This Week
The Omaha men's basketball team caps its three-game homestand with UMKC this Tuesday, Nov. 17. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Baxter Arena, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN3 and KSMO in Kansas City with Neil Harwell on play-by-play and Jaycie Pearson providing color commentary. Gary Sharp and Grant Nieland will also have the radio call on KOIL 1290 AM, and fans can stream the audio on their smartphones by downloading NRG Media's app “The Mighty 1290 AM.” Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.

Quick Hits
•Omaha is in the midst of a season-opening three-game homestand at Baxter Arena over five days. The last time the Mavericks began the season with three home games was 2002-03, when they hosted Mary, Rockhurst and Bellevue.
•UNO returns nine letterwinners from its 2014-15 team, including three starters in senior guards Marcus Tyus and Devin Patterson and sophomore forward Tre'Shawn Thurman. Tyus, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last February, did not play in the Mavericks' opening weekend.
•Newcomers Zach Jackson and Tra-Deon Hollins earned spots in the starting lineup last weekend, with Jackson becoming the first freshman to start a season opener since CJ Carter at Fort Wayne on Nov. 12, 2011.
•Two Mavericks are averaging double-figure scoring, both off the bench. Freshman guard JT Gibson has 10.5 points per game, while senior guard/forward Randy Reed II has 10.0 ppg.
•Omaha shot 53 percent (41-of-77) as a team with 13 threes against on Sunday, its most made from long range since 13 at South Dakota on Jan. 24, 2013. UNO's 104 points also marked its highest scoring total since posting 104 at Central Arkansas on Dec. 28, 2013.
•The Mavericks rank fifth nationally for total team steals (24), helped by Hollins, who is second individually for total steals (nine) and 18th for steals per game (4.5).
•According to kenpom.com, UNO is fourth 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 76.3, behind The Citadel (81.4), Coppin State (79.4) and BYU (77.0).

Scouting the UMKC Kangaroos
UMKC brings a record of 1-1 (0-0 WAC) to Tuesday's tilt at Baxter Arena. The Kangaroos opened the season last Friday with a 76-58 loss at Minnesota, then picked up their first win of the year Sunday against William Jewell, 73-59.

UMKC returns six letterwinners from its 2014-15 squad, including four starters in guard Martez Harrison, guard/forward Darius Austin, forward Shayok Shayok and center Thaddeus Smith. Harrison was named an honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press and was an NABC second-team all-district selection last season. The WAC Player of the Year, he led the conference in scoring (17.5 points per game), total steals (60) and total assists (129). Head coach Kareem Richardson is in his third year at UMKC and holds a career record of 25-40.

The 'Roos lead the all-time series with Omaha, 4-3. The last meeting between the two schools came Dec. 13, 2014, with UMKC winning 79-72 in Kansas City, Mo.

At a Glance: 2014-15
Omaha finished the 2014-15 season, its fourth and final year of reclassification to NCAA Division I, with a record of 12-17 (5-11 Summit League). Two Mavericks, guard CJ Carter and forward Mike Rostampour, earned all-conference recognition, as Carter garnered second-team plaudits and Rostampour was named honorable mention.

UNO finished the year on a three-game win streak on the road, defeating Fort Wayne 73-67, IUPUI 87-80 in double-overtime and North Dakota 80-78.

As a team, Omaha led the Summit League with 8.2 steals per game last year, spurred by guard Devin Patterson, who paced the conference with 59 steals. The Mavericks were also first in the conference for points per game (76.8), field goals made per game (26.4) and free throws made per game (17.7).

Last Time Out: Omaha Rolls Past Saint Mary's, 104-58
Omaha registered its first win at Baxter Arena Sunday afternoon with the help of six double-figure scorers, defeating Saint Mary's (Minn.) 104-58. Senior guard Tim Smallwood led all scorers with 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting with two 3-pointers. Freshman guard JT Gibson added points on 4-of-7 shooting with a trio of threes, along with six rebounds, two assists and a block.

Freshman center Zach Pirog had a strong effort with 12 points, a game-high eight rebounds and two blocks, while senior forward Jake White shot a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor for 11 points and four boards.

Junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins added 11 points, four rebounds, three assists and a game-high five steals, and freshman guard Zach Jackson rounded it out with 10 points, four boards, four assists, three steals and a block.

Of the 13 Mavericks who played, 12 scored at least one point and 12 recorded at least one rebound.

Welcome to Baxter Arena
This weekend marks Omaha's basketball debut at Baxter Arena, the Mavericks' new on-campus home at 67th and Center Streets. The 7,500-seat facility serves as the home of Omaha hockey, men's and women's basketball and volleyball. Omaha played its last three seasons at Ralston Arena and before that, it called Sapp Fieldhouse home.

