Thursday, January 17
Macomb, Ill.
7 p.m.
Omaha
at
Western Illinois
Photo by: Mark Kuhlmann
Omaha Visits Western Illinois Thursday
Jan 16, 2019 | Men's Basketball
Leading Off
The Omaha men's basketball team hits the road again for a visit to Western Illinois this Thursday, Jan. 17. 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 video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.
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Quick Hits
• Through the first four games of league play, Omaha ranks in the top third of the Summit League for scoring (second at 89.3), field goal percentage (third at .508), field goals made per game (third at 32.5), 3-point percentage (first at .446), free throw percentage (second at .767), free throws made per game (first at 14.0), offensive rebounds per game (9.3), assists per game (first at 18.0) and fewest turnovers per game (first at 9.0).
• Five Mavericks are averaging 10 or more points per game: Zach Jackson (17.6 ppg), JT Gibson (14.2 ppg), Mitch Hahn (11.0 ppg), Matt Pile (11.0 ppg) and KJ Robinson (10.1 ppg).
• Omaha is one of three league teams -- with South Dakota State and Purdue Fort Wayne -- with at least two players in the conference's top 10 for scoring. Jackson is fifth (17.6 ppg), and Gibson is ninth (14.2 ppg).
• The Mavericks, who rank 17th nationally and first in the Summit League for fewest turnovers per game, have had single-digit turnovers in eight of the last nine games.
• The Mavericks' assist-to-turnover ratio has jumped from 0.9 in the first nine games to 2.0 over the last eight.
• Gibson has not committed more than one turnover in a game since Dec. 15 at Idaho. In the six games since then, he has a 7.7 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Omaha is six wins shy of two century marks: its 100th win since gaining membership in the Summit League in 2012-13 and Derrin Hansen's 100th career conference win since taking the reins of the Maverick program in 2005-06.
• 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 are both team captains for the second straight year.
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Scouting the Western Illinois Leathernecks
Western Illinois is 6-12 (1-4 Summit League) after suffering its third straight loss, 71-65 last Saturday at North Dakota. Three players scored in double figures: Isaac Johnson (16), Kobe Webster (15) and Brandon Gilbeck (14). Gilbeck also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds and had two blocks and three steals.
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WIU, which finished 12-16 (3-11 Summit League) a year ago, was voted ninth in the Summit League's preseason poll. Gilbeck and Webster were both named to the Preseason All-Summit Second Team.
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Head coach Billy Wright holds a career record of 44-75 over five years at Western Illinois.
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All-Time Against Western Illinois
Thursday marks the 21st meeting between Omaha and Western Illinois, and the all-time series is tied at 10-10 and 7-7 in the Mavericks' Division I era. Omaha has won six of the last seven meetings, including four straight with back-to-back series sweeps in 2016-17 and 2017-18. WIU has a 5-2 advantage in Macomb since 2011-12.
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Omaha and WIU last met Feb. 8, 2018 in Macomb, where the Mavericks won 71-68.
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Last Time Out: Hahn's Clutch Three Lifts Omaha in 92-91 Comeback Thriller at UND
Omaha erased a 14-point first-half deficit and punctuated it with a clutch three from Mitch Hahn with eight seconds left last Thursday, earning a 92-91 win over North Dakota at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. Matt Pile had a career-high 20 points with 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the year and his second in as many games, hitting 8-of-14 from the field. Hahn's second double-double of the season came on 17 points, a season-high-tying 11 boards and two assists, and his only 3-pointer of the night was the go-ahead triple in the closing seconds.
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Zach Jackson added 15 points, six rebounds and two assists, and JT Gibson chipped in 13 points, two boards, two assists and a steal.
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North Dakota shot .500 (32-of-64) for the night, ahead of Omaha's .470 (31-of-66). The Mavericks, however, outshot UND from distance and at the line and outrebounded the Hawks 42-31, including 15-9 on the offensive glass. Nineteen Omaha points came on second looks.
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Scoring Notables
• Over the last five games, Matt Pile has shot .627 (32-of-51), and Mitch Hahn .559 (33-of-59).
• Five Mavericks have made at least four triples in a single game this season: Gibson (seven times), Zach Jackson, Hahn and KJ Robinson (twice each) and Ayo Akinwole (once).
• Omaha has had five double-figure scorers six times, most recently vs. North Dakota State (Jan. 2). All five starters have scored in double figures on two occasions.
• The Mavericks have shot .500 or better as a team six times.
• Omaha has twice had two players with 20 or more points on the same night: Gibson (21) and Jackson (20) at Bethune-Cookman (Nov. 20) and Jackson (33) and Akinwole (20) vs. Montana State (Nov. 24).
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Threes, Please
Omaha ranks 50th nationally as a team with 157 3-pointers made and 18th nationally with a .393 shooting percentage from distance. JT Gibson has been a major factor from long range, and the junior is 55th in the country for 3-point percentage (.418).
