Weekly Release

The UNO men's basketball team (7-4, 4-3 MIAA) looks for its fifth straight MIAA win this week, traveling to Central Missouri (8-5, 3-4 MIAA) on Saturday, Jan. 8 at 3:30 p.m.

Nebraska-Omaha last took the court on Wednesday, Jan. 5, capturing an 83-70 win over Truman for its fourth straight victory. Four Mavericks finished with double-figure scoring -- Mitch Albers (24), Tyler Bullock (21), Alex Welhouse (13) and Torrian Harris (11). Harris also pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds for his second career double-double, and John Karhoff grabbed nine boards of his own for a career best.

Central Missouri dropped an 83-59 loss at Fort Hays State on Wednesday night, and Dominique Jones topped the squad with 19 points and five boards. The Bulldogs are led by Boo Hunter's 16.5 points per game, while Joel Barkers averages a team-best 6.5 rebounds per contest.

Last Time Out
Central Missouri leads the series with UNO 5-2 all-time, as the two teams last squared off on Feb. 17, 2010 when the Mules took an 89-84 win in Warrensburg. The Mavericks last defeated UCM 81-71 in 2009 in Omaha.

In last year's meeting at UCM, Tyler Bullock finished with 27 points on 11-for-20 shooting from the field, as well as five rebounds and three assists. Dion Curry also pulled down a team-leading seven boards and 16 points, and Andrew Bridger dished out six assists with 10 points.

Mavericks Rank in Top Teams Nationally
UNO has the fifth-lowest average for turnovers per game in the NCAA's Division II rankings through Jan. 2, as the Mavs have 11.7 turnovers per contest. The mark is just behind Minnesota State (11.4 TOPG), Hillsdale (11.5), Concordia-St. Paul (11.6) and Metro State (11.6).

Individually, senior guard Tyler Bullock is 45th in the country in scoring (19.3 PPG) through games of Jan. 2, 52nd in assists per game (4.9 APG) and 71st in steals (2.1 SPG).

How They Stack Up
UCM's top scorer is Boo Hunter (16.5 points per game), while UNO is led by Tyler Bullock, who is fourth in the MIAA with 19.5 ppg. Central Missouri also boasts one of the league's top rebounders in Joel Barkers, who ranks 12th with 6.5 boards per game. The Mavs rely on Torrian Harris on the glass, as he has 6.6 rebounds per contest for 10th in the MIAA standings.

    Category                           UNO           UCM
    Scoring Offense               77.5            74.7
    Scoring Defense              75.4            70.1
    Scoring Margin                 +2.1            +4.6
    Rebounds Per Game       33.5            38.6
    Rebounding Margin           -5.7            +5.2
    FG Percentage                 .450           .429
    FG Defense                      .435           .419
    3-Pt. FG Percentage        .298           .340
    3-Pt. FG Defense             .346           .347
    Free Throw Percentage   .728           .731
    Assists Per Game            13.7           12.0
    Blocks Per Game              3.1             2.3
    Steals Per Game               7.3             5.5
    Assist/Turnover Ratio        1.2             0.9

Harris Emerges as Dual Threat
Senior guard Torrian Harris has had a strong senior season in 2010-11, averaging double-figure scoring and leading the Mavericks on the boards. Harris has 11.7 points per game, which ranks third on the team, as well as a squad-best 6.6 rebounds per contest, which is 10th-best in the MIAA. In addition, the Saginaw, Mich., native started off his final season with a memorable exhibition game at Michigan State, where he faced his half-brother, Draymond Green. Harris has since started all 11 games and has hit double-figure scoring in seven of those contests.

Martin Continues Climb Up Career Triples Chart
Senior Jeff Martin ranks among the top long-range shooters in program history with 133 career triples. He is seventh all-time entering this weekend's match-up and needs 28 more to tie Michael Jenkins (2005-09), who had 161 for sixth place on the list. Martin leads the Mavericks from deep in 2010-11 with 30 3-pointers.

Last season, Martin closed his junior campaign in style, hitting five 3-pointers in an NCAA Tournament game against Tarleton State to set the UNO school record for treys in a season (98). The mark surpassed former Maverick Zac Robinson's 96 3-pointers, set in 2006-07.

    UNO Career 3-Point Leaders
    1. Zac Robinson (2002-07) -- 248           7. Jeff Martin (2008-present) -- 133
    2. Mike Simons (1996-2000) -- 230         8. Troy Kloewer (1993-97) -- 131
    3. Dan Morrow (1999-2003) -- 186          9. Denny Johnston (2004-08) -- 125
    4. Seth Nelson (1999-2003) -- 181         10. Patrick Voss (1997-2001) -- 121
    5. Andrew Bridger (2006-10) -- 164        11. Mitch Albers (2007-present) -- 114
    6. Michael Jenkins (2005-09) -- 161

Coming Home
Junior guard Mitch Albers is a familiar face in the Maverick lineup in 2010-11, as he returns to UNO after a year on the Nebraska roster for the 2009-10 season. Albers transferred back to UNO after redshirting a year with the Huskers, and he brings back a major scoring presence for the Mavs.

