous seven-day trip at Montana State (Nov. 10), Oklahoma (Nov. 12) and New Mexico (Nov. 14). Following a short return home, they set out again for Louisville (Nov. 17), and after another short trip back to Omaha, visit TCU (Nov. 20). A Thanksgiving trip to Niceville, Fla., caps it off with two games in the Emerald Coast Classic, Nov. 24-25.
Final Four Foes
Omaha faces three teams with NCAA Final Four appearances on their resumes in the last decade. Oklahoma last made the Final Four in 2016, while Kansas went in 2012 and 2008, and Louisville earned a trip in 2012.
Six of the Mavericks' 2017-18 opponents have earned at least one NCAA Tournament berth over the last four years: Kansas (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017), Louisville (2014, 2015, 2017), Oklahoma (2014, 2015, 2016), North Dakota State (2014, 2015), South Dakota State (2016, 2017) and New Mexico (2014).
Feelin' Hahn, Hahn, Hahn
Junior Mitch Hahn averaged 11.6 points per game in his debut season in 2016-17, appearing in 31 games before earning his first start in the Summit League Championship Game. For the year, Hahn had 20 double-figure scoring games, including two with 20 or more points, and canned at least five 3-pointers three times. The Fremont, Neb., native ranked sixth in the league for free throw percentage (.838) and 10th for 3-point percentage (.420) and blocks (22), and he capped the year with Summit League All-Newcomer Team recognition.
Hahn scored in double figures in seven straight games from Jan. 7 to Feb. 1 and had 12 games of 15+ points last year. In games when he scores in double figures, Omaha is 12-8.
Action Jackson
Junior Zach Jackson was third on the team for rebounding with 4.4 boards per game and fifth for scoring with 10.8 points per game last season, his second as a starter. The Wichita, Kan., native scored in double figures in 21 games, including two 20-point performances. Jackson was instrumental in Omaha's road upset of Iowa, posting a career-high 21 points with a career-high-tying eight rebounds, a season-best three assists and a steal. He shot 6-of-9 in the performance with three 3-pointers and a 6-for-6 effort at the line.
Jackson strung together six straight double-figure scoring games from Nov. 19 to Dec. 3, 2016, then had another six-game stretch from Feb. 11 to March 6, 2017.
Jackson is Omaha's active career leader for scoring (457), field goals made (144), free throws made (117), total rebounds (204), defensive boards (137), assists (57), steals (48), games started (56) and minutes played (1,373).
What Makes Up the Mavericks
• UNO returns 43 percent of its offensive production from last season, as this year's returners accounted for 1,153 of the Mavericks' 2,685 points. The returners are also credited for 40 percent (464) of last season's 1,149 rebounds.
• Juniors Mitch Hahn and Zach Jackson are UNO's leading returning scorers after averaging 11.7 and 10.8 points per game, respectively.
• Seniors Renard Suggs and Lamar Wofford-Humphrey both tote previous Division I experience. Suggs last played in 2015-16 at Washington State, then sat out the 2016-17 season in accordance with NCAA transfer rules. Wofford-Humphrey is a graduate transfer after spending the last two years at Eastern Michigan.
• Jackson played the most minutes in 2016-17 of any returner on this year's roster, averaging 27.6 minutes per game.
• UNO's 2017-18 roster has five seniors, three juniors, two sophomores and six freshmen.
• The Mavericks hail from eight different states. Six are from Nebraska, three are from Kansas and two are Minnesota natives, while Florida, Illinois, Missouri, Montana and Tennessee are all represented once on the roster.
Fresh Faces
Omaha's roster features eight newcomers this season, including six freshmen beginning their collegiate careers: a trio of guards in Ayo Akinwole (Papillion, Neb.), Hayden Miller (Nebraska City, Neb.) and Zach Thornnhill (Lenexa, Kan.) and a trio of forwards in Matt Pile (Goddard, Kan.), Evan Tricker (Naples, Fla.) and Wanjang Tut (Omaha, Neb.).
Akinwole was a two-time All-Nebraska selection at Papillion-La Vista High School and honorary captain of the Omaha World Herald and Lincoln Journal Star all-state teams. He averaged 17.2 points and 5.2 assists per game as a senior. Miller was a two-time Class D1 first-team all-state honoree at Lourdes Central Catholic High School and captain of the D1 all-state squad two straight years while helping his team to back-to-back state championships as a junior and senior. Thornhill was a two-time all-state pick at St. James Academy, where he helped his team advance to a sub-state final. He averaged 20.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
Pile was a two-time first-team all-state selection at Eisenhower High School and was named Mr. Kansas Basketball by the KBCA as a senior. He averaged 18.6 points, 14.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3.9 blocks per game.
