Senior Daniel Norl and the Omaha men's basketball team host Fort Wayne Saturday night at Baxter Arena.
Photo by: Mark Kuhlmann
Omaha Set for Saturday Night Rematch With Fort Wayne
Feb 9, 2018 | Men's Basketball
This Weekend
The Omaha men's basketball team closes its home weekend this Saturday, Feb. 10, hosting Fort Wayne. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Baxter Arena, 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.
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Quick Hits
• Four Mavericks are averaging double-figure scoring: Zach Jackson (18.4 ppg), Daniel Norl (12.5 ppg), JT Gibson (11.0 ppg) and Mitch Hahn (10.4 ppg).
• With his 25 points Thursday against Western Illinois, Jackson has now passed the 900 career points milestone.
• KJ Robinson's 18 points Thursday night were his highest scoring total since 25 vs. Tennessee Tech on Nov. 24.
• Jackson has tallied in double figures in 19 straight games and in that span, has averaged 19.5 points and 6.9 rebounds while shooting .562 from the field, .476 from 3-point range and .844 from the free throw line.
• Jackson averaged 17.4 points per game in non-conference games and is up to 20.2 ppg in league play. He also has 1.6 assists per game in league games, compared to 0.6 apg in non-conference.
• Norl is a perfect 9-of-9 at the line since Jan. 25. His streak of nine straight double-figure scoring games came to an end Thursday night.
• Ayo Akinwole's 2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio is third among Summit League players.
• 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 nine times overall this year.
• Omaha returned seven letterwinners from its 2016-17 squad, including a Summit League All-Newcomer pick in Hahn.
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Scouting the Fort Wayne Mastodons
Fort Wayne is 16-11 (5-5 Summit League) following an 86-69 road loss to South Dakota Thursday night. Bryson Scott went over the 600-point plateau for the season, scoring 23 points. John Konchar added 18 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double.
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Head coach Jon Coffman is in his fourth season with Fort Wayne, carrying a career record of 76-49.
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Saturday's game marks the 15th meeting all-time between Omaha and Fort Wayne, with the Mastodons leading the series, 11-3, including 10-3 in the Division I era. The two teams last met on Jan. 13 in Fort Wayne, Ind., where the Mastodons prevailed 82-78.
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Last Time Out: Omaha Sweeps Season Series With Western Illinois in 71-68 Win
Omaha earned its seventh home win of the season Thursday night, topping Western Illinois 71-68 at Baxter Arena. Junior Zach Jackson's 10th 20-point scoring performance of the season came on a game-high 25 points. The Wichita, Kan., native finished 8-of-14 from the field with four 3-pointers and added five rebounds, an assist and a block.
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Sophomore KJ Robinson posted 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting with a pair of threes alongside two boards, a team-leading three assists and a steal. Sophomore JT Gibson chipped in nine points on three triples, and Daniel Meyer had eight points and two rebounds off the bench as well. Freshman Matt Pile pulled down a game-high nine rebounds for the night.
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Omaha finished at .464 (26-of-56) from the field with nine treys, while WIU shot at a .509 (27-of-53) clip with 11 threes. The Mavericks outrebounded the Leathernecks 34-24 and tied their season low of seven turnovers.
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Action Jackson
Junior Zach Jackson is in his third year as a starter, averaging team bests of 18.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. The Wichita, Kan., native has scored in double figures in all but one game, including 10 20-point scoring performances.
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Jackson ranks in the top five in the Summit League in six categories: third for free throws made (100) and fourth for points (461), points per game (18.4), field goals made (162), field goal percentage (.538) and 3-point percentage (.400).
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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.
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Gibson at Full Strength
Sophomore JT Gibson is third on the team for scoring with 11.0 points per game and has 10 double-figure scoring efforts this season. Omaha's triples leader, he owns 15 performances with two or more treys this season. Additionally, Gibson is a perfect 23-of-23 at the free throw line since beginning his streak Nov. 14 at New Mexico.
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With 96 career assists to his credit, he is Omaha's active career leader in the category.
