Thursday, December 21
Omaha, Neb.
7 p.m.
Omaha
vs
Montana State
Freshman Ayo Akinwole and the Mavericks host Montana State in a rematch Thursday night at Baxter Arena.
Photo by: Mark Kuhlmann
Omaha Set for Thursday Rematch With Montana State
Dec 20, 2017 | Men's Basketball
This Week
The Omaha men's basketball team plays its final game before the winter break this Thursday, Dec. 21, welcoming Montana State to Baxter Arena for the second of two meetings with the Bobcats this season. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., and Gary Sharp and John Karhoff will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
• Omaha is undefeated at home this season, toting a 3-0 record in games at Baxter Arena.
• Omaha played on back-to-back days to start the week, with just 29 hours between tipoff against Cornell College on Sunday and tipoff at No. 13 Kansas on Monday. The last time the Mavericks played on consecutive days in the regular season was Nov. 12-13, 2016 at UC Santa Barbara and USC.
• Omaha's 99-58 win over Cornell on Sunday was the 200th career victory for head coach Derrin Hansen, who also celebrated his 50th birthday last Friday.
• Five Mavericks are averaging double-figure scoring 14 games in: Zach Jackson (17.0 ppg), Mitch Hahn (12.2 ppg), Daniel Norl (12.0 ppg), JT Gibson (10.6 ppg) and KJ Robinson (10.3 ppg).
• Over the last eight games, Jackson has averaged 18.4 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting .575 from the field, .480 from 3-point range and .854 from the free throw line.
• Jackson led the Mavericks in scoring in six straight games from Nov. 25 to Dec. 13 and has tallied in double figures in eight consecutive contests.
• Four Mavericks have had at least one 20-point scoring performance this season.
• By Dec. 3, Omaha had played in all four time zones in the contiguous United States.
• The Mavericks shot .500 or better as a team in four straight games from Nov. 20-29.
• 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.
• Omaha returns seven letterwinners from its 2016-17 squad, including a Summit League All-Newcomer pick in Hahn.
Scouting the Montana State Bobcats
Montana State is 7-5 (0-0 Big Sky) after a 79-65 win over Denver on Monday. The Bobcats forced 28 DU turnovers, and Harald Frey led the way offensively with 20 points alongside six assists.
Head coach Brian Fish is in his fourth season at MSU, carrying a career record of 44-61.
Thursday's game marks the third meeting all-time between Omaha and Montana State, with Omaha leading the series, 2-1. The two teams last met Nov. 10 in Bozeman, Mont., where the Bobcats won 89-80 in overtime.
Last Time Out: Mavericks Fall to No. 13 Kansas, 109-64
Omaha faced its highest-ranked opponent of the Division I era Monday night, falling 109-64 to No. 13 Kansas at historic Allen Fieldhouse. Senior Daniel Norl finished with a team-leading 13 points with a trio of 3-pointers and dished out a team-high three assists. Junior Zach Jackson, playing in his home state, recorded his second straight double-double on 10 points and 10 rebounds alongside two assists and a steal.
Sophomore JT Gibson added nine points and three boards for the night, while freshman Ayo Akinwole chipped in another eight points on a 3-of-5 effort and a pair of triples. Freshman Matt Pile, also playing in his home state, had six points, three rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
Kansas shot .623 (43-of-69) from the field and .593 (16-of-27) beyond the arc while holding the Mavericks to .333 (22-of-66) for the night. The Jayhawks had the advantage on the glass, 49-26.
Action Jackson
Junior Zach Jackson is in his third year as a starter, averaging a team-leading 17.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game with a .523 shooting percentage. The Wichita, Kan., native has scored in double figures in all but one game, including four 20-point scoring performances: 24 at Oklahoma (Nov. 12), 22 vs. Jackson State (Nov. 25), a career-high 28 at Washington (Dec. 3) and 22 vs. Arkansas State (Dec. 13).
