Thursday, December 6
Seattle, Wash.
9 p.m.
Omaha
at
Seattle
Photo by: Mark Kuhlmann
Omaha Begins Pacific Northwest Swing at Seattle
Dec 5, 2018 | Men's Basketball
Leading Off
The Omaha men's basketball team continues its five-game road swing this Thursday, Dec. 6 with a visit to Seattle. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. CT at the Redhawk Center in Seattle, Wash., 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
• Thursday marks Omaha's third of five straight road games.
• Four Mavericks are averaging nine or more points per game to start the season: Zach Jackson (20.1 ppg), JT Gibson (13.4 ppg), KJ Robinson (9.8 ppg) and Matt Pile (9.1 ppg).
• Omaha has three players in the Summit League's top five for steals per game, with Gibson in first (1.8) and Jackson and Ayo Akinwole in fourth (1.5). Gibson is also the league leader for threes made per game (2.9).
• Three Mavericks have made at least four triples in a single game this season: Gibson (four times), Jackson (twice) and Akinwole (once).
• 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 Seattle Redhawks
Seattle is 8-2 (0-0 WAC) after playing just one of its first 10 games outside the state of Washington -- its season opener at Stanford. The Redhawks carry a five-game win streak after an 88-68 win last Saturday over Eastern Washington in which four Seattle players scored in double figures: Myles Carter (23), Delante Jones (19), Matej Kavas (18) and Morgan Means (16).
SU, which finished 20-14 (8-6 WAC) a year ago, was picked third in the WAC's preseason coaches poll and fourth in the preseason media poll. Kavas was a first-team Preseason All-WAC selection.
Head coach Jim Hayford has a record of 28-16 in two seasons at SU and a career mark of 388-191 over 20 years.
All-Time Against Seattle
Thursday marks the fourth meeting between Omaha and Seattle since the series began in 2011, and the Redhawks lead 2-1. The two teams have met twice before at Key Arena, the last of which was Nov. 19, 2014, when SU won 98-74. This week's game is the first time the Mavericks face SU at its on-campus arena.
Omaha's only win in the all-time series came Dec. 22, 2013 at Ralston Arena by a score of 76-69.
Omaha vs. the WAC
Thursday's meeting at Seattle marks the Mavericks' 15th meeting with a WAC team in the Division I era and their first since 2016. All-time, Omaha is 6-8 against WAC competition.
Last Time Out: Mavericks Drop Decision at ASU, 89-71
Omaha continued its road swing last Wednesday, falling 89-71 to Arizona State at Wells Fargo Arena. Zach Jackson led a contingent of three double-figure scorers for the Mavericks, finishing with 17 points on four 3-pointers. Matt Pile shot 7-of-8 en route to 15 points with a team-high five rebounds, an assist, a steal and two blocks. JT Gibson added 12 points with four 3-pointers.
ASU shot .516 (33-of-64) to Omaha's .459 (28-of-61), and the Mavericks hit at a .500 (13-of-26) clip from 3-point range. The Sun Devils had the advantage on the glass, 41-27, including 14-7 on the offensive end.
Action Jackson
Zach Jackson ranked in the top five in the Summit League in 2017-18 for scoring, field goal percentage, field goals made and free throws made, averaging 17.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Over the first eight games this season, he has a team-best 20.1 points with 3.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He ranks as the third-best scorer in the Summit League and is also third for free throws made (33), fourth for steals (12) and points (161) and fifth for 3-point percentage (.474) and field goals made (55).
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 enters Thursday's game on a streak of six straight games with double-figure scoring, averaging 15.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals per contest in that span. At Colorado (Nov. 16), he had 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting with six boards, three assists and two steals, then followed with a career-high-tying 21 points with two rebounds, three assists and three steals at Bethune-Cookman (Nov. 20).
Gibson is Omaha's active career leader for threes made (115) and assists (121).