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The Mavericks have eight games with double-digit triples this season.
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Action Jackson
Over 17 games in his senior campaign, Zach Jackson has a team-best 17.6 points with 3.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 0.9 steals per game. He is the fifth-best scorer in the Summit League and also ranks fourth among league players for free throws made (63). Jackson's 10 straight games in double figures from Nov. 6 to Dec. 8 is the longest of any Omaha player this season, and he carries a six-game double-figure streak into Thursday's game at Western Illinois.
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JT's Junior Year
JT Gibson has scored in double figures in all but two games this season, including a nine-game streak from Nov. 14 - Dec. 15 and his current five-game stretch. He has scored 15 or more points in a night on seven occasions, highlighted by a career-high 22 points with three rebounds, three assists and a steal vs. Denver (Dec. 28), followed by 21 points, three boards, a career-high eight assists and three steals vs. Oral Roberts (Dec. 30).
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Gibson has seven games with four or more 3-pointers, led by a five-triple efforts at Oregon (Dec. 8) and vs. Denver (Dec. 28). He ranks fifth in the Summit League for 3-pointers made (46) and fourth for steals (24).
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Gibson, who has scored in 49 straight games, is Omaha's active career leader for threes made and assists (150).
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JT for Three
JT Gibson is the only Omaha player to hit a three in all 17 games this season. Last year, he knocked one down in a career-long 19 straight games from Nov. 20, 2017 to Jan. 25, 2018.
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With a team-high 46 treys, he ranks fifth among Summit League players. The Brooklyn Park, Minn., native broke into Omaha's top 15 for career triples Dec. 6 at Seattle and now ranks 12th (138).
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Milestones in the Making for Jackson
Zach Jackson came into 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 13th all-time for scoring with 1,292 points.
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Jackson also has 461 rebounds over his career, needing 39 to become the 12th player in school history with at least 1,000 points and 500 boards.
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On Jan. 2, Jackson joined the top 20 in school history for career field goals and is now 18th with 435 made.
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Feelin' Hahn, Hahn, Hahn
Mitch Hahn has been a major factor in Omaha's success of late, as the senior has averaged 16.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game with .570 shooting over the last seven games, scoring in double figures in each one. The numbers are up from his previous 10 games, during which he had 7.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game and shot .308 from the floor and .229 from three.
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The Fremont, Neb., native also owns three games with at least three 3-pointers, hitting three apiece against Minnesota (Nov. 6) and Northern Arizona (Nov. 14) and a season-best four at Idaho (Dec. 15) and vs. North Dakota State (Jan. 2). He has two double-doubles on the year: the first at Rice (Dec. 21) with 18 points/11 rebounds and the second at North Dakota (Jan. 10) with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
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The Pile Driver
Matt Pile is shooting at a .626 clip in his sophomore campaign, ranking third among Summit League players. He also ranks fourth for offensive rebounds (44) and fifth for rebounds per game (7.2).
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The Goddard, Kan., native has scored in double digits 11 times this year. He delivered back-to-back doubles vs. North Dakota State (Jan. 2) with 19 points/12 rebounds and at North Dakota (Jan. 10) with a career-best 20 points/10 boards. Over the last nine games, Pile has five double-doubles and has averaged 12.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per contest.
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Just a year and a half into his career, Pile's is Omaha's active career leader in for blocks (45) and is tied with Mitch Hahn for the lead in double-doubles (seven).
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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 that night and has since averaged 10.2 points, 1.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in the nine-game stretch. With a 2.9 assist-to-turnover ratio this year, he ranks 33rd nationally.
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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).
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The Evolution of Zach Jackson
Zach Jackson has been a four-year starter, averaging 11.6 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. Jackson has scored in 64 straight contests dating back to Jan. 7, 2017 and has 66 consecutive starts since Dec. 29, 2016.
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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.
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Double the Trouble, Double the Fun
Matt Pile (20 points/10 rebounds) and Mitch Hahn (17 points/11 rebounds) both had double-doubles at North Dakota last Thursday. It marked the first time this season Omaha has had two double-doubles in the same game.
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Compared to the Opposition
Over its 17 contests this season, Omaha has:
               •More or equal field goals made compared to its opponent 10 times
               •More or equal 3-point field goals made compared to its opponent 10 times
               •More or equal free throws made compared to its opponent six times
               •More or equal rebounds compared to its opponent six times
               •More or equal assists compared to its opponent nine times
               •More or equal steals compared to its opponent 12 times
               •Fewer or equal turnovers compared to its opponent 13 times
               •More or equal blocks compared to its opponent eight times
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Up Next
Omaha welcomes South Dakota on Sunday, Jan. 20, with tipoff set for 6 p.m. at Baxter Arena. The game will be broadcast on YurView Cox Channel 1013, Midco and ESPN+ with Donny Baarns and Kyler Erickson on the call. 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 Omaha men's basketball team hits the road again for a visit to Western Illinois this Thursday, Jan. 17. 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 video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.
