Friday, December 21
Houston, Texas
7 p.m.
Omaha
at
Rice
Photo by: Mark Kuhlmann
Omaha Finishes Non-Conference Play at Rice
Dec 20, 2018 | Men's Basketball
Leading Off
The Omaha men's basketball team closes the non-conference portion of its schedule this Friday, Dec. 21, seeking its third straight win with a trip to Rice. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston, Texas, 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.
Quick Hits
• Omaha shot .550 as a team Wednesday vs. UC Santa Barbara, its third shooting performance of 50 percent or better.
• The Mavericks led for 35:15 at Idaho (Dec. 15) and a season-long 37:30 vs. UCSB (Dec. 19), their second and third times leading 35 minutes or more this season.
• Four Mavericks are averaging nine or more points per game to start the year: Zach Jackson (18.5 ppg), JT Gibson (13.5 ppg), KJ Robinson (10.3 ppg) and Matt Pile (9.3 ppg).
• Five Mavericks have made at least four triples in a single game this season: Gibson (five times), Jackson (twice) and Robinson, Ayo Akinwole and Mitch Hahn (once each).
• Omaha has had five double-figure scorers three times this season, most recently at Idaho (Dec. 15).
• The Mavericks, who rank 42nd nationally for fewest turnovers per game, have met a season low for turnovers in four straight games: nine at Seattle (Dec. 6), eight at Oregon (Dec. 8) and seven at Idaho (Dec. 15) and vs. UCSB (Dec. 19).
• Omaha has had two players with 20 or more points on the same night twice this season: Gibson (21) and Jackson (20) at Bethune-Cookman (Nov. 20) and Jackson (33) and Akinwole (20) vs. Montana State (Nov. 24).
• The Mavericks were picked eighth in the 2018-19 Summit League's Preseason Poll, and Jackson was a first-team Preseason All-Summit selection.
• Jackson collected second-team All-Summit accolades as a junior. Since Omaha joined the Summit League in 2012-13, 10 Mavericks have combined for 12 All-Summit awards.
• Jackson and Hahn will both serve as team captains for the second straight year.
Scouting the Rice Owls
Rice is 5-7 (0-0 Conference USA) after a 75-67 win at UT Rio Grande Valley on Tuesday. Fifty-nine of Rice's 75 points came from freshmen, led by 22 points from Chris Mullins. Quentin Millora-Brown also had a double-double on 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Rice, which finished 7-24 (4-14 C-USA) a year ago, was voted 14th in the conference's preseason poll.
Head coach Scott Pera holds a career record of 12-31 in two seasons at Rice.
All-Time Against Rice
Friday marks the second meeting between Omaha and Rice, with the Owls leading the all-time series, 1-0. Rice won the first matchup, 100-87, on Nov. 19, 2016 at Baxter Arena. Mitch Hahn had 15 points off the bench in the game, hitting 5-of-7 from the field with a pair of threes, while Zach Jackson had 10 points with three boards.
Omaha vs. Conference USA
Friday's meeting with Rice marks the third meeting of Omaha's Division I era and the first this season against competition from Conference USA. Omaha is 0-2 against members of the conference since 2011-12.
Last Time Out: Mavericks Upend UC Santa Barbara, 85-74
A 55-percent shooting performance carried Omaha Wednesday night, as the Mavericks earned an 85-74 win over UC Santa Barbara at Baxter Arena. Zach Jackson finished with a team-leading 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting. Matt Pile registered his third double-double in four games on 13 points and a career-high-tying 11 rebounds with a career-best five assists, two blocks and a steal.
Mitch Hahn hit 5-of-7 from the field for 11 points with two rebounds and four assists, and KJ Robinson matched him with another 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting with three 3-pointers.
Omaha outshot UCSB .550 (33-of-60) to .410 (25-of-61) and drained 10 triples. The Gauchos had the edge on the boards, 36-26.
The Mavericks also committed a season-low-tying seven turnovers, marking their fourth straight game limiting their turnovers to single digits. Omaha scored 17 points off eight Gaucho turnovers for the night.