Tricker joins the Mavericks after a year at DME Academy, where he averaged 14.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. As a prep player at First Baptist Academy, he averaged 10.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game, and he also played for Montverde Academy in the summer of his sophomore year in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Tut comes to Omaha after a year at The Skill Factory Prep. He was previously a four-year letterwinner at Omaha Burke High School, where he was an honorable mention all-state pick and averaged 12.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 1.4 assists per game. Tut also played for the South Sudan National Team.
Robinson's Ready
Sophomore KJ Robinson appeared in all but one game last season, averaging 2.5 points and 0.7 assists over 8.8 minutes per contest off the bench. He shot .419 (13-of-31) from long range and .917 (11-of-12) at the stripe.
A native of Blue Springs, Mo., Robinson had his first career double-figure scoring game with a season-high 13 points vs. Buena Vista, shooting 4-of-6 with three 3-pointers, two rebounds, a season-high three assists and a steal. He matched his three-assist effort at Eastern Michigan, then added a season-high three rebounds with six points and a pair of helpers at Cal State Fullerton. Robinson also standout efforts at Pitt (eight points) and South Dakota State (nine points, three assists, one steal).
Norl Prepped for Senior Season
Senior Daniel Norl stands ready to take on his senior season in 2017-18. He made his Maverick debut in 2016-17, appearing in 29 contests and averaging 5.6 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 15.6 minutes per game.
Norl had eight double-figure scoring performances as a junior, including a season-high 14 points with four 3-pointers in Omaha's quarterfinal win over Fort Wayne in the Summit League Tournament. He accounted for 10 performances with at least two 3-pointers.
2017-18 Slate = Tough Test for Mavericks
Omaha's 2017-18 schedule includes 30 games, and the team will play in 16 states against schools from 11 other Division I conferences. The schedule has three opponents from the Big 12 and one each from the ACC, Pac-12, Mountain West, MVC, Big West, Sun Belt, Big Sky, OVC, SWAC and MEAC. Three opponents – Kansas, Louisville and defending Summit League champion South Dakota State – played in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, with the Jayhawks reaching the Elite Eight.
Up Next
Following a short turnaround, Omaha visits New Mexico on Tuesday, Nov. 14, with tipoff set for 8 p.m. CT in Albuquerque, N.M. 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 continues its opening road trip this Sunday, Nov. 12, with tipoff set for 2 p.m. at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla. The game will be televised live on Fox Sports Oklahoma and Fox College Sports Central, and Gary Sharp will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
• Sunday's game at Oklahoma marks the fifth time Omaha will face a team from the Big 12 in the Division I era. The Mavericks previously squared off with K-State in 2014-15 and 2016-17, Iowa State in 2012-13 and 2016-17 and Texas Tech in 2012-13.
• Omaha came a shot shy of its first NCAA Tournament bid in the Division I era last season, falling 79-77 to South Dakota State in the Summit League Championship. The Mavericks were 18-14 (9-7 Summit League) en route to their second straight third-place finish in the regular-season standings.
• The Mavericks return a pair of double-figure scorers in juniors Mitch Hahn (11.7 ppg) and Zach Jackson (10.8).
• Omaha returns seven letterwinners from its 2016-17 squad, including a Summit League All-Newcomer pick in Hahn.
• The current Maverick roster totes a combined 73 career starts.
• Head coach Derrin Hansen enters his 13th year at Omaha in 2017-18 and needs just three wins to reach 200 career victories.
• Omaha ranked 13th nationally with 83.9 points per game last season.
• Omaha had at least one scorer tally 20+ points in 16 of the last 17 games last year.
• Omaha went 7-6 in non-conference play in 2016-17, marking its fourth straight season finishing .500 or better against non-conference opponents.
Scouting the Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma went 11-20 (5-13 Big 12) last season to finish ninth in the Big 12. Freshman guard Trae Young, a McDonald's All-American and five-star recruit, was tabbed an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection entering his inaugural campaign. Head coach Lon Kruger enters his seventh season at OU with a record of 122-77 and a career record of 601-381 over 22 years.
Sunday's game marks the first meeting all-time between Omaha and Oklahoma.