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Here's to You, Mr. Robinson
Sophomore KJ Robinson has assumed a starting role in 2017-18, averaging 9.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He has scored in double figures in three straight games against North Dakota State (Jan. 25), South Dakota State (Jan. 30) and Western Illinois (Feb. 8), averaging 14.0 points per contest.
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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).
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Robinson had four straight double-figure scoring performances from Nov. 17-25.
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Norl's Senior Campaign
Senior Daniel Norl has been strong in his senior season, ranking second on the team for scoring with 12.5 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).
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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 18.7 minutes per game since then. In that stretch, Pile has boosted his averages to 6.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. He earned his first career start Jan. 30 at South Dakota State.
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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 put together a six-block performance vs. Denver (Jan. 18), which marked the most of any Maverick since Adam Wetzel's six in 2002.
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Pile ranks third in the Summit League for blocks (29) this season and is tied with Daniel Meyer as the Mavericks' active career leader in the category.
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Feelin' Hahn, Hahn, Hahn
Junior Mitch Hahn is back in the lineup after more than seven weeks out due to injury. To start the season, Hahn scored in double figures in three straight games with 12 points at Montana State (Nov. 10), 13 at Oklahoma (Nov. 12) and a season-high 16 at New Mexico (Nov. 14). After missing three games from Nov. 17-25, he returned to the lineup vs. Drake (Nov. 29), posting four points, five rebounds and two assists. He followed up with a double-double on 15 points and 10 rebounds at Washington (Dec. 3) and another with 13 points and 13 rebounds at UC Santa Barbara (Dec. 5). After suffering an injury late in the game Dec. 5 at UCSB, he was out of commission until returning Jan. 25 at North Dakota State.
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Welcome Back, Renard
Senior Renard Suggs made his Maverick debut vs. Montana State (Dec. 21) and has 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).
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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.
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Home Sweet Homaha
Omaha had a record of 8-4 at home last season, and the Mavericks averaged 90.9 points per game with a 12.6 margin of victory at Baxter Arena.
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The Mavericks play 12 games at home in 2017-18, and seven of their eight wins have come at Baxter. They won five straight in their own facility to start before South Dakota State snapped the streak on Jan. 6.
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Up Next
Omaha visits Denver on Wednesday, Feb. 14, with tipoff set for 8 p.m. CT at Magness Arena in Denver, Colo. The game will be televised live on Altitude 2, 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 closes its home weekend this Saturday, Feb. 10, hosting Fort Wayne. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Baxter Arena, 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.
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Quick Hits
• Four Mavericks are averaging double-figure scoring: Zach Jackson (18.4 ppg), Daniel Norl (12.5 ppg), JT Gibson (11.0 ppg) and Mitch Hahn (10.4 ppg).
• With his 25 points Thursday against Western Illinois, Jackson has now passed the 900 career points milestone.
• KJ Robinson's 18 points Thursday night were his highest scoring total since 25 vs. Tennessee Tech on Nov. 24.
• Jackson has tallied in double figures in 19 straight games and in that span, has averaged 19.5 points and 6.9 rebounds while shooting .562 from the field, .476 from 3-point range and .844 from the free throw line.
• Jackson averaged 17.4 points per game in non-conference games and is up to 20.2 ppg in league play. He also has 1.6 assists per game in league games, compared to 0.6 apg in non-conference.
• Norl is a perfect 9-of-9 at the line since Jan. 25. His streak of nine straight double-figure scoring games came to an end Thursday night.
• Ayo Akinwole's 2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio is third among Summit League players.
• 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 nine times overall this year.
• Omaha returned seven letterwinners from its 2016-17 squad, including a Summit League All-Newcomer pick in Hahn.
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Scouting the Fort Wayne Mastodons
Fort Wayne is 16-11 (5-5 Summit League) following an 86-69 road loss to South Dakota Thursday night. Bryson Scott went over the 600-point plateau for the season, scoring 23 points. John Konchar added 18 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double.
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Head coach Jon Coffman is in his fourth season with Fort Wayne, carrying a career record of 76-49.
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Saturday's game marks the 15th meeting all-time between Omaha and Fort Wayne, with the Mastodons leading the series, 11-3, including 10-3 in the Division I era. The two teams last met on Jan. 13 in Fort Wayne, Ind., where the Mastodons prevailed 82-78.