Action Jackson
Over the first 12 games this season, Zach Jackson has a team-best 18.5 points with 3.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He ranks 50th nationally for total points (222), is the third-best scorer in the Summit League and also ranks third among league players for free throws made (48).
The Wichita, Kan., native opened the 2018-19 campaign with back-to-back 20-point performances, and he led the Mavericks in scoring in three straight games to start the year.
JT's Junior Year
JT Gibson's nine-game double-figure scoring streak was snapped Wednesday vs. UC Santa Barbara. The junior narrowly missed his 10th such performance, finishing with nine points.
Gibson has scored 15 or more points in a night on five occasions this season, including a career-high-tying 21 points with two rebounds, three assists and three steals at Bethune-Cookman (Nov. 20). He has five games with four or more 3-pointers, highlighted by a five-triple effort at Oregon (Dec. 8).
Gibson is Omaha's active career leader for threes made (124) and assists (129).
JT for Three
JT Gibson is the only Omaha player to hit a three in all 12 games this season. Last year, he knocked one down in a career-long 19 straight games from Nov. 20, 2017 to Jan. 25, 2018.
With a team-high 32 treys, he ranks third among Summit League players this year. The Brooklyn Park, Minn., native broke into Omaha's top 15 for career triples Dec. 6 at Seattle, and he now ranks 14th (124).
The Evolution of Zach Jackson
Zach Jackson has been a four-year starter, averaging 11.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game for his career. The Wichita, Kan., native scored in double figures in all but three games in 2017-18, including 12 performances with 20+ points and four double-doubles. From his freshman campaign to his junior year, Jackson evolved into an all-league player and last year became the sixth Maverick in the Division I era to score 500+ points in a single season.
Milestones in the Making for Jackson
Zach Jackson entered his final season on the brink of with two major milestones. Nov. 9 at Minnesota, he became the 39th 1,000-point scorer in program history and is now 16th all-time for scoring with 1,214 points. Nov. 26 at Iowa State, he passed former Maverick and current assistant coach Tyler Bullock (2009-11) to move into the top 20.
Jackson also has 434 rebounds over his career, needing 66 to become the 12th player in school history with at least 1,000 points and 500 boards.
The Pile Driver
Dec. 19 vs. UC Santa Barbara, sophomore Matt Pile grabbed his fifth career double-double -- and his fourth of the season -- with 13 points and a career-high-tying 11 rebounds. Pile has three double-doubles in the last four games, during which time he has averaged 9.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest. He has also set a career high for assists in back-to-back games with four at Idaho (Dec. 15) and five vs. UC Santa Barbara (Dec. 19).
The Goddard, Kan., native has scored in double digits seven times this year, including a season-high 15 points with five boards, an assist, a steal and two blocks at Arizona State (Nov. 28).
Pile had an impactful freshman season in 2017-18, averaging 6.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game and joined the Maverick starting five for the final eight games. Pile ranked third in the Summit League for blocks (32) last year and is Omaha's active career leader in the category with 42.
Here's to You, Mr. Robinson
KJ Robinson returned to the Mavericks' starting five Dec. 6 at Seattle, playing his first game since Nov. 20. He hit five 3-pointers en route to a season-high 17 points and has since averaged 11.0 points, 1.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.0 steals per game in that four-game stretch. With a 2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio this year, he ranks fifth among league players.
A native of Blue Springs, Mo., Robinson had a career performance vs. Tennessee Tech last season, going 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).
Checking In for Omaha: Zach Thornhill
Redshirt freshman Zach Thornhill, who battled injuries for the last year and a half, made his collegiate debut last Saturday at Idaho, contributing two points and two rebounds in eight minutes off the bench. He followed up Wednesday vs. UC Santa Barbara with five points, two rebounds and an assist in 13 minutes of action.
Compared to the Opposition
Over its 12 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 eight times
•More or equal free throws made compared to its opponent three times
•More or equal rebounds compared to its opponent three times
•More or equal assists compared to its opponent five times
•More or equal steals compared to its opponent nine times
•Fewer or equal turnovers compared to its opponent 10 times
•More or equal blocks compared to its opponent six times
Up Next
Omaha begins Summit League play on Friday, Dec. 28, welcoming Denver to Baxter Arena at 7:30 p.m. Gary Sharp and John Karhoff will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2, and links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com. The game is also High School Night, and high school students presenting a valid school ID will receive free admission.
