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The UNO men's basketball team (11-16) hits the road for a rematch with Cal State Bakersfield this weekend, facing the Roadrunners on Saturday, Feb. 25. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. (CT) at Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield, Calif., and links to live stats 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 121-84.

Brief Notes
•Saturday's game will be a rematch between UNO and Cal State Bakersfield, as the two teams played just two weeks ago in Omaha. The Roadrunners left with a 75-65 win on UNO's Senior Day, but the Mavs got a team-leading 24 points from senior guard Mitch Albers. Sophomore center John Karhoff added 18 points and eight rebounds.
•Albers moved up to No. 2 in school history for career scoring on Feb. 2, and he is now 48 points away from passing Dean Thompson (1,816) for the UNO career scoring record.
•The Mavericks have just two games left on their 2011-12 schedule, as the team is not eligible for any postseason play with the NCAA reclassification period.

Maverick Coaches to Support ON THE LINE Prostate Cancer Awareness Campaign
The entire UNO men's basketball coaching staff will wear blue bowties at this weekend's game at Cal State Bakersfield to show support for the national ON THE LINE campaign, which educates and raises awareness for prostate cancer. In a joint collaboration between ON THE LINE and the Black Coaches and Administrators (BCA), Feb. 18-26 is Statement Week. Blue is the official color of prostate cancer awareness, and hundreds of coaches across the country will wear the special bowties to join the effort on impacting men's health. More information is available at ONTHELINE.com.

Last Time Out
The Mavericks last took the court on Wednesday, Feb. 15, defeating in-state rival Nebraska-Kearney 85-68 at Sapp Fieldhouse on Alumni Night. The game was the team's final performance at the facility, as men's basketball will play its home games to the new Ralston Sports and Event Center beginning with the 2012-13 season.

Junior forward Alex Welhouse paced UNO with a career-high-tying 24 points on career-best 6-for-9 shooting from 3-point range. Welhouse added eight rebounds, a pair of assists and a block.

Senior guard Mitch Albers added 19 points, six rebounds and three assists, and freshman guard CJ Carter had 14 points, six boards, four assists and a trio of steals. Sophomore center John Karhoff contributed 10 points with perfect 4-for-4 free throw shooting, in addition to four rebounds and an assist, while sophomore forward Matt Hagerbaumer also pulled down eight rebounds for the night.

Scouting the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners
Cal State Bakersfield enters Saturday's game with an overall record of 15-14, most recently defeating New Jersey Tech, 72-70 in overtime, on Wednesday. Donald Johnson led the way with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Tyrone White added 14 points with four 3-pointers. Stephon Carter also chipped in 11 points, and Issiah Grayson added another 10. The victory also sealed career win No. 200 for Head Coach Rod Barnes, who is in his first season at CSUB.

The Roadrunners lead the all-time series against UNO, 1-0. The squads last faced each other on Feb. 12 at Sapp Fieldhouse.

Mavs Rank Among Nation's Best in Assists
Through games of Feb. 20, UNO is eighth in the nation with 16.7 assists per game and 12th nationally among Division I schools with 452 total assists as a team. The Mavericks' assist-to-turnover ratio sits at 1.2

Albers Moves Up to No. 2 for Career Scoring
Senior guard Mitch Albers became the 32nd member of UNO's 1,000 Point Club on Jan. 12, 2011, 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 Nov. 29 this season, Albers moved into the top five in school history for career scoring. With his 19 points against Nebraska-Kearney last week, he sits at second all-time with 1,769 points.

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 48 points -- an average of 24 points per game for the remaining two 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 Feb. 20, Albers ranks 25th nationally in scoring with 18.9 points per game.

UNO Career Scoring Leaders
1. Dean Thompson, Jr. (1980-84) -- 1,816
2. Mitch Albers (2007-present) -- 1,769
3. Dennis Forrest (1973-77) -- 1,660
4. Michael Jenkins (2005-09) -- 1,556
5. Phil Cartwright (1988-92) -- 1,457
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

Mitch's Marks
In addition to his drive for the Nebraska Omaha career scoring record, Mitch Albers ranks among the best in school history in multiple categories. He is fourth in field goals made (625) and fourth in 3-pointers made (183). In recent weeks, Albers has also entered the school's top 20 for assists (15th – 226) and steals (16th – 100).

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 fifth for all-time 3-pointers with 183, just shy of Dan Morrow (186). Albers is also fourth all-time with 625 field goals made, only two behind Phil Cartwright (627).

UNO Career 3-Point Leaders
1. Zac Robinson (2002-07) -- 248
2. Mike Simons (1996-2000) -- 230
3. Dan Morrow (1999-2003) -- 186
4. Mitch Albers (2007-present) -- 183
5. Seth Nelson (1999-2003) – 181
6. Jeff Martin (2008-11) -- 164
    Andrew Bridger (2006-10) – 164
8. Michael Jenkins (2005-09) -- 161
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. Mitch Albers (2007-present) – 625
5. Calvin Forrest (1970-74) – 547
6. Thor Palamore (1987-91) – 510
7. Jim Gregory (1977-81) – 491
8. Sam Singleton (1962-66) – 468
9. Glen Moberg (1975-79) – 450
    Tom Thompson (1984-88) – 450

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, and Wednesday night will serve as the men's basketball finale at the facility. 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.