JT for Three
JT Gibson is the only Omaha player to hit a three in all eight games this season. Last year, he knocked one down in a career-long 19 straight games from Nov. 20, 2017 to Jan. 25, 2018.
The Brooklyn Park, Minn., native needs just one trey at Seattle to break into Omaha's top 15 for career triples. He has five straight games with at least three treys.
The Evolution of Zach Jackson
Zach Jackson has been a four-year starter, averaging 11.3 points and 4.2 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 19th all-time for scoring with 1,153 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 424 rebounds over his career, needing 76 to become the 12th player in school history with at least 1,000 points and 500 boards.
The Pile Driver
Nov. 9 vs. Northern Arizona, sophomore Matt Pile grabbed his second career double-double with 10 points and a season-high 11 rebounds. The Goddard, Kan., native has scored in double digits four 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 of the season. Pile ranked third in the Summit League for blocks (32) last year and is Omaha's active career leader in the category with 40.
Ayo!
Ayo Akinwole made his first start of the season Nov. 24 vs. Montana State, and the Papillion-LaVista product came to play. Akinwole had a perfect shooting day, finishing 8-of-8 from the field, including 4-of-4 from deep, en route to a career-high 20 points. He also had four rebounds, a season-high six assists and a career-high-tying three steals.
Akinwole's 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio ranked third among Summit League players last season, and six games into 2018-19, he is fourth on the list at 2.5. He appeared in all 31 games as a freshman, including four starts, and averaged 3.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists over 15.5 minutes per game.
Compared to the Opposition
Over its eight contests this season, Omaha has:
•More or equal field goals made compared to its opponent five times
•More or equal 3-point field goals made compared to its opponent five times
•More or equal free throws made compared to its opponent two times
•More or equal rebounds compared to its opponent three times
•More or equal assists compared to its opponent three times
•More or equal steals compared to its opponent five times
•Fewer or equal turnovers compared to its opponent six times
•More or equal blocks compared to its opponent three times
Up Next
Omaha travels to Oregon on Saturday, Dec. 8. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore., and the game will be televised on Pac-12 Network and Pac-12 Oregon. Gary Sharp will have the radio call on 1290 KOIL, and links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.
The Omaha men's basketball team continues its five-game road swing this Thursday, Dec. 6 with a visit to Seattle. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. CT at the Redhawk Center in Seattle, Wash., 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
• Thursday marks Omaha's third of five straight road games.
• Four Mavericks are averaging nine or more points per game to start the season: Zach Jackson (20.1 ppg), JT Gibson (13.4 ppg), KJ Robinson (9.8 ppg) and Matt Pile (9.1 ppg).
• Omaha has three players in the Summit League's top five for steals per game, with Gibson in first (1.8) and Jackson and Ayo Akinwole in fourth (1.5). Gibson is also the league leader for threes made per game (2.9).
• Three Mavericks have made at least four triples in a single game this season: Gibson (four times), Jackson (twice) and Akinwole (once).
• 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 Seattle Redhawks
Seattle is 8-2 (0-0 WAC) after playing just one of its first 10 games outside the state of Washington -- its season opener at Stanford. The Redhawks carry a five-game win streak after an 88-68 win last Saturday over Eastern Washington in which four Seattle players scored in double figures: Myles Carter (23), Delante Jones (19), Matej Kavas (18) and Morgan Means (16).
SU, which finished 20-14 (8-6 WAC) a year ago, was picked third in the WAC's preseason coaches poll and fourth in the preseason media poll. Kavas was a first-team Preseason All-WAC selection.
Head coach Jim Hayford has a record of 28-16 in two seasons at SU and a career mark of 388-191 over 20 years.
All-Time Against Seattle
Thursday marks the fourth meeting between Omaha and Seattle since the series began in 2011, and the Redhawks lead 2-1. The two teams have met twice before at Key Arena, the last of which was Nov. 19, 2014, when SU won 98-74. This week's game is the first time the Mavericks face SU at its on-campus arena.