The Omaha men's basketball team closes the non-conference portion of its schedule this Friday, Dec. 21, seeking its third straight win with a trip to Rice. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston, Texas, 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.
Quick Hits
• Omaha shot .550 as a team Wednesday vs. UC Santa Barbara, its third shooting performance of 50 percent or better.
• The Mavericks led for 35:15 at Idaho (Dec. 15) and a season-long 37:30 vs. UCSB (Dec. 19), their second and third times leading 35 minutes or more this season.
• Four Mavericks are averaging nine or more points per game to start the year: Zach Jackson (18.5 ppg), JT Gibson (13.5 ppg), KJ Robinson (10.3 ppg) and Matt Pile (9.3 ppg).
• Five Mavericks have made at least four triples in a single game this season: Gibson (five times), Jackson (twice) and Robinson, Ayo Akinwole and Mitch Hahn (once each).
• Omaha has had five double-figure scorers three times this season, most recently at Idaho (Dec. 15).
• The Mavericks, who rank 42nd nationally for fewest turnovers per game, have met a season low for turnovers in four straight games: nine at Seattle (Dec. 6), eight at Oregon (Dec. 8) and seven at Idaho (Dec. 15) and vs. UCSB (Dec. 19).
• Omaha has had two players with 20 or more points on the same night twice this season: Gibson (21) and Jackson (20) at Bethune-Cookman (Nov. 20) and Jackson (33) and Akinwole (20) vs. Montana State (Nov. 24).
• The Mavericks were picked eighth in the 2018-19 Summit League's Preseason Poll, and Jackson was a first-team Preseason All-Summit selection.
• Jackson collected second-team All-Summit accolades as a junior. Since Omaha joined the Summit League in 2012-13, 10 Mavericks have combined for 12 All-Summit awards.
• Jackson and Hahn will both serve as team captains for the second straight year.
Scouting the Rice Owls
Rice is 5-7 (0-0 Conference USA) after a 75-67 win at UT Rio Grande Valley on Tuesday. Fifty-nine of Rice's 75 points came from freshmen, led by 22 points from Chris Mullins. Quentin Millora-Brown also had a double-double on 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Rice, which finished 7-24 (4-14 C-USA) a year ago, was voted 14th in the conference's preseason poll.
Head coach Scott Pera holds a career record of 12-31 in two seasons at Rice.
All-Time Against Rice
Friday marks the second meeting between Omaha and Rice, with the Owls leading the all-time series, 1-0. Rice won the first matchup, 100-87, on Nov. 19, 2016 at Baxter Arena. Mitch Hahn had 15 points off the bench in the game, hitting 5-of-7 from the field with a pair of threes, while Zach Jackson had 10 points with three boards.
Omaha vs. Conference USA
Friday's meeting with Rice marks the third meeting of Omaha's Division I era and the first this season against competition from Conference USA. Omaha is 0-2 against members of the conference since 2011-12.
Last Time Out: Mavericks Upend UC Santa Barbara, 85-74
A 55-percent shooting performance carried Omaha Wednesday night, as the Mavericks earned an 85-74 win over UC Santa Barbara at Baxter Arena. Zach Jackson finished with a team-leading 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting. Matt Pile registered his third double-double in four games on 13 points and a career-high-tying 11 rebounds with a career-best five assists, two blocks and a steal.
Mitch Hahn hit 5-of-7 from the field for 11 points with two rebounds and four assists, and KJ Robinson matched him with another 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting with three 3-pointers.
Omaha outshot UCSB .550 (33-of-60) to .410 (25-of-61) and drained 10 triples. The Gauchos had the edge on the boards, 36-26.
The Mavericks also committed a season-low-tying seven turnovers, marking their fourth straight game limiting their turnovers to single digits. Omaha scored 17 points off eight Gaucho turnovers for the night.
Action Jackson
Over the first 12 games this season, Zach Jackson has a team-best 18.5 points with 3.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He ranks 50th nationally for total points (222), is the third-best scorer in the Summit League and also ranks third among league players for free throws made (48).