Home Sweet Home Advantage
During head coach Derrin Hansen's career, Omaha has also won 71 percent of its home contests, going 98-41. The Mavericks secured their first win at Baxter Arena on Sunday, 104-58 vs. Saint Mary's (Minn.).

The 2014-15 season marked UNO's third and final season playing at Ralston Arena, which served as the home of Maverick men's basketball since 2012-13. Over three years at Ralston, Omaha posted a home record of 25-16.

Last season on its home court, UNO's average margin of victory was 17.3, and it scored an average of 79.8 points per game. Over the 10 previous years of the Hansen era, the Mavericks averaged 81.6 points per game at home at Sapp Fieldhouse and Ralston Arena, including 80.5 during the four Division I years.

#euromavs: A Maverick Adventure to Italy
Omaha embarked on its first overseas training trip August 12-22 of this year with a tour of Italy, spending 11 days in three cities with four games against foreign competition. The Mavericks won all four contests, defeating All Star Varese 85-43, Stellazzurra 75-39, Isernia 107-31 and Luiss University 81-41. Sophomore forward Daniel Meyer (11.5 points per game), senior forward Jake White (10.0 ppg) and senior guard/forward Randy Reed II (10.0 ppg) all averaged double-figure scoring for the trip.

The team stayed in Milan, Florence and Rome, and sightseeing activities included a private boat tour at Lake Como, visits to the Duomo, the Accademia Museum, Ponte Vecchio, Santa Maria Novella, the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain and tours of the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Vatican.

Pitter Patterson
Senior guard Devin Patterson is known for his quickness, and the Portsmouth, Va., native led the Summit League with 59 steals last year. Two games into his senior season, he is tied with Mike Simons (1996-99) for 11th on the Omaha career steals list with 121 in just over two seasons. Patterson's next hurdle is Corey Hahn (1998-2002), who had 130 steals.

He also joined the top 20 in school history for career assists last weekend with his total rising to 216, passing Paul Potter (1976-77), who had 215. Patterson's next target is Todd Trofholz (1977-80), who owned 217 helpers.

Tracking Tre'Shawn
After 30 blocked shots to his credit as a freshman and three so far this season, sophomore forward Tre'Shawn Thurman needs just three to enter the top 10 in school history for career blocks. The Omaha Central product had two Friday against UC Santa Barbara and another against Saint Mary's on Sunday.

Thurman started all but three games in his freshman season, becoming the first UNO freshman to earn a start since CJ Carter in 2011-12. Thurman finished with 18 points and a career-best five blocks against Nevada last year, 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, along with a career-high 19 points. He became the first player to have three or more blocks in back-to-back games since Jerry Bennett did so in 2007-08 with three apiece against North Dakota and Fort Lewis.

Thurman averaged 9.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game in his debut season, tallying 14 double-digit scoring efforts.

Zach Jack Attack
Freshman guard Zach Jackson made his first career start Friday night and scored the first basket at Baxter Arena with a jumper 52 seconds into the game. The Wichita, Kan., native finished with four points, two assists, two steals and a rebound in his debut, playing 25 minutes.

Jackson then scored the first basket in Sunday's game as well, posting 10 points, four boards, four assists, three steals and a block against Saint Mary's.

Gibson Provides a Spark
Freshman guard JT Gibson sparked Omaha in its second-half rally on Friday night, nailing back-to-back 3-pointers nine minutes in to start a 25-4 run over the next seven minutes of play. Gibson, last year's Gatorade Minnesota State Player of the Year, registered eight points, a rebound and assist in his Maverick debut. He became the first freshman to hit at least two triples in a season opener since CJ Carter did so at Fort Wayne on Nov. 12, 2011.

Gibson followed up with another sound performance off the bench on Sunday, finishing with 13 points and six rebounds while shooting 4-of-7 from the field with a trio of threes. He leads UNO with 10.5 points per game after the opening weekend of play.

Success in Season Openers
Omaha saw its season opener spoiled Friday as UC Santa Barbara tipped in a missed layup with three seconds left in the game, taking a 60-59 decision at Baxter Arena. It marked just the second season-opening loss in the Derrin Hansen coaching era, as UNO is 9-2 in season openers over the last 11 years.

In 2012-13, the Mavericks posted a 77-64 season-opening win against Northern Illinois at Ralston Arena, then defeated the Huskies again in DeKalb, Ill., 68-66, in 2013-14. Last season, the streak was extended to three straight season-opening victories, as the Mavs topped Central Arkansas, 100-75.

White Out
Despite nagging injury issues to start his junior season in 2014-15, forward Jake White was highly productive in the time he saw on the court last year. Over 20 appearances, including three starts, White averaged 7.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, the latter of which ranked second on the team. In those contests, he had five double-figure scoring efforts and two double-figure rebounding performances, including a season-high 13 points at South Dakota and a season-best 11 boards twice, vs. Central Arkansas and at UMKC.

