This Week
After a six-day break, the Omaha men's basketball team (3-3, 0-0 Summit League) returns to action this Monday, Dec. 8 with a trip to Air Force. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. at Clune Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo., and the game will be broadcast live by Mountain West Network with Jim Arthur on play-by-play and Matt Pauley providing color commentary. It will also be carried live on 1180 Zone 2 with Gary Sharp calling the action, and fans can 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.

Scouting the Air Force Falcons
Air Force enters the week with a record of 4-3 (0-0 Mountain West) after recording a 59-34 win over Grambling State on Dec. 3. The Falcons were led by 11 points from Matt Mooney, in addition to 10 points and nine rebounds from Justin Hammonds. Marek Olesinski also chipped in six points and eight boards.

Air Force is led by fourth-year head coach Dave Pilipovich, who has a career record of 36-41.

Monday marks the fifth meeting all-time between Air Force and Omaha. The Falcons lead the series 4-0, and the two teams last faced each other on Jan. 7, 1960, when Air Force won 90-41.

Quick Hits
•Omaha is 2-2 against Mountain West competition since moving to NCAA Division I in 2011-12.
•The Mavericks have scored 20 or more points off turnovers in half of their games this season.
•UNO has six players average 8.0 or more points per game this season, and seven different Mavericks have scored in double figures in at least one game.
•According to kenpom.com, UNO is second the country 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).
•Omaha had its fastest start of the season at Nebraska on Nov. 25, surging ahead 23-7 in the first five minutes of play.
•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 on Nov. 22 and added another .500 effort against Nevada on Nov. 29. In the last three years, Omaha is 16-5 when shooting .500 or better as a team, including a perfect 2-0 this season.
•UNO tallied double-digit offensive rebounds in each of their first three games: 26 vs. Central Arkansas, 11 at Seattle and 11 at Marquette.
•Carter made at least two 3-pointers in his first three games of the season, including a career-high-tying four triples at Marquette.
•Since the 2012-13 season, Omaha is 17-9 when Carter scores 15 or more points in a game.
•The Mavericks have hit at least three 3-pointers in 59 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: Wildcats Surge Past Omaha, 84-66
Omaha visited Kansas State on Tuesday night, falling 84-66 at Bramlage Coliseum. Senior guard CJ Carter led all scorers with 22 points, shooting 9-for-15 from the field with a pair of threes. He was also 2-for-2 at the line and added two assists and two steals.

Junior guard Marcus Tyus tallied nine points for the Mavericks, while senior forward Mike Rostampour had three points, seven rebounds and a steal. Freshman forward Tre'Shawn Thurman finished with five points, nine rebounds, two assists, three steals and three blocks.

As a team, Omaha shot 25-of-57 (44 percent) from the field to Kansas State's 32-of-60 (53 percent). K-State outrebounded UNO, 42-25.

Stacking Up Nationally
The Mavericks have jumped into the top 50 in the national statistical rankings, as Omaha's 80.3 points per game ranks 27th among Division I programs. Additionally, Omaha is 36th with 8.8 steals per game.

Individually, junior guard Devin Patterson is 36th with 5.7 assists per game.

Tracking Tre'Shawn
Freshman forward Tre'Shawn Thurman has made five straight starts since Nov. 19, becoming the first UNO freshman to earn a start since CJ Carter in 2011-12. Thurman finished with a season bests of 18 points and five blocks against Nevada on Nov. 29, the most blocks by any Maverick since Gabe Zweiner tallied five against Nebraska-Kearney on Dec. 3, 2005.

Thurman followed his five blocks against the Wolf Pack with three at Kansas State on Dec. 2. He is the first player to have three or more blocks in back-to-back games since Jerry Bennett did in 2007-08 with three apiece against North Dakota and Fort Lewis.

Thurman has averaged 9.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game in his debut season, tallying three double-digit scoring efforts. He also led the Mavericks with a season-high nine rebounds at Kansas State on Dec. 2.

House of Carter
CJ Carter's position in UNO's record books has been rapidly rising during his senior season. He is 10th all-time for career assists (285), 12th in steals (117), 13th in 3-pointers made (106) and 17th in scoring (1,117 points). The Omaha native is just seven points away from tying former Maverick Tyler Bullock (2009-11) for 16th on the scoring list.

Additionally, Carter has 392 field goals in the last four years, 10 away from breaking into the school's top 20.

Starting It Off
Three Mavericks have been the first player to come off the bench in Omaha's six games this season: Randy Reed once and Rylan Murry and Tim Smallwood three times apiece.

Four different players have scored Omaha's first points of the game in 2014-15: Jake White, Devin Patterson, Marcus Tyus and Tre'Shawn Thurman. When Tyus records UNO's first score, the Mavericks are a perfect 2-0 this season.

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 184-225 over all teams on the regular-season slate.

Up Next
Omaha returns to action on Wednesday, Dec. 10, hosting Iowa Wesleyan. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Ralston Arena, and Gary Sharp will also have the call of the game live on 1180 Zone 2. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.