Omaha's only win in the all-time series came Dec. 22, 2013 at Ralston Arena by a score of 76-69.
Omaha vs. the WAC
Thursday's meeting at Seattle marks the Mavericks' 15th meeting with a WAC team in the Division I era and their first since 2016. All-time, Omaha is 6-8 against WAC competition.
Last Time Out: Mavericks Drop Decision at ASU, 89-71
Omaha continued its road swing last Wednesday, falling 89-71 to Arizona State at Wells Fargo Arena. Zach Jackson led a contingent of three double-figure scorers for the Mavericks, finishing with 17 points on four 3-pointers. Matt Pile shot 7-of-8 en route to 15 points with a team-high five rebounds, an assist, a steal and two blocks. JT Gibson added 12 points with four 3-pointers.
ASU shot .516 (33-of-64) to Omaha's .459 (28-of-61), and the Mavericks hit at a .500 (13-of-26) clip from 3-point range. The Sun Devils had the advantage on the glass, 41-27, including 14-7 on the offensive end.
Action Jackson
Zach Jackson ranked in the top five in the Summit League in 2017-18 for scoring, field goal percentage, field goals made and free throws made, averaging 17.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Over the first eight games this season, he has a team-best 20.1 points with 3.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He ranks as the third-best scorer in the Summit League and is also third for free throws made (33), fourth for steals (12) and points (161) and fifth for 3-point percentage (.474) and field goals made (55).
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 enters Thursday's game on a streak of six straight games with double-figure scoring, averaging 15.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals per contest in that span. At Colorado (Nov. 16), he had 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting with six boards, three assists and two steals, then followed with a career-high-tying 21 points with two rebounds, three assists and three steals at Bethune-Cookman (Nov. 20).
Gibson is Omaha's active career leader for threes made (115) and assists (121).
JT for Three
JT Gibson is the only Omaha player to hit a three in all eight games this season. Last year, he knocked one down in a career-long 19 straight games from Nov. 20, 2017 to Jan. 25, 2018.
The Brooklyn Park, Minn., native needs just one trey at Seattle to break into Omaha's top 15 for career triples. He has five straight games with at least three treys.
The Evolution of Zach Jackson
Zach Jackson has been a four-year starter, averaging 11.3 points and 4.2 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 19th all-time for scoring with 1,153 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 424 rebounds over his career, needing 76 to become the 12th player in school history with at least 1,000 points and 500 boards.
The Pile Driver
Nov. 9 vs. Northern Arizona, sophomore Matt Pile grabbed his second career double-double with 10 points and a season-high 11 rebounds. The Goddard, Kan., native has scored in double digits four 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 of the season. Pile ranked third in the Summit League for blocks (32) last year and is Omaha's active career leader in the category with 40.
Ayo!
Ayo Akinwole made his first start of the season Nov. 24 vs. Montana State, and the Papillion-LaVista product came to play. Akinwole had a perfect shooting day, finishing 8-of-8 from the field, including 4-of-4 from deep, en route to a career-high 20 points. He also had four rebounds, a season-high six assists and a career-high-tying three steals.
Akinwole's 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio ranked third among Summit League players last season, and six games into 2018-19, he is fourth on the list at 2.5. He appeared in all 31 games as a freshman, including four starts, and averaged 3.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists over 15.5 minutes per game.
Compared to the Opposition
Over its eight contests this season, Omaha has:
•More or equal field goals made compared to its opponent five times
•More or equal 3-point field goals made compared to its opponent five times
•More or equal free throws made compared to its opponent two times
•More or equal rebounds compared to its opponent three times
•More or equal assists compared to its opponent three times
•More or equal steals compared to its opponent five times
•Fewer or equal turnovers compared to its opponent six times
•More or equal blocks compared to its opponent three times
Up Next
Omaha travels to Oregon on Saturday, Dec. 8. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore., and the game will be televised on Pac-12 Network and Pac-12 Oregon. Gary Sharp will have the radio call on 1290 KOIL, and links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.
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