Jackson ranks in the top 10 in the Summit League in nine categories: third for free throws made (59), fourth for points (238), fifth for scoring (17.0), defensive rebounds (64) and field goals made (80), sixth for field goal percentage (.523) and total rebounds (91) and seventh for offensive boards (27) and free throw percentage (.797).
Against high major opponents this season, Jackson has averaged 18.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.7 blocks in six games. Combined against Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisville, TCU, Washington and Kansas, he has shot .507 from the field and .763 at the stripe.
Gibson at Full Strength
Sophomore JT Gibson, who assumed a starting spot Dec. 9, is fourth on the team for scoring with 10.6 points per game. The Brooklyn Park, Minn., native has seven double-figure scoring efforts, most recently with a career-high 21 points with three rebounds, two assists and a career-best four steals vs. Cornell College (Dec. 17).
Gibson ranks sixth in the Summit League for steals (17) and 10th for 3-pointers made (26). He has hit at least one 3-pointer in 10 straight games since Nov. 20 and owns eight performances with two or more treys this season. His five triples vs. Cornell College (Dec. 17) were a career high.
Gibson had a second go at his man campaign in 2016-17. In 2015-16, he appeared in eight games off the bench before suffering a season-ending elbow injury that led to a medical redshirt.
Here's to You, Mr. Robinson
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 has now assumed a starting role in 2017-18 season.
A native of Blue Springs, Mo., Robinson had a standout performance vs. No. 18 Louisville (Nov. 17) with a then-career-high 14 points, three rebounds, five assists and three steals. He followed by dishing out a career-best eight assists at TCU (Nov. 20) while adding 11 points, four rebounds and a steal. Against Tennessee Tech (Nov. 24), Robinson went off for a career-high 25 points while hitting seven 3-pointers and adding five rebounds, five assists and a block. It was the most threes in a game by any Maverick since Marcus Tyus had eight at South Dakota State (Jan, 7, 2017).
Robinson had four straight double-figure scoring performances from Nov. 17-25. He ranks fourth in the Summit League for assists (52) and seventh for steals (16).
Norl Off to a Strong Start
Senior Daniel Norl has had a strong start to his senior season, ranking third on the team for scoring with 12.0 points per game. The Clarksville, Tenn., native earned his first career start at Montana State (Nov. 10), exploding for career highs of 29 points, nine rebounds and two steals while shooting 13-of-18. He collected 11 points, six boards, two assists and two steals at Oklahoma (Nov. 12), then followed with 10 points and seven caroms at New Mexico (Nov. 14). On Nov. 17 at No. 18 Louisville, Norl led the Mavericks with 16 points and added eight rebounds.
Norl 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. He 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.
Wofford-Humphrey Making a Difference
Senior Lamar Wofford-Humphrey had a standout effort at No. 18 Louisville (Nov. 17), tallying his first double-double as a Maverick with 14 points, a team-high 12 rebounds, three steals, a block and an assist.
The transfer from Eastern Michigan has six double-figure scoring games to his credit. He has the team lead and ranks third in the Summit League for offensive rebounds (34).
The Pile Driver
Freshman Matt Pile averaged 6.3 minutes per game over the first three contests this season but has seen his court time increase to 15.7 minutes per game over the last 10. In that stretch, Pile has boosted his averages to 7.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. He had two strong efforts against Drake, first tallying nine points, six rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block on Nov. 29, then putting up nine points, six points, an assist and a block on Dec. 9.
Against Arkansas State (Dec. 13), Pile had the go-ahead putback with 27 seconds left, which powered Omaha past the Red Wolves, 77-74. He followed with a season-best showing with 16 points and six boards vs. Cornell College (Dec. 17), shooting 7-of-8.
More on Meyer
Senior Daniel Meyer made his second collegiate appearance in his home state Nov. 10 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. He appeared in every game in 2015-16 and 2016-17, making 11 starts as a junior and finishing the year with 2.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. He had one of his best performances in league play, pulling down a season-high nine rebounds with two blocks vs. Oral Roberts.
Meyer is Omaha's active career leader for games played (98) and blocks (28).