The Wichita, Kan., native opened the 2018-19 campaign with back-to-back 20-point performances, and he led the Mavericks in scoring in three straight games to start the year.
JT's Junior Year
JT Gibson's nine-game double-figure scoring streak was snapped Wednesday vs. UC Santa Barbara. The junior narrowly missed his 10th such performance, finishing with nine points.
Gibson has scored 15 or more points in a night on five occasions this season, including a career-high-tying 21 points with two rebounds, three assists and three steals at Bethune-Cookman (Nov. 20). He has five games with four or more 3-pointers, highlighted by a five-triple effort at Oregon (Dec. 8).
Gibson is Omaha's active career leader for threes made (124) and assists (129).
JT for Three
JT Gibson is the only Omaha player to hit a three in all 12 games this season. Last year, he knocked one down in a career-long 19 straight games from Nov. 20, 2017 to Jan. 25, 2018.
With a team-high 32 treys, he ranks third among Summit League players this year. The Brooklyn Park, Minn., native broke into Omaha's top 15 for career triples Dec. 6 at Seattle, and he now ranks 14th (124).
The Evolution of Zach Jackson
Zach Jackson has been a four-year starter, averaging 11.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game for his career. The Wichita, Kan., native scored in double figures in all but three games in 2017-18, including 12 performances with 20+ points and four double-doubles. From his freshman campaign to his junior year, Jackson evolved into an all-league player and last year became the sixth Maverick in the Division I era to score 500+ points in a single season.
Milestones in the Making for Jackson
Zach Jackson entered his final season on the brink of with two major milestones. Nov. 9 at Minnesota, he became the 39th 1,000-point scorer in program history and is now 16th all-time for scoring with 1,214 points. Nov. 26 at Iowa State, he passed former Maverick and current assistant coach Tyler Bullock (2009-11) to move into the top 20.
Jackson also has 434 rebounds over his career, needing 66 to become the 12th player in school history with at least 1,000 points and 500 boards.
The Pile Driver
Dec. 19 vs. UC Santa Barbara, sophomore Matt Pile grabbed his fifth career double-double -- and his fourth of the season -- with 13 points and a career-high-tying 11 rebounds. Pile has three double-doubles in the last four games, during which time he has averaged 9.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest. He has also set a career high for assists in back-to-back games with four at Idaho (Dec. 15) and five vs. UC Santa Barbara (Dec. 19).
The Goddard, Kan., native has scored in double digits seven times this year, including a season-high 15 points with five boards, an assist, a steal and two blocks at Arizona State (Nov. 28).
Pile had an impactful freshman season in 2017-18, averaging 6.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game and joined the Maverick starting five for the final eight games. Pile ranked third in the Summit League for blocks (32) last year and is Omaha's active career leader in the category with 42.
Here's to You, Mr. Robinson
KJ Robinson returned to the Mavericks' starting five Dec. 6 at Seattle, playing his first game since Nov. 20. He hit five 3-pointers en route to a season-high 17 points and has since averaged 11.0 points, 1.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.0 steals per game in that four-game stretch. With a 2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio this year, he ranks fifth among league players.
A native of Blue Springs, Mo., Robinson had a career performance vs. Tennessee Tech last season, going 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).
Checking In for Omaha: Zach Thornhill
Redshirt freshman Zach Thornhill, who battled injuries for the last year and a half, made his collegiate debut last Saturday at Idaho, contributing two points and two rebounds in eight minutes off the bench. He followed up Wednesday vs. UC Santa Barbara with five points, two rebounds and an assist in 13 minutes of action.
Compared to the Opposition
Over its 12 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 eight times
•More or equal free throws made compared to its opponent three times
•More or equal rebounds compared to its opponent three times
•More or equal assists compared to its opponent five times
•More or equal steals compared to its opponent nine times
•Fewer or equal turnovers compared to its opponent 10 times
•More or equal blocks compared to its opponent six times
Up Next
Omaha begins Summit League play on Friday, Dec. 28, welcoming Denver to Baxter Arena at 7:30 p.m. Gary Sharp and John Karhoff will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2, and links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com. The game is also High School Night, and high school students presenting a valid school ID will receive free admission.
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