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The UNO men's basketball team (0-0) opens a new era as a Division I program on Saturday, Nov. 12, traveling to future Summit League foe IPFW. Tipoff is slated for Noon (CT) at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind. Nebraska Omaha is in its first year as a reclassifying Division I school in 2011-12.

The Mavericks are led by Head Coach Derrin Hansen, who enters his seventh year at the helm of the UNO program with a career record of 110-68. Senior guard Mitch Albers returns after earning all-conference honors a year ago, when he averaged 17.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Albers also ranked 31st nationally in free throw percentage (.876).

UNO returns six letterwinners from the 2010-11 squad in Albers, senior John Ring, junior Alex Welhouse and sophomores John Karhoff, Caleb Steffensmeier and Matt Hagerbaumer. Albers, Welhouse and Karhoff were all part of the Mavs' starting lineup last season.

Last Time Out
The Mavericks last took the court at the 2011 MIAA Tournament on March 6 in Kansas City, Mo., falling to Missouri Southern 88-85 in the semifinal round. Tyler Bullock finished with 20 points, four rebounds, four assists and a steal. Three other Mavericks joined Bullock in double-figure scoring -- Jeff Martin (17), Mitch Albers (15) and Alex Welhouse (13). Martin tallied five 3-pointers -- four in the first half alone -- to take sole possession of fifth place all-time at UNO for career treys. Bullock and Welhouse each added three 3-pointers, and Albers had a pair of triples to his credit. Welhouse and Torrian Harris led the Mavs on the glass, pulling down six rebounds apiece.    

Scouting the IPFW Mastodons
IPFW opens regular season play on Saturday after earning an 83-54 exhibition win over Trine on Nov. 7. In 2010-11, the Mastodons finished with an overall record of 18-12 (11-7 Summit League). Saturday's game between IPFW and Nebraska Omaha marks the first time the two programs will face each other.

The Mastodons' leading scorer from last season, junior guard Frank Gaines, returns after averaging 14.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game. Senior forwards Trey McCorkle (8.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 0.7 bpg) and John Peckinpaugh (2.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.7 apg) were also starters a year ago.

Mavericks Reclassify to Division I
Nebraska Omaha announced in March 2011 its plan to reclassify from NCAA Division II to Division I, beginning with the 2011-12 school year. UNO, which was previously a member of the MIAA, accepted an invitation to join The Summit League and will compete as a full-fledged member with a regular-season conference schedule in 2012-13.

UNO Schedule Takes Mavericks Around the Nation
UNO's 2011-12 schedule includes 16 Division I games, three Division II opponents and nine NAIA pairings, and the team will play in 14 different states and all four time zones across the country. The Division I portion of the slate matches UNO with opponents from seven different conferences: The Summit League, Big Ten, Horizon League, Mid-Eastern Athletic (MEAC), Mid-American (MAC), Mountain West and the Western Athletic (WAC).

The Mavericks will face an early set of challenges, opening with five games over 10 days. Four of those five contests are on the road at IPFW (Nov. 12), UMKC (Nov. 16), South Dakota (Nov. 20) and North Dakota State (Nov. 22), all of which will be Summit League peers in 2012-13.

Albers Set to Lead Nebraska Omaha in 2011-12
One of six returning letterwinners, senior guard Mitch Albers is UNO's undisputed leader on the court entering 2011-12. The returning All-MIAA selection finished his junior year by averaging 17.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, while also leading the league in free throw percentage (.876) and ranking 31st nationally in the same category.

Albers became the 32nd member of UNO's 1,000 Point Club on Jan. 12 last season, as he dropped 29 points on Southwest Baptist. The Papillion-LaVista graduate wrapped up his junior campaign with 1,258 career points, which ranks 10th in UNO history, and his next target on the scoring list is Stan Schaetzle, who had 1,278 from 1953 to 1957.