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 and SWAC. 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
Omaha kicks off Summit League play on Saturday, Dec. 30, visiting Oral Roberts. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. in Tulsa, Okla., 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.
The Omaha men's basketball team plays its final game before the winter break this Thursday, Dec. 21, welcoming Montana State to Baxter Arena for the second of two meetings with the Bobcats this season. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., and Gary Sharp and John Karhoff will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
• Omaha is undefeated at home this season, toting a 3-0 record in games at Baxter Arena.
• Omaha played on back-to-back days to start the week, with just 29 hours between tipoff against Cornell College on Sunday and tipoff at No. 13 Kansas on Monday. The last time the Mavericks played on consecutive days in the regular season was Nov. 12-13, 2016 at UC Santa Barbara and USC.
• Omaha's 99-58 win over Cornell on Sunday was the 200th career victory for head coach Derrin Hansen, who also celebrated his 50th birthday last Friday.
• Five Mavericks are averaging double-figure scoring 14 games in: Zach Jackson (17.0 ppg), Mitch Hahn (12.2 ppg), Daniel Norl (12.0 ppg), JT Gibson (10.6 ppg) and KJ Robinson (10.3 ppg).
• Over the last eight games, Jackson has averaged 18.4 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting .575 from the field, .480 from 3-point range and .854 from the free throw line.
• Jackson led the Mavericks in scoring in six straight games from Nov. 25 to Dec. 13 and has tallied in double figures in eight consecutive contests.
• Four Mavericks have had at least one 20-point scoring performance this season.
• By Dec. 3, Omaha had played in all four time zones in the contiguous United States.
• The Mavericks shot .500 or better as a team in four straight games from Nov. 20-29.
• 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.
• Omaha returns seven letterwinners from its 2016-17 squad, including a Summit League All-Newcomer pick in Hahn.
Scouting the Montana State Bobcats
Montana State is 7-5 (0-0 Big Sky) after a 79-65 win over Denver on Monday. The Bobcats forced 28 DU turnovers, and Harald Frey led the way offensively with 20 points alongside six assists.
Head coach Brian Fish is in his fourth season at MSU, carrying a career record of 44-61.
Thursday's game marks the third meeting all-time between Omaha and Montana State, with Omaha leading the series, 2-1. The two teams last met Nov. 10 in Bozeman, Mont., where the Bobcats won 89-80 in overtime.
Last Time Out: Mavericks Fall to No. 13 Kansas, 109-64
Omaha faced its highest-ranked opponent of the Division I era Monday night, falling 109-64 to No. 13 Kansas at historic Allen Fieldhouse. Senior Daniel Norl finished with a team-leading 13 points with a trio of 3-pointers and dished out a team-high three assists. Junior Zach Jackson, playing in his home state, recorded his second straight double-double on 10 points and 10 rebounds alongside two assists and a steal.
Sophomore JT Gibson added nine points and three boards for the night, while freshman Ayo Akinwole chipped in another eight points on a 3-of-5 effort and a pair of triples. Freshman Matt Pile, also playing in his home state, had six points, three rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
Kansas shot .623 (43-of-69) from the field and .593 (16-of-27) beyond the arc while holding the Mavericks to .333 (22-of-66) for the night. The Jayhawks had the advantage on the glass, 49-26.
Action Jackson
Junior Zach Jackson is in his third year as a starter, averaging a team-leading 17.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game with a .523 shooting percentage. The Wichita, Kan., native has scored in double figures in all but one game, including four 20-point scoring performances: 24 at Oklahoma (Nov. 12), 22 vs. Jackson State (Nov. 25), a career-high 28 at Washington (Dec. 3) and 22 vs. Arkansas State (Dec. 13).
Jackson ranks in the top 10 in the Summit League in nine categories: third for free throws made (59), fourth for points (238), fifth for scoring (17.0), defensive rebounds (64) and field goals made (80), sixth for field goal percentage (.523) and total rebounds (91) and seventh for offensive boards (27) and free throw percentage (.797).
