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The UNO men's basketball team (3-5) finishes the second half of a challenging weekend, traveling to perennial power Michigan State on Sunday, Dec. 4. Sunday's game is set for 1 p.m. (CT) at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich., and it will be broadcast live on ESPN3.com. Links to live stats, live video and live audio will be available on OMavs.com.
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 is in his seventh year at the helm of the UNO program with a career record of 113-73. 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 Division II 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, and Steffensmeier has moved into a starting role this year.
Last Time Out
The Mavericks last took the court on Saturday, Dec. 3, earning their first win against a fellow Division I opponent with a 77-72 victory at Northern Illinois. Senior guard Mitch Albers paced the Mavs with a game-leading 26 points, shooting 7-for-11 from the field and banking in five 3-pointers, all of which came in the first half. Sophomore center John Karhoff added a career-high 21 points on 9-for-11 shooting, and sophomore guard Caleb Steffensmeier chipped in 11 points with a pair of threes. Junior forward Alex Welhouse led UNO on the glass, pulling down a career-best 12 rebounds. As a team, the Mavericks shot 52.9 percent from the floor and committed a season-low nine turnovers.
Scouting the Michigan State Spartans
Michigan State enters Sunday's game with an overall record of 5-2 and a five-game win streak, having most recently taken the court in a 65-49 win over Florida State on Nov. 30 in East Lansing. Senior forward Draymond Green leads MSU in nearly every major category, averaging 13.1 points, 10.9 rebounds. 2.9 assists, 2.0 assists and 1.0 blocks per game. Green is the half-brother of former Maverick guard Torrian Harris, who completed his UNO career in 2010-11 after earning MIAA All-Defensive Team recognition.
This weekend's match-up marks the first meeting between the two programs, though they did meet last year in an exhibition game in East Lansing. In that contest, the Spartans took a 102-72 victory behind 25 points from Kalin Lucas, 16 points from Green and 15 from Keith Appling. Nebraska Omaha was led by Mitch Albers' 14 points.
Mavs Rank Among Nation's Best in Assists
Through games of Nov. 30, UNO ranks 18th nationally among Division I schools with 17.1 assists per game. As a team, the Mavericks have compiled 132 helpers over eight games, and their assist-to-turnover ratio sits at 1.2.
Albers Moves Into Top Five for Career Scoring
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 ranked 10th in UNO history.
After an 11-point effort against Washburn on Tuesday, Albers moved into the top five in school history for career scoring. With his team-leading 26 points at Northern Illinois on Saturday, he is 37 points away from tying for fourth place with Phil Cartwright, who had 1,457 points from 1988 to 1992.
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 needs 396 points -- an average of 18.9 points per game for the remaining 21 contests this season -- 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.
In addition, through games of Nov. 30, Albers ranks 46th nationally in scoring with 19.4 points per game.
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. Mitch Albers (2007-present) -- 1,420
6. Mike Simons (1986-2000) -- 1,387
7. Seth Nelson (1999-2003) -- 1,363
8. Calvin Forest (1970-74) -- 1,351
9. Thor Palamore (1987-91) -- 1,309
10. Stan Schaetzle (1953-57) -- 1,278
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 ranks eighth for all-time 3-pointers with 146, needing eight to tie former Maverick Michael Jenkins (161). Albers is also sixth all-time with 504 field goals made, just six behind No. 5 Thor Palamore, who had 510.
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) -- 153
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. Mitch Albers (2007-present) – 504
7. Jim Gregory (1977-81) – 491
8. Sam Singleton (1962-66) – 468
9. Glen Moberg (1975-79) – 450
Tom Thompson (1984-88) – 450
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.
Steff-ing Up
Nebraska Omaha earned its second win of the year in dramatic fashion last Saturday, Nov. 26, taking an 81-78 win over Chadron State behind a heroic game-winning shot from sophomore guard Caleb Steffensmeier. With the score tied 78-78 with 5.8 seconds to go, the ball was inbounded to Steffensmeier, who made a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from approximately 28 feet out to win the game. The Creighton Prep product finished with a career-high-tying 12 points, as well as a career-best seven assists, two rebounds and a steal.
So Long to the Sapp
The 2011-12 season marks the UNO men's basketball team's final year playing in venerable Sapp Fieldhouse, home of UNO basketball since 1949. In 2012-13, when the Mavericks begin playing a full Summit League conference schedule, they will also move their home games to the new Ralston Sports and Event Center on 72nd and Q Streets. The venue is currently under construction and is expected to open in the fall of 2012 with a capacity of 4,000 seats.
Starter Carter
Freshman guard CJ Carter, who has started all eight games of the season, is the first true freshman to start since former point guard Andrew Bridger did so in 2006-07. Carter had a stellar debut in his first collegiate game against IPFW, leading UNO with a season-high 18 points. The Omaha Benson product shot 7-for-12 from the field and was 3-for-4 from 3-point range, while also chipping in a team-best two steals over 34 minutes of work.
Over eight games, Carter has averaged 10.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and a team-best 1.5 steals per game, and he has five double-figure scoring efforts.
Freeman Finding His Way
Junior guard Bill Freeman stepped right into the Mavericks' lineup at IPFW on Nov. 12, playing 22 minutes off the bench. In that time, Freeman went 5-for-8 from the field with a pair of 3-pointers and was 2-for-2 at the free throw line. The transfer from Ellsworth Community College racked up a career-best 14 points for the day and also pulled down five rebounds, which was second-most on the team, while also chipping in two assists and a steal.
Over the first eight games, Freeman has averaged 6.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.8 steals per game. He pulled down a team-leading seven boards against Chadron State on Nov. 26, which also marked a career high.
Mixed 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 faced an early set of challenges, opening with five games over 10 days. Four of those five contests were 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.
New Kids on the Block
Five of the Mavericks' six newcomers earned have earned playing time in UNO's first seven games: freshmen CJ Carter and Mitchell Farr and juniors Bill Freeman, Tyler Egli and Jacques Coleman. Carter, who is in UNO's starting five, played 34 minutes in his debut, while Freeman had a significant 22 minutes off the bench at IPFW.
Over eight games, Freeman has averaged 14.9 minutes, 6.3 points and 3.4 rebounds off the bench. Carter, as a starter, plays an average of 31 minutes per game, accounting for 10.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and a team-leading 1.5 steals per contest.
Welhouse Well-Prepared for Junior Year
After starting the last 12 games of 2010-11, junior forward Alex Welhouse has been back at it in UNO's starting five this season. Over eight games, he has been the Mavs' leading rebounder, averaging 7.9 boards per game, as well as 9.4 points per contest. Welhouse pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds at Northern Illinois on Dec. 3, and he tops UNO with 12 threes made.
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 became a starter last year after averaging 10.0 points per game off the bench. He finished with 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 has opened his second-year campaign in the same role. At Northern Illinois on Saturday, Karhoff accounted for a career-high 21 points on 9-for-11 shooting from the field, and it marked his sixth straight double-figure scoring effort.
The Creighton Prep product averaged 6.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest in 2010-11, 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 in 2011-12, 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 113-73 over the first six-plus 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 action on Tuesday, Dec. 6, traveling to Benedictine College. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. in Atchison, Kan.