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
Through games of Feb. 19, sophomore guard Caleb Steffensmeier ranks third the nation with a 3.34 assist-to-turnover ratio among Division I players. For the year, he has 97 assists to 29 turnovers.

Steffensmeier had a starring role in Nebraska Omaha's second win of the year on Nov. 26, helping defeat Chadron State in dramatic fashion on Nov. 26. With the score tied 78-78, his game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer sealed the 81-78 win. At 5.8 seconds to go, the ball was inbounded to Steffensmeier, who made the buzzer-beater from approximately 28 feet out, finishing with 12 points, as well as a seven assists, two rebounds and a steal.

Against IPFW on Dec. 10, Steffensmeier posted a career mark with 11 assists to mark his first double-figure effort in the category. In addition, he had a career-best seven rebounds against Saint Mary on Dec. 15, and in the Mavs' game at Avila, he chipped in a career-high 15 points for the night.

Starter Carter
Freshman guard CJ Carter, who has started every game this 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 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.

Carter has since averaged 10.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game, and he has 16 double-figure scoring efforts. Against Coppin State on Dec. 30, Carter posted a career-high 21 points and went 5-for-6 from behind the arc. UNO's game against Doane also marked a career effort on the glass, as he finished with eight rebounds.

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 have earned playing time for UNO this season: 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 to open the year.

Last month, Egli was firing on all cylinders from 3-point range, posting a trio of threes on back-to-back nights Colorado State and Johnson & Wales. He totaled a career-high 11 points against JWU.

Coleman came on strong against Peru State on Feb. 2, chipping in a career-high marks of 15 points and six steals, as well as six rebounds.

Freeman has averaged 9.7 minutes, 4.1 points and 1.9 rebounds off the bench and recently put up a career-best 17 points against Peru State. Carter, as a starter, plays an average of 28.5 minutes per game, accounting for 10.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per contest.

Freshman forward Simon Krych is redshirting in 2011-12.

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. He has been the Mavs' leading rebounder, averaging 6.7 boards per game, as well as 10.3 points per contest, which is fourth on the squad. Welhouse pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds at Northern Illinois on Dec. 3, and he leads the team with 44 threes made. Welhouse has hit a career best of 24 points twice this season, first against IPFW on Dec. 10 and again last week against Nebraska-Kearney. He starred from behind the arc against the Lopers, knocking down a career-high six 3-pointers.

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 played his second-year campaign in the same role. At Northern Illinois on Dec. 3, Karhoff accounted for a career-high 21 points on 9-for-11 shooting from the field, and it marked six straight double-figure scoring efforts. In the last month, Karhoff was one of the Mavs' top scorers with eight consecutive double-figure performances from Dec. 19 to Jan. 21, including back-to-back 20-point games against Johnson & Wales and Briar Cliff.

Against Peru State, Karhoff pulled down eight rebounds -- all on the offensive end -- for his season high, then tied that mark against Cal State Bakersfield on Feb. 12.

Mavs Ink Tyus to National Letter of Intent
Guard Marcus Tyus signed a National Letter of Intent to join the UNO men's basketball program in 2012-13, Head Coach Derrin Hansen announced in November. A native of Ramsey, Minn., Tyus is a 6-1, 175-pound point guard from Anoka High School.

A first-team All-Northwest Suburban Conference player last year, Tyus averaged 21.2 points per game. He also averaged 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Tyus played AAU ball for the 43 Hoops program coached by former Minnesota Timberwolves player Chris Carr.

Tyus has had a solid senior season so far, averaging 26.2 points per game and ranks in the state's top 20 for scoring. Over three early contests, he scored 35, 36 and 28 points, and he was selected as KARE Athlete of the Week for the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

Bullock Joins Scranton Wilkes-Barre Steamers
Former UNO guard Tyler Bullock (2009-11) has embarked on his professional basketball career, joining the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Steamers of the Premier Basketball League for 2012. Based out of Scranton, Penn., the team opened its season earlier this month, and Bullock has averaged 10.7 points per game over nine appearances.

On Jan. 9, Bullock hit three 3-pointers and scored 12 of his 17 points in the final six minutes for a 120-106 win over the Lake Michigan Admirals. He added 10 points in a 107-97 victory over the Dayton Air Strikers on Jan. 14.

Scranton Wilkes-Barre most recently dropped a 132-127 loss to the Dayton Air Strikers, and Bullock chipped in 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting, four rebounds and three assists.

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 121-84 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 Wednesday, Feb. 29, hitting the road for a rematch at Western Illinois and the Mavs' final game of the season. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Waste Management Court at Western Hall in Macomb, Ill.