Against high major opponents this season, Jackson has averaged 18.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.7 blocks in six games. Combined against Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisville, TCU, Washington and Kansas, he has shot .507 from the field and .763 at the stripe.
Gibson at Full Strength
Sophomore JT Gibson, who assumed a starting spot Dec. 9, is fourth on the team for scoring with 10.6 points per game. The Brooklyn Park, Minn., native has seven double-figure scoring efforts, most recently with a career-high 21 points with three rebounds, two assists and a career-best four steals vs. Cornell College (Dec. 17).
Gibson ranks sixth in the Summit League for steals (17) and 10th for 3-pointers made (26). He has hit at least one 3-pointer in 10 straight games since Nov. 20 and owns eight performances with two or more treys this season. His five triples vs. Cornell College (Dec. 17) were a career high.
Gibson had a second go at his man campaign in 2016-17. In 2015-16, he appeared in eight games off the bench before suffering a season-ending elbow injury that led to a medical redshirt.
Here's to You, Mr. Robinson
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 has now assumed a starting role in 2017-18 season.
A native of Blue Springs, Mo., Robinson had a standout performance vs. No. 18 Louisville (Nov. 17) with a then-career-high 14 points, three rebounds, five assists and three steals. He followed by dishing out a career-best eight assists at TCU (Nov. 20) while adding 11 points, four rebounds and a steal. Against Tennessee Tech (Nov. 24), Robinson went off for a career-high 25 points while hitting seven 3-pointers and adding five rebounds, five assists and a block. It was the most threes in a game by any Maverick since Marcus Tyus had eight at South Dakota State (Jan, 7, 2017).
Robinson had four straight double-figure scoring performances from Nov. 17-25. He ranks fourth in the Summit League for assists (52) and seventh for steals (16).
Norl Off to a Strong Start
Senior Daniel Norl has had a strong start to his senior season, ranking third on the team for scoring with 12.0 points per game. The Clarksville, Tenn., native earned his first career start at Montana State (Nov. 10), exploding for career highs of 29 points, nine rebounds and two steals while shooting 13-of-18. He collected 11 points, six boards, two assists and two steals at Oklahoma (Nov. 12), then followed with 10 points and seven caroms at New Mexico (Nov. 14). On Nov. 17 at No. 18 Louisville, Norl led the Mavericks with 16 points and added eight rebounds.
Norl 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. He 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.
Wofford-Humphrey Making a Difference
Senior Lamar Wofford-Humphrey had a standout effort at No. 18 Louisville (Nov. 17), tallying his first double-double as a Maverick with 14 points, a team-high 12 rebounds, three steals, a block and an assist.
The transfer from Eastern Michigan has six double-figure scoring games to his credit. He has the team lead and ranks third in the Summit League for offensive rebounds (34).
The Pile Driver
Freshman Matt Pile averaged 6.3 minutes per game over the first three contests this season but has seen his court time increase to 15.7 minutes per game over the last 10. In that stretch, Pile has boosted his averages to 7.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. He had two strong efforts against Drake, first tallying nine points, six rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block on Nov. 29, then putting up nine points, six points, an assist and a block on Dec. 9.
Against Arkansas State (Dec. 13), Pile had the go-ahead putback with 27 seconds left, which powered Omaha past the Red Wolves, 77-74. He followed with a season-best showing with 16 points and six boards vs. Cornell College (Dec. 17), shooting 7-of-8.
More on Meyer
Senior Daniel Meyer made his second collegiate appearance in his home state Nov. 10 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. He appeared in every game in 2015-16 and 2016-17, making 11 starts as a junior and finishing the year with 2.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. He had one of his best performances in league play, pulling down a season-high nine rebounds with two blocks vs. Oral Roberts.
Meyer is Omaha's active career leader for games played (98) and blocks (28).
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 and SWAC. 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
Omaha kicks off Summit League play on Saturday, Dec. 30, visiting Oral Roberts. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. in Tulsa, Okla., 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.
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