Thursday, January 11
Macomb, Ill.
7 p.m.
Omaha
at
Western Illinois
Sophomore JT Gibson and the Mavericks seek their first Summit League win this Thursday at Western Illinois.
Photo by: Mark Kuhlmann
Omaha Returns to the Road at Western Illinois
Jan 9, 2018 | Men's Basketball
This Week
The Omaha men's basketball team returns to the road this week, visiting Western Illinois on Thursday, Jan. 11. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Western Hall in Macomb, Ill., 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
• Omaha saw its five-game home win streak halted by South Dakota State last Saturday.
• Four Mavericks are averaging double-figure scoring: Zach Jackson (17.9 ppg), Daniel Norl (12.7 ppg), Mitch Hahn (12.2 ppg) and JT Gibson (11.3 ppg).
• Over the last three games, Norl has averaged 18.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals per contest while shooting .515. He has collected 12 assists with just one turnover.
• Since taking a starting role Dec. 21, Ayo Akinwole has dished out 12 assists with only four turnovers.
• Over the last 12 games, Jackson has averaged 19.3 points and 7.4 rebounds while shooting .568 from the field, .462 from 3-point range and .842 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 12 consecutive contests.
• KJ Robinson made his first appearance since Dec. 18 Saturday night, playing 15 minutes in reserve.
• Four Mavericks have had at least one 20-point scoring performance this season.
• Head coach Derrin Hansen earned his 200th career victory Dec. 17 vs. Cornell College.
• 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 and seven times overall this year.
• 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 returned seven letterwinners from its 2016-17 squad, including a Summit League All-Newcomer pick in Hahn.
Scouting the Western Illinois Leathernecks
Western Illinois is 8-6 (0-2 Summit League) after an 81-66 loss at Oral Roberts on Saturday. Dalan Ancrum finished with a game-high 25 points, and Kobe Webster had 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Brandon Gilbeck posted his 150th career block to set a school record.
Head coach Billy Wright is in his fourth season at WIU, carrying a career record of 34-63.
Thursday's game marks the 19th meeting all-time between Omaha and WIU, with the Leathernecks leading the series, 10-8. The two teams last met on Feb. 4, 2017 in Macomb, Ill., where the Mavericks won 79-67. It marked Omaha's first road win over WIU.
Last Time Out: South Dakota State Hands Omaha First Home Loss, 101-88
Omaha suffered its first home loss of the season Saturday night at the hands of preseason conference favorite South Dakota State, falling 101-88 in front of a season-best crowd of 3,447 fans at Baxter Arena. Junior Zach Jackson scored a career-high 29 points to lead Omaha, shooting 13-of-23 from the field. The Wichita, Kan., native added a team-high six rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Sophomore JT Gibson joined him in double figures with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting with four 3-pointers and a 2-of-2 effort at the free throw line. Senior Daniel Norl added 14 points with 9-of-10 free throw shooting, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
South Dakota State shot .574 (35-of-61), .542 (13-of-24) from long range and .900 (18-of-20) at the free throw line. Omaha came in at .441 (30-of-68), .355 (11-of-31) behind the arc and .895 (17-of-19) at the stripe. SDSU outrebounded the Mavericks 35-25.
Action Jackson
Junior Zach Jackson is in his third year as a starter, averaging a team bests of 17.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game with a .533 shooting percentage. The Wichita, Kan., native has scored in double figures in all but one game, including six 20-point scoring performances: 24 at Oklahoma (Nov. 12), 22 vs. Jackson State (Nov. 25), 28 at Washington (Dec. 3), 22 vs. Arkansas State (Dec. 13), 25 vs. Montana State (Dec. 21) and a career-high 29 vs. South Dakota State (Jan. 6).
Jackson ranks in the top 10 in the Summit League in multiple categories: third for total points (323), field goals made (113) and free throws made (72), fourth for points per game (17.9), fifth for field goal percentage (.533), sixth for total rebounds (122) and defensive rebounds (86), seventh for free throw percentage (.800) and eighth for 3-point percentage (.417), offensive rebounds (36), rebounds per game (6.8) and steals (19).