Despite never leading in the Mavs in scoring during his first three seasons, Albers still has the possibility of breaking  the school scoring record. He will need 559 points -- an average of 19.3 points per game -- to pass Dean Thompson's career mark. Thompson, one of the most decorated Mavericks in program history, had 1,816 points from 1980 to 1984.

UNO Career Scoring Leaders
1. Dean Thompson, Jr. (1980-84) -- 1,816
2. Dennis Forrest (1973-77) -- 1,660
3. Michael Jenkins (2005-09) -- 1,556
4. Phil Cartwright (1988-92) -- 1,457
5. Mike Simons (1986-2000) -- 1,387
6. Seth Nelson (1999-2003) -- 1,363
7. Calvin Forest (1970-74) -- 1,351
8. Thor Palamore (1987-91) -- 1,309
9. Stan Schaetzle (1953-57) -- 1,278
10. Mitch Albers (2007-present) -- 1,258

Albers Continues Climb on Field Goals, 3-Point Lists
In addition to the watch for Mitch Albers' climb up the UNO all-time career scoring list, attention should be paid to the senior's place on the career field goals and career 3-pointers records. He enters his senior season ranked eighth for all-time 3-pointers with 144, needing 17 to tie former Maverick Michael Jenkins (161). Albers is also 10th in all-time with 445 field goals made, just five behind Glen Moberg and Tom Thompson, who both had 450.
    
UNO Career 3-Point Leaders
1. Zac Robinson (2002-07) -- 248
2. Mike Simons (1996-2000) -- 230
3. Dan Morrow (1999-2003) -- 186
4. Seth Nelson (1999-2003) -- 181
5. Jeff Martin (2008-11) -- 164
    Andrew Bridger (2006-10) -- 164
7. Michael Jenkins (2005-09) -- 161
8. Mitch Albers (2007-present) -- 139
9. Troy Kloewer (1993-97) -- 131
10. Denny Johnston (2004-08) -- 125

UNO Career Field Goal Leaders
1. Dean Thompson (1980-84) -- 740
2. Dennis Forrest (1973-77) – 661
3. Phil Cartwright (1988-92) – 627
4. Calvin Forrest (1970-74) – 547
5. Thor Palamore (1987-91) – 510
6. Jim Gregory (1977-81) – 491
7. Sam Singleton (1962-66) – 468
8. Glen Moberg (1975-79) – 450
    Tom Thompson (1984-88) – 450
10. Mitch Albers (2007-present) – 445

Welhouse Well-Prepared for Junior Year
Junior forward Alex Welhouse moved into the starting five midway through last season, earning the nod after averaging 10.0 points per game off the bench.

The Kaukauna, Wis., native had nine double-figure scoring performances in his final 16 games, including back-to-back contests with 15 points at Pittsburg State and against Washburn. Welhouse hit 34 3-pointers in the span and finished his sophomore campaign with a .430 3-point shooting percentage that was second in the MIAA. His 8.6 points per game also ranked fourth on the team.

Karhoff Back as Mavs' Big Man in the Middle
Sophomore John Karhoff was the Mavericks' starting center for nearly the entire 2010-11 season as a redshirt freshman, and he will open his second-year campaign in the same role. The Creighton Prep product averaged 6.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest, as well as 0.6 blocked shots. Karhoff also had seven double-figure scoring performances, and he tallied his first of two career double-doubles with 10 points and 12 rebounds against Fort Hays State.

Hansen Enters Seventh Year at UNO
Head coach Derrin Hansen enters in his seventh 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 110-68 over the first six years of his head coaching career and hit the century mark on Jan. 12, 2011. 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, and the Mavs won their final NCC Tournament to advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time since 2004-05. In 2009-10, UNO earned an NCAA Tournament berth by capturing the MIAA Tournament crown in just its second year as a member of the league.

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.

Next Up for the Mavs
UNO returns to Omaha to host its home opener at Sapp Fieldhouse on Monday, Nov. 14, hosting Concordia. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., and live stats, video and audio will be available through OMavs.com.