Last Time Out: Montana State Spoils Mavericks' Season Opener, 89-80 in OT
Omaha dropped its season opener Friday night, falling 89-80 in overtime to Montana State at Four Seasons Arena. Senior Daniel Norl exploded for a career-high 29 points in his first career start, shooting 13-of-18 from the floor while adding nine rebounds and two steals.
Junior Mitch Hahn had his second career double-double on 12 points and 10 rebounds along with two assists and a steal. Classmate Zach Jackson matched him with 12 more points for the night, and senior Lamar Wofford-Humphrey narrowly missed a double-double of his own with 10 points and nine boards.
Omaha shot 42.93 percent (30-of-71) from the field but a dismal 10.0 percent (2-of-20) from long range, while Montana State finished at 43.8 percent (32-of-73) from the floor and 29.6 percent (8-of-27) from three. The Mavericks had the edge on the glass, 46-42.
Meyer's Return to Montana
Billings, Mont., native and Maverick senior Daniel Meyer made his second collegiate appearance in his home state Friday night with Omaha's season opener at Montana State. Meyer and the Mavericks previously visited MSU on Dec. 6, 2015, when they won 100-97 on a buzzer beater in Bozeman.
Meyer has been mainstay for Omaha over the last few seasons, appearing in every game in 2015-16 and 2016-17. As a junior, he made 11 starts and finished the year with 2.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. He had one of his best performances in Summit League play, pulling down a season-high nine rebounds with two blocks vs. Oral Roberts.
Meyer is Omaha's active career leader for offensive rebounds (80), blocks (26) and games played (86).
Road Warriors
Omaha plays 18 of its 30 games on the road in 2017-18, including seven straight to open the season while its home facility, Baxter Arena, plays host to the U.S. Olympic Curling Trials. The Mavericks begin with three games in one continuous seven-day trip at Montana State (Nov. 10), Oklahoma (Nov. 12) and New Mexico (Nov. 14). Following a short return home, they set out again for Louisville (Nov. 17), and after another short trip back to Omaha, visit TCU (Nov. 20). A Thanksgiving trip to Niceville, Fla., caps it off with two games in the Emerald Coast Classic, Nov. 24-25.
Final Four Foes
Omaha faces three teams with NCAA Final Four appearances on their resumes in the last decade. Oklahoma last made the Final Four in 2016, while Kansas went in 2012 and 2008, and Louisville earned a trip in 2012.
Six of the Mavericks' 2017-18 opponents have earned at least one NCAA Tournament berth over the last four years: Kansas (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017), Louisville (2014, 2015, 2017), Oklahoma (2014, 2015, 2016), North Dakota State (2014, 2015), South Dakota State (2016, 2017) and New Mexico (2014).
Feelin' Hahn, Hahn, Hahn
Junior Mitch Hahn averaged 11.6 points per game in his debut season in 2016-17, appearing in 31 games before earning his first start in the Summit League Championship Game. For the year, Hahn had 20 double-figure scoring games, including two with 20 or more points, and canned at least five 3-pointers three times. The Fremont, Neb., native ranked sixth in the league for free throw percentage (.838) and 10th for 3-point percentage (.420) and blocks (22), and he capped the year with Summit League All-Newcomer Team recognition.
Hahn scored in double figures in seven straight games from Jan. 7 to Feb. 1 and had 12 games of 15+ points last year. In games when he scores in double figures, Omaha is 12-8.
Action Jackson
Junior Zach Jackson was third on the team for rebounding with 4.4 boards per game and fifth for scoring with 10.8 points per game last season, his second as a starter. The Wichita, Kan., native scored in double figures in 21 games, including two 20-point performances. Jackson was instrumental in Omaha's road upset of Iowa, posting a career-high 21 points with a career-high-tying eight rebounds, a season-best three assists and a steal. He shot 6-of-9 in the performance with three 3-pointers and a 6-for-6 effort at the line.
Jackson strung together six straight double-figure scoring games from Nov. 19 to Dec. 3, 2016, then had another six-game stretch from Feb. 11 to March 6, 2017.
Jackson is Omaha's active career leader for scoring (457), field goals made (144), free throws made (117), total rebounds (204), defensive boards (137), assists (57), steals (48), games started (56) and minutes played (1,373).
What Makes Up the Mavericks
• UNO returns 43 percent of its offensive production from last season, as this year's returners accounted for 1,153 of the Mavericks' 2,685 points. The returners are also credited for 40 percent (464) of last season's 1,149 rebounds.