Against high major opponents this season, Jackson 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 11.3 points per game. The Brooklyn Park, Minn., native has nine double-figure scoring efforts this season. Omaha's triples leader, he has hit at least one 3-pointer in 13 straight games since Nov. 20 and owns 11 performances with two or more treys this season. Additionally, he is a perfect 15-of-15 at the free throw line since beginning his streak Nov. 14 at New Mexico.
Gibson ranks eighth in the Summit League for 3-pointers made (36) and 10th for steals (18). With 79 assists to his credit, he is Omaha's active career leader in the category.
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 is ninth in the league for assists (55).
Norl Off to a Strong Start
Senior Daniel Norl has had a strong start to his senior season, ranking second on the team for scoring with 12.7 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 posted his second 20-point effort with a game-high 23 points, three boards, a career-high-tying seven assists and a career-best three steals at Oral Roberts (Dec. 30).
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 seven double-figure scoring games to his credit, including his most recent with a career-high 15 points vs. Montana State. He has the team lead and ranks third in the Summit League for offensive rebounds (41).
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 16.2 minutes per game over the last 14. In that stretch, Pile has boosted his averages to 7.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
Pile notched his first career double-double vs. Doane (Jan. 2) with career highs of 18 points and 10 rebounds and 9-of-11 shooting. He followed up with four blocks vs. South Dakota State, the most of any Maverick this season.
Welcome Back, Renard
Senior Renard Suggs made his Maverick debut vs. Montana State (Dec. 21) and has quickly moved up to average double-digit minutes off the bench. The Washington State transfer scored in double figures in back-to-back games with 14 points at Oral Roberts (Dec. 30) and 13 vs. Doane (Jan. 2). He has averaged 9.0 points over his first four games.
Suggs is the son of former Maverick standout Rickey Suggs. The elder Suggs played basketball at UNO from 1980-85, was part of three Omaha squads to play in the NCAA Tournament (1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84) and went on to a professional football career in the Canadian Football League.
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 visits Fort Wayne on Saturday, Jan. 13. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT in Fort Wayne, Ind., and Gary Sharp will have the radio call on 1620 The Zone. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
The Omaha men's basketball team returns to the road this week, visiting Western Illinois on Thursday, Jan. 11. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Western Hall in Macomb, Ill., 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
• Omaha saw its five-game home win streak halted by South Dakota State last Saturday.
• Four Mavericks are averaging double-figure scoring: Zach Jackson (17.9 ppg), Daniel Norl (12.7 ppg), Mitch Hahn (12.2 ppg) and JT Gibson (11.3 ppg).
• Over the last three games, Norl has averaged 18.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals per contest while shooting .515. He has collected 12 assists with just one turnover.
• Since taking a starting role Dec. 21, Ayo Akinwole has dished out 12 assists with only four turnovers.
• Over the last 12 games, Jackson has averaged 19.3 points and 7.4 rebounds while shooting .568 from the field, .462 from 3-point range and .842 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 12 consecutive contests.
• KJ Robinson made his first appearance since Dec. 18 Saturday night, playing 15 minutes in reserve.
• Four Mavericks have had at least one 20-point scoring performance this season.
• Head coach Derrin Hansen earned his 200th career victory Dec. 17 vs. Cornell College.
• 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 and seven times overall this year.
• 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 returned seven letterwinners from its 2016-17 squad, including a Summit League All-Newcomer pick in Hahn.
Scouting the Western Illinois Leathernecks
Western Illinois is 8-6 (0-2 Summit League) after an 81-66 loss at Oral Roberts on Saturday. Dalan Ancrum finished with a game-high 25 points, and Kobe Webster had 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Brandon Gilbeck posted his 150th career block to set a school record.
Head coach Billy Wright is in his fourth season at WIU, carrying a career record of 34-63.
Thursday's game marks the 19th meeting all-time between Omaha and WIU, with the Leathernecks leading the series, 10-8. The two teams last met on Feb. 4, 2017 in Macomb, Ill., where the Mavericks won 79-67. It marked Omaha's first road win over WIU.