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Quick Hits
• Through the first four games of league play, Omaha ranks in the top third of the Summit League for scoring (second at 89.3), field goal percentage (third at .508), field goals made per game (third at 32.5), 3-point percentage (first at .446), free throw percentage (second at .767), free throws made per game (first at 14.0), offensive rebounds per game (9.3), assists per game (first at 18.0) and fewest turnovers per game (first at 9.0).
• Five Mavericks are averaging 10 or more points per game: Zach Jackson (17.6 ppg), JT Gibson (14.2 ppg), Mitch Hahn (11.0 ppg), Matt Pile (11.0 ppg) and KJ Robinson (10.1 ppg).
• Omaha is one of three league teams -- with South Dakota State and Purdue Fort Wayne -- with at least two players in the conference's top 10 for scoring. Jackson is fifth (17.6 ppg), and Gibson is ninth (14.2 ppg).
• The Mavericks, who rank 17th nationally and first in the Summit League for fewest turnovers per game, have had single-digit turnovers in eight of the last nine games.
• The Mavericks' assist-to-turnover ratio has jumped from 0.9 in the first nine games to 2.0 over the last eight.
• Gibson has not committed more than one turnover in a game since Dec. 15 at Idaho. In the six games since then, he has a 7.7 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Omaha is six wins shy of two century marks: its 100th win since gaining membership in the Summit League in 2012-13 and Derrin Hansen's 100th career conference win since taking the reins of the Maverick program in 2005-06.
• 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 are both team captains for the second straight year.
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Scouting the Western Illinois Leathernecks
Western Illinois is 6-12 (1-4 Summit League) after suffering its third straight loss, 71-65 last Saturday at North Dakota. Three players scored in double figures: Isaac Johnson (16), Kobe Webster (15) and Brandon Gilbeck (14). Gilbeck also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds and had two blocks and three steals.
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WIU, which finished 12-16 (3-11 Summit League) a year ago, was voted ninth in the Summit League's preseason poll. Gilbeck and Webster were both named to the Preseason All-Summit Second Team.
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Head coach Billy Wright holds a career record of 44-75 over five years at Western Illinois.
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All-Time Against Western Illinois
Thursday marks the 21st meeting between Omaha and Western Illinois, and the all-time series is tied at 10-10 and 7-7 in the Mavericks' Division I era. Omaha has won six of the last seven meetings, including four straight with back-to-back series sweeps in 2016-17 and 2017-18. WIU has a 5-2 advantage in Macomb since 2011-12.
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Omaha and WIU last met Feb. 8, 2018 in Macomb, where the Mavericks won 71-68.
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Last Time Out: Hahn's Clutch Three Lifts Omaha in 92-91 Comeback Thriller at UND
Omaha erased a 14-point first-half deficit and punctuated it with a clutch three from Mitch Hahn with eight seconds left last Thursday, earning a 92-91 win over North Dakota at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. Matt Pile had a career-high 20 points with 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the year and his second in as many games, hitting 8-of-14 from the field. Hahn's second double-double of the season came on 17 points, a season-high-tying 11 boards and two assists, and his only 3-pointer of the night was the go-ahead triple in the closing seconds.
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Zach Jackson added 15 points, six rebounds and two assists, and JT Gibson chipped in 13 points, two boards, two assists and a steal.
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North Dakota shot .500 (32-of-64) for the night, ahead of Omaha's .470 (31-of-66). The Mavericks, however, outshot UND from distance and at the line and outrebounded the Hawks 42-31, including 15-9 on the offensive glass. Nineteen Omaha points came on second looks.
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Scoring Notables
• Over the last five games, Matt Pile has shot .627 (32-of-51), and Mitch Hahn .559 (33-of-59).
• Five Mavericks have made at least four triples in a single game this season: Gibson (seven times), Zach Jackson, Hahn and KJ Robinson (twice each) and Ayo Akinwole (once).
• Omaha has had five double-figure scorers six times, most recently vs. North Dakota State (Jan. 2). All five starters have scored in double figures on two occasions.
• The Mavericks have shot .500 or better as a team six times.
• Omaha has twice had two players with 20 or more points on the same night: Gibson (21) and Jackson (20) at Bethune-Cookman (Nov. 20) and Jackson (33) and Akinwole (20) vs. Montana State (Nov. 24).
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Threes, Please
Omaha ranks 50th nationally as a team with 157 3-pointers made and 18th nationally with a .393 shooting percentage from distance. JT Gibson has been a major factor from long range, and the junior is 55th in the country for 3-point percentage (.418).
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The Mavericks have eight games with double-digit triples this season.