Wiping Down the Offensive Glass
Omaha finished the 2014-15 season ranked second in the Summit League with 11.1 offensive boards per game, its highest average since head coach Derrin Hansen's first UNO team had 13.0 per game in 2005-06. Last year, the Mavericks tallied double-digit offensive rebounds in 62 percent (18 of 29) of their games, including a season-high 26 vs. Central Arkansas in the season opener.

Smallwood Steps Up
Senior guard Tim Smallwood moved into a starting role in the last six games of the 2014-15 season after Marcus Tyus suffered a season-ending injury. Smallwood stepped up, averaging 7.0 points per game with eight 3-pointers, second-most on the team during that six-game span. The Tulsa, Okla., native went off in a double-overtime win at IUPUI, hitting 5-of-7 seven shots from long range to finish with a career-high 15 points. He also had a standout effort on the glass in his start vs. Western Illinois, grabbing a career-high seven boards with a career-best-tying three steals.

Smallwood led the Mavericks on Sunday against Saint Mary's, posting a season-high 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers.

Stacking Up Nationally in 2014-15
The Mavericks maintained their place the top 20 in the 2014-15 national statistical rankings, as Omaha's 17.7 free throws made per game ranked eighth nationally among Division I programs. Its 8.2 steals per game were also 19th in their country, and its 76.8 points per game were 20th.

Individually, guard Devin Patterson was 16th with 2.2 steals per game.

Tyus On Track
While senior guard CJ Carter was the last Maverick to cross the 1,000 career points threshold, junior guard Marcus Tyus is the next UNO player on track to join the prestigious scoring club. In three seasons, he has amassed 787 career points, and if he reaches 1,000, Tyus will be the 36th UNO player to achieve the feat.

Tyus is also 16th on Omaha's career 3-pointers chart with 92 treys, just behind Charles Box (1995-98), who had 94.

TT for a D-D
Sophomore forward Tre'Shawn Thurman had the most recent double-double of any Maverick, tallying the first of his career with 14 points and 11 rebounds at IUPUI on Feb. 28, 2014. Prior to that, former Maverick forward Mike Rostampour accounted for eight of the last nine double-doubles by an Omaha player.

What Makes Up the Mavericks
•UNO returns 61 percent of its offensive production from last season, as this year's returners accounted for 1,361 of the Mavericks' 2,226 points. The returning nine are also credited for 69 percent (696) of last season's 1,009 rebounds.
•Senior guards Devin Patterson and Marcus Tyus are UNO's leading returning scorers after averaging 13.0 and 11.7 points per game, respectively, both of which ranked among the top 15 scorers in the Summit League. Patterson also led the league in steals (59) and was second in assists (104), while Tyus was third for 3-point percentage (.440).
•Patterson played the most minutes last season of any returner on this year's roster, averaging 30.5 minutes per game as a junior.
•Sophomore forward Tre'Shawn Thurman became the first Maverick freshman to start since 2011-12, breaking into the starting five in the second game of the season.
•UNO's 2015-16 roster includes six seniors, one junior, five sophomores and four freshmen.
•The Mavericks hail from eight different states. Six are from Nebraska, three are from Minnesota, and two are out of Kansas, while Oklahoma, Missouri, Virginia and Montana are all represented once on the roster.

White Achieving On and Off the Court
In addition to his contributions on the court, senior forward Jake White hit another milestone off the court last May.
As part of UNO's spring commencement, White graduated with his bachelor's degree in communications, and he is now pursuing a second bachelor's degree in emergency management this season.

Reed Named to NABC Honors Court
The National Association of Basketball Coaches released its 2014-15 NABC Honors Court in July, and the list included senior guard/forward Randy Reed II, who earned his first Honors Court award. Reed is a general studies major from St. Louis, Mo., and he carries a 3.47 grade-point average.

The Departure of Carter
One of Omaha's biggest losses from 2014-15 is former guard CJ Carter, who etched his named in the UNO career record books in his senior season. Carter finished at fifth all-time for career scoring (1,502 points), seventh for field goals made (533) and assists (343), eighth for steals (149), 10th for 3-pointers made (142) and 18th for blocks (40).

Championship Pedigree
Six players on Omaha's roster made appearances in state basketball championship games with their high school programs. Junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins and sophomore forward Tre'Shawn Thurman played on three state championship teams together at Omaha Central in 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13, and Hollins had another under his belt in 2009-10. Freshman forward Zach Jackson also won a state title with Wichita East in 2014-15.

Sophomore forward Daniel Meyer's Central Catholic squad made it to the Montana championship game in 2012-13, and freshman guard JT Gibson, from Champlin Park in Minnesota, and freshman center Zach Pirog, out of ThunderRidge in Colorado, each appeared in state championship contests in 2014-15.