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Last Time Out: Omaha Sweeps Season Series With Western Illinois in 71-68 Win
Omaha earned its seventh home win of the season Thursday night, topping Western Illinois 71-68 at Baxter Arena. Junior Zach Jackson's 10th 20-point scoring performance of the season came on a game-high 25 points. The Wichita, Kan., native finished 8-of-14 from the field with four 3-pointers and added five rebounds, an assist and a block.
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Sophomore KJ Robinson posted 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting with a pair of threes alongside two boards, a team-leading three assists and a steal. Sophomore JT Gibson chipped in nine points on three triples, and Daniel Meyer had eight points and two rebounds off the bench as well. Freshman Matt Pile pulled down a game-high nine rebounds for the night.
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Omaha finished at .464 (26-of-56) from the field with nine treys, while WIU shot at a .509 (27-of-53) clip with 11 threes. The Mavericks outrebounded the Leathernecks 34-24 and tied their season low of seven turnovers.
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Action Jackson
Junior Zach Jackson is in his third year as a starter, averaging team bests of 18.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. The Wichita, Kan., native has scored in double figures in all but one game, including 10 20-point scoring performances.
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Jackson ranks in the top five in the Summit League in six categories: third for free throws made (100) and fourth for points (461), points per game (18.4), field goals made (162), field goal percentage (.538) and 3-point percentage (.400).
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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.
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Gibson at Full Strength
Sophomore JT Gibson is third on the team for scoring with 11.0 points per game and has 10 double-figure scoring efforts this season. Omaha's triples leader, he owns 15 performances with two or more treys this season. Additionally, Gibson is a perfect 23-of-23 at the free throw line since beginning his streak Nov. 14 at New Mexico.
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With 96 career assists to his credit, he is Omaha's active career leader in the category.
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Here's to You, Mr. Robinson
Sophomore KJ Robinson has assumed a starting role in 2017-18, averaging 9.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He has scored in double figures in three straight games against North Dakota State (Jan. 25), South Dakota State (Jan. 30) and Western Illinois (Feb. 8), averaging 14.0 points per contest.
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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).
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Robinson had four straight double-figure scoring performances from Nov. 17-25.
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Norl's Senior Campaign
Senior Daniel Norl has been strong in his senior season, ranking second on the team for scoring with 12.5 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).
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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 18.7 minutes per game since then. In that stretch, Pile has boosted his averages to 6.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. He earned his first career start Jan. 30 at South Dakota State.
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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 put together a six-block performance vs. Denver (Jan. 18), which marked the most of any Maverick since Adam Wetzel's six in 2002.
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Pile ranks third in the Summit League for blocks (29) this season and is tied with Daniel Meyer as the Mavericks' active career leader in the category.
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Feelin' Hahn, Hahn, Hahn
Junior Mitch Hahn is back in the lineup after more than seven weeks out due to injury. To start the season, Hahn scored in double figures in three straight games with 12 points at Montana State (Nov. 10), 13 at Oklahoma (Nov. 12) and a season-high 16 at New Mexico (Nov. 14). After missing three games from Nov. 17-25, he returned to the lineup vs. Drake (Nov. 29), posting four points, five rebounds and two assists. He followed up with a double-double on 15 points and 10 rebounds at Washington (Dec. 3) and another with 13 points and 13 rebounds at UC Santa Barbara (Dec. 5). After suffering an injury late in the game Dec. 5 at UCSB, he was out of commission until returning Jan. 25 at North Dakota State.
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Welcome Back, Renard
Senior Renard Suggs made his Maverick debut vs. Montana State (Dec. 21) and has 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).
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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.
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Home Sweet Homaha
Omaha had a record of 8-4 at home last season, and the Mavericks averaged 90.9 points per game with a 12.6 margin of victory at Baxter Arena.
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The Mavericks play 12 games at home in 2017-18, and seven of their eight wins have come at Baxter. They won five straight in their own facility to start before South Dakota State snapped the streak on Jan. 6.
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Up Next
Omaha visits Denver on Wednesday, Feb. 14, with tipoff set for 8 p.m. CT at Magness Arena in Denver, Colo. The game will be televised live on Altitude 2, 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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