Last Time Out: South Dakota State Hands Omaha First Home Loss, 101-88
Omaha suffered its first home loss of the season Saturday night at the hands of preseason conference favorite South Dakota State, falling 101-88 in front of a season-best crowd of 3,447 fans at Baxter Arena. Junior Zach Jackson scored a career-high 29 points to lead Omaha, shooting 13-of-23 from the field. The Wichita, Kan., native added a team-high six rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Sophomore JT Gibson joined him in double figures with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting with four 3-pointers and a 2-of-2 effort at the free throw line. Senior Daniel Norl added 14 points with 9-of-10 free throw shooting, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
South Dakota State shot .574 (35-of-61), .542 (13-of-24) from long range and .900 (18-of-20) at the free throw line. Omaha came in at .441 (30-of-68), .355 (11-of-31) behind the arc and .895 (17-of-19) at the stripe. SDSU outrebounded the Mavericks 35-25.
Action Jackson
Junior Zach Jackson is in his third year as a starter, averaging a team bests of 17.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game with a .533 shooting percentage. The Wichita, Kan., native has scored in double figures in all but one game, including six 20-point scoring performances: 24 at Oklahoma (Nov. 12), 22 vs. Jackson State (Nov. 25), 28 at Washington (Dec. 3), 22 vs. Arkansas State (Dec. 13), 25 vs. Montana State (Dec. 21) and a career-high 29 vs. South Dakota State (Jan. 6).
Jackson ranks in the top 10 in the Summit League in multiple categories: third for total points (323), field goals made (113) and free throws made (72), fourth for points per game (17.9), fifth for field goal percentage (.533), sixth for total rebounds (122) and defensive rebounds (86), seventh for free throw percentage (.800) and eighth for 3-point percentage (.417), offensive rebounds (36), rebounds per game (6.8) and steals (19).
Against high major opponents this season, Jackson 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 11.3 points per game. The Brooklyn Park, Minn., native has nine double-figure scoring efforts this season. Omaha's triples leader, he has hit at least one 3-pointer in 13 straight games since Nov. 20 and owns 11 performances with two or more treys this season. Additionally, he is a perfect 15-of-15 at the free throw line since beginning his streak Nov. 14 at New Mexico.
Gibson ranks eighth in the Summit League for 3-pointers made (36) and 10th for steals (18). With 79 assists to his credit, he is Omaha's active career leader in the category.
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 is ninth in the league for assists (55).
Norl Off to a Strong Start
Senior Daniel Norl has had a strong start to his senior season, ranking second on the team for scoring with 12.7 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 posted his second 20-point effort with a game-high 23 points, three boards, a career-high-tying seven assists and a career-best three steals at Oral Roberts (Dec. 30).
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 seven double-figure scoring games to his credit, including his most recent with a career-high 15 points vs. Montana State. He has the team lead and ranks third in the Summit League for offensive rebounds (41).
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 16.2 minutes per game over the last 14. In that stretch, Pile has boosted his averages to 7.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
Pile notched his first career double-double vs. Doane (Jan. 2) with career highs of 18 points and 10 rebounds and 9-of-11 shooting. He followed up with four blocks vs. South Dakota State, the most of any Maverick this season.
Welcome Back, Renard
Senior Renard Suggs made his Maverick debut vs. Montana State (Dec. 21) and has quickly moved up to average double-digit minutes off the bench. The Washington State transfer scored in double figures in back-to-back games with 14 points at Oral Roberts (Dec. 30) and 13 vs. Doane (Jan. 2). He has averaged 9.0 points over his first four games.
Suggs is the son of former Maverick standout Rickey Suggs. The elder Suggs played basketball at UNO from 1980-85, was part of three Omaha squads to play in the NCAA Tournament (1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84) and went on to a professional football career in the Canadian Football League.
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 visits Fort Wayne on Saturday, Jan. 13. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT in Fort Wayne, Ind., and Gary Sharp will have the radio call on 1620 The Zone. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
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