Fresh Faces
The Mavericks have six new faces on the roster this year: junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins, sophomore forward Mitchell Hahn, freshmen guards JT Gibson and Zach Jackson, freshman forward Ben Kositzke and freshman center Zach Pirog. Five of the six will be eligible to play in 2015-16, and four -- Hollins, Gibson, Jackson and Pirog -- played in both games last weekend.

Hollins, a hometown product, won four consecutive state championships at Omaha Central, where he was teammates with fellow Maverick Tre'Shawn Thurman. Hollins was a two-time first-team all-state pick, averaging 12.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game as a senior. He began his collegiate career at Central Community College, where he was part of a team that qualified for the NJCAA Division II National Tournament, and Chipola College.

Hahn, a native of Fremont, Neb., played one season at Holy Cross before transferring to UNO. As a prep at Fremont, he was named the state player of the year by Gatorade and the Nebraska Basketball Coaches Association in 2013-14, and he was named first-team all-state that season. As a senior, Hahn averaged 18.7 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. In accordance with NCAA transfer rules, he will sit out this season.

Gibson played at Champlin Park High School in Brooklyn Park, Minn., where he was the Gatorade State Player of the Year. Gibson was a first-team all-state selection while helping his team to the state title game, as well as a two-time all-conference pick.

Jackson comes from Wichita East High School in Wichita, Kan., where he was two-time all-state honoree and led his team to a state championship as a senior. Jackson averaged 12.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.2 steals and 0.7 blocks per game.

Pirog, from Highlands Ranch, Colo., was listed as a two-star recruit by ESPN during his career at ThunderRidge High School. Pirog helped his team to the state title game and was a two-time all-state selection.

Kositzke is another local product who rounds out the Mavericks' class, coming from Millard West. He was first-team all-state selection as a senior and helped the Wildcats to two state tournament appearances.

Now Entering the Game
Sophomore guard Alex Allbery sat out the 2014-15 season after transferring from St. Thomas and is now eligible to play in 2015-16. Allbery, a local product from Creighton Prep, began his collegiate career playing one of year of baseball at St. Thomas, where he hit .545 as a freshman. His team finished third at the NCAA Division III World Series.

Allbery made his Maverick debut Sunday against Saint Mary's, finishing with two rebounds and two assists in eight minutes off the bench.

Hansen Guides Mavericks in 11th Season
Head coach Derrin Hansen is in his 11th season at the helm of the Omaha men's basketball program in 2015-16, boasting a career record of 162-139 over his head coaching career. He took the job after serving as an assistant coach for seven years with former Maverick head coaches Kevin McKenna and Kevin Lehman. Hansen has the second-most victories of any coach in program history, behind only Bob Hanson.

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.

Hansen is assisted by assistant coaches Tyler Erwin, Pat Eberhart and James Miller.

2015-16 Slate Takes Mavericks Around the Nation
Omaha's 2015-16 schedule includes 30 games, and the team will play in 13 states against schools from 10 other Division I conferences. The schedule has two opponents from both the WAC and the Big Sky and one each from the Big West, Pac-12, Big Ten, MAC, SEC, Mountain West, OVC and SWAC or MEAC. Two opponents – Wyoming and defending Summit League champion North Dakota State – played in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.

The Mavericks have never faced seven of their opponents: UC Santa Barbara, Saint Mary's (Minn.), Colorado, Eastern Michigan, Montana State, Southern and North Carolina Central. They hold a combined all-time record of 159-187-2 over all teams on the regular-season slate.

Former Maverick Rostampour Playing Professionally
Former Maverick forward Mike Rostampour signed a contract in August to play professionally for BC Prievidza, a basketball club in the Slovak Extraliga, the highest professional league in Slovakia.

Rostampour was a two-year starter and a three-year member of the Omaha program from 2012 to 2015. As a senior, he was named All-Summit Honorable Mention and averaged 10.2 points and a team-best 7.7 rebounds per game while leading the league in offensive rebounds.

Summit League Preseason Poll Released
Omaha was picked to finish seventh in the 2015-16 Summit League Preseason Poll, the conference office announced last month. The poll was tallied in a vote of the league's head coaches, communications personnel and media.

South Dakota State was the favorite to win the Summit League, garnering 30 first-place votes for 541 points. North Dakota State was second and received three first-place votes for 481 points, while Oral Roberts earned one first-place vote and 403 points for third. Fort Wayne came in fourth with 316 points, followed by South Dakota (283) in fifth and IUPUI (239) in sixth. Omaha was seventh in the poll with 192 points, while Denver (164) and Western Illinois (126) rounded it out in eighth and ninth place, respectively.

Next Up
Omaha plays its first road game of the season on Sunday, Nov. 22, traveling to Colorado. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. (CT) at Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colo., and the game will be televised on Pac-12 Network. Gary Sharp will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2, and fans can stream the audio on their smartphones by downloading NRG Media' app “1620 The Zone.” Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.