As a sophomore in 2008-09, Albers made his way into the UNO record books, totaling 440 points for the year, which ranks 20th all-time for a season. The Papillion, Neb., native averaged 15.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game and earned honorable mention All-MIAA honors. Albers, who started all 28 games, also shot .476 from the field, as well as a .434 clip from long range.

Albers ranks 11th in school history with 114 career 3-pointers. He needs seven more to tie Patrick Voss (1997-2001) for 10th place, and also trails senior Jeff Martin's 133 shots from long-range, which is seventh-most in the Maverick record books.

Albers notched a team-leading 14 points for the Mavericks in an exhibition at No. 2 Michigan State on Nov. 8, seeing his first action in a UNO uniform since March 2009. He has since averaged 15.3 points in regular-season play, which ranks second on the team, highlighted a season-high 25 points against Northwest Missouri State on Dec. 11 and again at Missouri Western on Jan. 2.

Preseason Honoree Bullock Leads Mavericks Into 2010-11 Season
Senior guard Tyler Bullock is UNO's top returning player this season, having been named an honorable mention All-American by the Division II Bulletin a year ago. The Bulletin also named Bullock a preseason honorable mention All-American and tabbed him the preseason player of the year for the MIAA.

Through games of Jan. 5, Bullock has averaged 19.5 points per game, highlighted by a season-best 28-point performance at Emporia State on Dec. 8. He tops the Mavericks in scoring, assists (51), steals (22), field goals made (74-of-145) and free throws made (66-of-85).

In 2009-10, Bullock earned first-team All-MIAA status and ranked second in the league in scoring with 19.0 points per game. In addition to his conference and national recognition, he was a second-team all-region pick by Daktronics. Bullock started all 31 games and was 40th in the country in free throw percentage with a .856 clip. The business finance major is also a standout in the classroom, having been named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll the last two years.

On the way to a league championship, Bullock averaged 20 points in UNO's three MIAA Tournament games and was subsequently named the tournament's most valuable player. He reached double-figure scoring in 27 of 31 games and also scored 20 or more points on 15 occasions. His 588 total points for the season was the fourth-highest single-season total in school history.

Hansen Approaches 100-Win Milestone
Head coach Derrin Hansen is in his sixth season at the helm of the UNO men's basketball program, having taken the job after serving as an assistant coach for seven years with former Maverick head coaches Kevin McKenna and Kevin Lehman. Hansen boasts a career record of 98-63 over the first five-plus years of his head coaching career and needs just two more wins to reach the 100-win mark, which he could hit as soon as Jan. 12 against Southwest Baptist. He has the second-most victories of any coach in program history, behind only Bob Hanson, who amassed a record of 382-313 from 1969 to 1994.

Hansen has coached or assisted teams that have earned five trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament, while also garnering two regular-season league titles and three tournament crowns. In 2007-08, his squad recorded a school-record 25 wins in its final season of North Central Conference play. The Mavs won their final NCC Tournament and earned their first appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament since 2004-05.

Last year, UNO won its first MIAA championship in only its second season as members of the league. The Mavericks finished with a record of 22-9.

As a player at Nebraska Wesleyan, Hansen's 1988 squad advanced to the NCAA Division III semifinals, and while serving as a student coach, the 1990 Plainsmen advanced to the final 16. He graduated with his bachelor's degree from NWU in 1991.

UNO Coming Off Remarkable 2009-10 Season
The UNO men's basketball team had a solid 2009-10 season, capturing the first MIAA tournament championship in program history and qualifying for the NCAA Division II Tournament for the 12th time. The Mavericks posted a record of 22-9 (12-8), and Tyler Bullock and Andrew Bridger both garnered All-MIAA recognition. Bullock was also an honorable mention All-America selection by the Division II Bulletin after averaging 19.0 points per game and ranking second in the league in scoring.

Maverick Trio Named to 2009-10 NABC Honors Court
Three Mavericks were named to the 2009-10 NABC Honors Court for their performance in the classroom last year, the NABC announced in July. Former Maverick Andrew Bridger, as well as current seniors Tyler Bullock and Jeff Martin were all part of the list. Criteria includes junior or senior academic standing, a cumulative grade-point average of 3.2 or higher and at least one year of matriculation at his NCAA Division I, II or III or NAIA institution.

Bridger, who is now a graduate assistant with the UNO men's basketball program, graduated with his bachelor's degree in business management in May 2010. Bullock is pursuing a degree in business finance, and Martin graduated alongside Bridger in May with his bachelor's degree in business administration.

Mavs Chosen Third in MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll
Nebraska-Omaha was picked to finish third in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association's 2010-11 preseason polls, the league office announced in October. The preseason conference standings are chosen in a survey of MIAA head coaches and media members.

The Mavericks earned 102 points in the coaches poll and 157 in the media list, as well as two first-place votes in each poll. The 12 conference coaches selected Fort Hays State as their preseason favorite and Central Missouri at No. 2, while media voters picked UCM first, followed by FHSU.

Next Up for the Mavs...
UNO returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 12, hosting Southwest Baptist. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Sapp Fieldhouse.