• Juniors Mitch Hahn and Zach Jackson are UNO's leading returning scorers after averaging 11.7 and 10.8 points per game, respectively.
• Seniors Renard Suggs and Lamar Wofford-Humphrey both tote previous Division I experience. Suggs last played in 2015-16 at Washington State, then sat out the 2016-17 season in accordance with NCAA transfer rules. Wofford-Humphrey is a graduate transfer after spending the last two years at Eastern Michigan.
• Jackson played the most minutes in 2016-17 of any returner on this year's roster, averaging 27.6 minutes per game.
• UNO's 2017-18 roster has five seniors, three juniors, two sophomores and six freshmen.
• The Mavericks hail from eight different states. Six are from Nebraska, three are from Kansas and two are Minnesota natives, while Florida, Illinois, Missouri, Montana and Tennessee are all represented once on the roster.
Fresh Faces
Omaha's roster features eight newcomers this season, including six freshmen beginning their collegiate careers: a trio of guards in Ayo Akinwole (Papillion, Neb.), Hayden Miller (Nebraska City, Neb.) and Zach Thornnhill (Lenexa, Kan.) and a trio of forwards in Matt Pile (Goddard, Kan.), Evan Tricker (Naples, Fla.) and Wanjang Tut (Omaha, Neb.).
Akinwole was a two-time All-Nebraska selection at Papillion-La Vista High School and honorary captain of the Omaha World Herald and Lincoln Journal Star all-state teams. He averaged 17.2 points and 5.2 assists per game as a senior. Miller was a two-time Class D1 first-team all-state honoree at Lourdes Central Catholic High School and captain of the D1 all-state squad two straight years while helping his team to back-to-back state championships as a junior and senior. Thornhill was a two-time all-state pick at St. James Academy, where he helped his team advance to a sub-state final. He averaged 20.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
Pile was a two-time first-team all-state selection at Eisenhower High School and was named Mr. Kansas Basketball by the KBCA as a senior. He averaged 18.6 points, 14.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3.9 blocks per game.
Tricker joins the Mavericks after a year at DME Academy, where he averaged 14.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. As a prep player at First Baptist Academy, he averaged 10.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game, and he also played for Montverde Academy in the summer of his sophomore year in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Tut comes to Omaha after a year at The Skill Factory Prep. He was previously a four-year letterwinner at Omaha Burke High School, where he was an honorable mention all-state pick and averaged 12.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 1.4 assists per game. Tut also played for the South Sudan National Team.
Robinson's Ready
Sophomore KJ Robinson appeared in all but one game last season, averaging 2.5 points and 0.7 assists over 8.8 minutes per contest off the bench. He shot .419 (13-of-31) from long range and .917 (11-of-12) at the stripe.
A native of Blue Springs, Mo., Robinson had his first career double-figure scoring game with a season-high 13 points vs. Buena Vista, shooting 4-of-6 with three 3-pointers, two rebounds, a season-high three assists and a steal. He matched his three-assist effort at Eastern Michigan, then added a season-high three rebounds with six points and a pair of helpers at Cal State Fullerton. Robinson also standout efforts at Pitt (eight points) and South Dakota State (nine points, three assists, one steal).
Norl Prepped for Senior Season
Senior Daniel Norl stands ready to take on his senior season in 2017-18. He made his Maverick debut in 2016-17, appearing in 29 contests and averaging 5.6 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 15.6 minutes per game.
Norl had eight double-figure scoring performances as a junior, including a season-high 14 points with four 3-pointers in Omaha's quarterfinal win over Fort Wayne in the Summit League Tournament. He accounted for 10 performances with at least two 3-pointers.
2017-18 Slate = Tough Test for Mavericks
Omaha's 2017-18 schedule includes 30 games, and the team will play in 16 states against schools from 11 other Division I conferences. The schedule has three opponents from the Big 12 and one each from the ACC, Pac-12, Mountain West, MVC, Big West, Sun Belt, Big Sky, OVC, SWAC and MEAC. Three opponents – Kansas, Louisville and defending Summit League champion South Dakota State – played in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, with the Jayhawks reaching the Elite Eight.
Up Next
Following a short turnaround, Omaha visits New Mexico on Tuesday, Nov. 14, with tipoff set for 8 p.m. CT in Albuquerque, N.M. 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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