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Action Jackson
Over 17 games in his senior campaign, Zach Jackson has a team-best 17.6 points with 3.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 0.9 steals per game. He is the fifth-best scorer in the Summit League and also ranks fourth among league players for free throws made (63). Jackson's 10 straight games in double figures from Nov. 6 to Dec. 8 is the longest of any Omaha player this season, and he carries a six-game double-figure streak into Thursday's game at Western Illinois.
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JT's Junior Year
JT Gibson has scored in double figures in all but two games this season, including a nine-game streak from Nov. 14 - Dec. 15 and his current five-game stretch. He has scored 15 or more points in a night on seven occasions, highlighted by a career-high 22 points with three rebounds, three assists and a steal vs. Denver (Dec. 28), followed by 21 points, three boards, a career-high eight assists and three steals vs. Oral Roberts (Dec. 30).
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Gibson has seven games with four or more 3-pointers, led by a five-triple efforts at Oregon (Dec. 8) and vs. Denver (Dec. 28). He ranks fifth in the Summit League for 3-pointers made (46) and fourth for steals (24).
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Gibson, who has scored in 49 straight games, is Omaha's active career leader for threes made and assists (150).
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JT for Three
JT Gibson is the only Omaha player to hit a three in all 17 games this season. Last year, he knocked one down in a career-long 19 straight games from Nov. 20, 2017 to Jan. 25, 2018.
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With a team-high 46 treys, he ranks fifth among Summit League players. The Brooklyn Park, Minn., native broke into Omaha's top 15 for career triples Dec. 6 at Seattle and now ranks 12th (138).
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Milestones in the Making for Jackson
Zach Jackson came into 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 13th all-time for scoring with 1,292 points.
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Jackson also has 461 rebounds over his career, needing 39 to become the 12th player in school history with at least 1,000 points and 500 boards.
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On Jan. 2, Jackson joined the top 20 in school history for career field goals and is now 18th with 435 made.
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Feelin' Hahn, Hahn, Hahn
Mitch Hahn has been a major factor in Omaha's success of late, as the senior has averaged 16.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game with .570 shooting over the last seven games, scoring in double figures in each one. The numbers are up from his previous 10 games, during which he had 7.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game and shot .308 from the floor and .229 from three.
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The Fremont, Neb., native also owns three games with at least three 3-pointers, hitting three apiece against Minnesota (Nov. 6) and Northern Arizona (Nov. 14) and a season-best four at Idaho (Dec. 15) and vs. North Dakota State (Jan. 2). He has two double-doubles on the year: the first at Rice (Dec. 21) with 18 points/11 rebounds and the second at North Dakota (Jan. 10) with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
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The Pile Driver
Matt Pile is shooting at a .626 clip in his sophomore campaign, ranking third among Summit League players. He also ranks fourth for offensive rebounds (44) and fifth for rebounds per game (7.2).
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The Goddard, Kan., native has scored in double digits 11 times this year. He delivered back-to-back doubles vs. North Dakota State (Jan. 2) with 19 points/12 rebounds and at North Dakota (Jan. 10) with a career-best 20 points/10 boards. Over the last nine games, Pile has five double-doubles and has averaged 12.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per contest.
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Just a year and a half into his career, Pile's is Omaha's active career leader in for blocks (45) and is tied with Mitch Hahn for the lead in double-doubles (seven).
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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 that night and has since averaged 10.2 points, 1.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in the nine-game stretch. With a 2.9 assist-to-turnover ratio this year, he ranks 33rd nationally.
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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).
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The Evolution of Zach Jackson
Zach Jackson has been a four-year starter, averaging 11.6 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. Jackson has scored in 64 straight contests dating back to Jan. 7, 2017 and has 66 consecutive starts since Dec. 29, 2016.
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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.
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Double the Trouble, Double the Fun
Matt Pile (20 points/10 rebounds) and Mitch Hahn (17 points/11 rebounds) both had double-doubles at North Dakota last Thursday. It marked the first time this season Omaha has had two double-doubles in the same game.
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Compared to the Opposition
Over its 17 contests this season, Omaha has:
               •More or equal field goals made compared to its opponent 10 times
               •More or equal 3-point field goals made compared to its opponent 10 times
               •More or equal free throws made compared to its opponent six times
               •More or equal rebounds compared to its opponent six times
               •More or equal assists compared to its opponent nine times
               •More or equal steals compared to its opponent 12 times
               •Fewer or equal turnovers compared to its opponent 13 times
               •More or equal blocks compared to its opponent eight times
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Up Next
Omaha welcomes South Dakota on Sunday, Jan. 20, with tipoff set for 6 p.m. at Baxter Arena. The game will be broadcast on YurView Cox Channel 1013, Midco and ESPN+ with Donny Baarns and Kyler Erickson on the call. 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.
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