This Week
The Omaha men's basketball team returns home for a two-game homestand this week before the holiday break, beginning with Northern Colorado on Wednesday, Dec. 17. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Ralston Arena. Gary Sharp and former Maverick Grant Nieland will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2, and fans can also stream the audio on their smartphones by downloading NRG Media's app “1620 The Zone.” Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.

Fans are encouraged to arrive early, as Ralston Arena will offer $1 beers, sodas and hot dogs for the hour before tipoff.

Scouting the Northern Colorado Bears
Northern Colorado enters the week with a record of 4-4 (0-0 Big Sky) after falling 93-68 at Colorado on Saturday. Cameron Michael finished with 16 points with four 3-pointers for the Bears, and Tevin Svihovec added another 13 points. Dominique Lee had a big day on the glass, pulling down 17 rebounds, 10 of which were on the offensive side.

UNC is led by fifth-year head coach B.J. Hill, who owns a career record of 65-66.

Wednesday marks the 58th meeting all-time between Northern Colorado and Omaha. The Mavericks lead the series 30-27, and the two teams last faced each other on Jan. 25, 2003, when UNO won 88-66 at Sapp Fieldhouse in an NCC matchup.

Quick Hits
•Senior guard CJ Carter had a team-high 20 points at UMKC on Saturday, marking his fourth 20-point performance of the season and the 11th of his career.
•Junior guard Devin Patterson leads the Summit League in steals (23).
•UNO has five players who average 8.0 or more points per game, and seven different Mavericks have scored in double figures in at least one game.
•According to kenpom.com, UNO is second nationally in adjusted tempo, which estimates of the possessions per 40 minutes a team would have against a team that wants to play at an average Division I tempo. Omaha's adjusted tempo is listed at 77.3 (possessions per 40 minutes).
•Every player scored in Omaha's win over Iowa Wesleyan on Dec. 10, the only time that has happened this season.
•The Mavericks have scored 20 or more points off turnovers in four of their nine games so far.
•Omaha has taken a fast 16-point lead in the first five minutes of play in two games this year. The Mavericks went up 16-0 against Iowa Wesleyan on Dec. 10 and 23-7 at Nebraska on Nov. 25.
•UNO earned its first win over a power-six conference on Nov. 22 with a 97-89 triumph at Marquette.
•The Mavericks shot a season-best .571 at Marquette and added another .500 effort against Nevada on Nov. 29. In the last three years, Omaha is 17-5 when shooting .500 or better as a team, including a perfect 3-0 this season.
•UNO tallied double-digit offensive rebounds six of its nine games: 26 vs. Central Arkansas, 11 at Seattle, 11 at Marquette, 15 at Air Force, 11 vs. Iowa Wesleyan and 17 at UMKC.
•Since the 2012-13 season, Omaha is 17-10 when Carter scores 15 or more points in a game.
•The Mavericks have hit at least three 3-pointers in 62 consecutive contests since Dec. 9, 2012.
•Omaha leads the Summit League in points per game, field goals made per game and steals per game.
•The Mavericks were picked sixth in this year's Summit League preseason poll.

Last Time Out: UMKC Edges Past Mavericks, 79-72
Omaha was edged out at UMKC on Saturday afternoon, falling 79-72 at Municipal Auditorium. Senior guard CJ Carter scored a team-leading 20 points, adding five rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block. Freshman forward Tre'Shawn Thurman was right behind him with a season-high 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting, also finishing with eight boards, four steals, three blocks and an assist.

Junior guard Marcus Tyus chipped in another double-digit scoring effort, totaling 13 points with five rebounds, two helpers and a steal. Junior forward Jake White, making his first appearance since Nov. 16, grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds alongside six points and a pair of assists.

As a team, Omaha shot .424 (28-of-66) to UMKC's .436 (24-of-55), but the Mavericks outrebounded the 'Roos 46-34. UNO forced 18 UMKC turnovers but committed a season-high 26 miscues.

Stacking Up Nationally
The Mavericks have maintained their place the top 50 in the national statistical rankings, as Omaha's 78.8 points per game ranks 25th among Division I programs, and its 9.4 steals per game are 17th. Individually, junior guard Devin Patterson is 27th with 2.6 steals per game.

Home Sweet Home
The 2014-15 season marks UNO's third and final season playing at Ralston Arena, which serves as the home of Maverick men's basketball, Omaha Lancers hockey and Omaha Beef indoor football. The Mavs will play a full Summit League schedule this year with eight conference games, and in total they have 13 games on the slate at Ralston. In 2015-16, Omaha will move its games to the on-campus UNO/Community Arena, which is currently being constructed just south of Aksarben Village between 64th and 67th streets on Center Street.

Last season, Omaha was 11-4 at Ralston Arena. UNO's 11 home wins came at an average margin of 21.4 points, and the Mavs scored an average of 82.3 points per game on their home court while holding their opponents to 69.8.

On Nov. 16, UNO opened its season at Ralston Arena, defeating Central Arkansas by a 100-75 tally. They followed up with wins over Nevada, 78-54 on Nov. 29, and Iowa Wesleyan, 94-67 on Dec. 10, bringing their average margin of victory at home to 25.3.

House of Carter
CJ Carter's position in UNO's record books has been rapidly rising during his senior season. He is ninth all-time for career assists (293), 10th in steals (122), 13th in 3-pointers made (111), 15th in scoring (1,156 points) and 19th for field goals made (407). Last Monday at Air Force, the Omaha native passed former Mavericks Tyler Bullock (2009-11) and Andrew Bridger (2006-10) on the scoring list, and he is now four points away from tying Art Allen (1968-71) for 14th.

Mixed Schedule Takes Mavericks Around the Nation
Omaha's 2014-15 schedule includes 29 games, and the team will play in 11 states across the country. The schedule also features games against three 2014 NCAA Tournament teams -- Kansas State, Nebraska and defending Summit League champion North Dakota State. In total, UNO will square off with opponents from seven other conferences.

The Mavericks have never faced two of their opponents: Marquette and Kansas State. They hold a combined all-time record of 185-227 over all teams on the regular-season slate.

Up Next
Omaha returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 21, hosting UT Pan American. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. at Ralston Arena, and Gary Sharp and former Maverick Grant Nieland will have the call of the game live on KOIL 1290 AM. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.