This Weekend
The Omaha men's basketball team has a quick turnaround for its second game of the week, visiting Minnesota this Friday, Nov. 27. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minn., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN3. Radio will also be available on 1180 Zone 2, 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.

Quick Hits
•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, has not played in the Mavericks' five opening games.
•Thurman is averaging 14.6 points and a team-high 7.0 boards per game, while senior forward Jake White has a team-leading 15.0 points per game. Both are shooting 59 percent from the floor this year.
• Omaha has three Minnesota natives on its roster: White (Chaska), Tyus (Anoka) and freshman guard JT Gibson (Champlin Park).
•Thurman broke into the top 20 in school history for career blocked shots Wednesday night at Northern Colorado.
•The Mavericks' 64 first-half points at UNC were the most since scoring 65 vs. Peru State in 2009. UNO's 105 total points in the game represented its highest-scoring contest since posting 106 vs. Peru State in 2012.
•UNO's top scorer off the bench has been senior guard Tim Smallwood, who has 7.6 points per game.
•Ten different Mavericks have scored in double figures over the first five games this season.
•According to kenpom.com, UNO is fifth 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 78.7 behind only The Citadel (81.4) and Coppin State (79.7).

Scouting the Minnesota Golden Gophers
Minnesota brings a record of 3-2 (0-0 Big Ten) into Friday's matchup with Omaha. The Golden Gophers opened the season at home with a 76-58 win over UMKC and another victory over Louisiana Monroe, 67-56. They then traveled to the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, falling 75-70 to Temple last Thursday, defeating Missouri State 74-69 last Friday and dropping the finale to Texas Tech 81-68 last Sunday. Head coach Richard Pitino is in his third season at Minnesota with a record of 46-30 and a career record of 64-44 over four years.

Friday marks the second meeting between Omaha and Minnesota, with the Golden Gophers leading the all-time series 1-0. The two teams last played Dec. 20, 2013, when Minnesota won 92-79 at Williams Arena.

Last Time Out: Omaha Routs Northern Colorado, 105-85
Omaha never trailed Wednesday night, routing Northern Colorado 105-85 at Bank of Colorado Arena. Senior forward Jake White led all scorers with a career-high 25 points for the night, shooting 8-of-11 from the floor and a perfect 9-of-9 at the free throw line.

Sophomore forward Tre'Shawn Thurman added 17 points and a team-high seven rebounds with three assists, three blocks and a steal. He finished at 5-of-7 from the field and 2-of-2 from long range, as well as 5-of-6 at the foul line. Thurman also moved into UNO's all-time top 20 for career blocked shots, just five games into his second year as a Maverick.

Senior guard Devin Patterson registered 16 points with the help of two 3-pointers and 8-of-8 shooting at the line, adding four assists and two steals. Sophomore forward Daniel Meyer was the fourth Maverick to score in double figures, posting a career-best 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting with five rebounds and a steal.

Junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins and freshman guard JT Gibson matched each other with eight points, with Hollins also credited for five rebounds and team highs of five assists and six steals.

As a team, Omaha shot 51 percent (32-of-63) from the floor to Northern Colorado's 40 percent (25-of-63). The Mavericks came in at a 40 percent (8-of-20) clip behind the arc, while the Bears finished at 33 percent (7-of-21). UNO tallied an 85 percent (33-of-39) effort at the line, while UNC finished at 78 percent (28-of-36).

Hollins Steals the Defensive Spotlight
Five games into the season, junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins leads the nation with 23 total steals. Driven by his 4.6 steals per game, which also ranks second, Omaha as a team is 11th in the country for total steals (53) and 14th for steals per game (10.6).

Hollins has long been regarded for his defensive prowess and is no stranger to pacing the nation in steals, as he led the all players in the NJCAA with 4.1 swipes per game while playing at Central CC in 2013-14.

#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.

League Leaders
Omaha leads the Summit League in points per game (89.0), field goals made per game (30.2), field goals attempted per game (65.0), free throws made per game (21.8), free throws attempted per game (29.4), total rebounds per game (40.8) and steals per game (10.6). Senior guard/forward Randy Reed II, who is 12-for-12 at the line, paces the conference in free throw percentage (1.000), and junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins is first in the league for steals (23).

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. Four games into his senior season, he is 11th on the Omaha career steals list with 128 in just over two seasons. Patterson's next hurdle is Corey Hahn (1998-2002), who had 130 steals for 10th.

Patterson also joined the top 20 in school history for career assists in the opening weekend, and his total has risen to 223. His next target is Tom Thompson (1984-88), who owned 229 helpers.

Tracking Tre'Shawn
After 30 blocked shots to his credit as a freshman and seven this season, sophomore forward Tre'Shawn Thurman entered the top 20 in school history for career blocks Wednesday night. The Omaha Central product had two vs. UC Santa Barbara, one vs. Saint Mary's and another vs. UMKC, followed by a season-high three at Northern Colorado.

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 vs. UC Santa Barbara 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 the Mavericks' second game as well, posting 10 points, four boards, four assists, three steals and a block vs. Saint Mary's.

Over Jackson's five starts this season, he has averaged 7.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. He was the first freshman to start a season opener since CJ Carter at Fort Wayne on Nov. 12, 2011.

Gibson Provides a Spark
Freshman guard JT Gibson sparked Omaha in its second-half rally vs. UC Santa Barbara on Nov. 13, nailing back-to-back 3-pointers nine minutes in to start a 25-4 run over the next seven minutes of play. Gibson, the 2015 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 vs. Saint Mary's on Nov. 15, finishing with 13 points and six rebounds while shooting 4-of-7 from the field with a trio of threes. For the season, he has averaged 6.2 points per game and is tied for the team lead with seven 3-pointers made.

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.

In 2015-16, White is one of three Mavericks averaging in double figures, credited for 15.0 points per game. He has scored in double figures in four consecutive games, including a career-high 25 at Northern Colorado Wednesday night.

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).

Rallying for the Win
Omaha overcame a 10-point second-half deficit vs. UMKC on Nov. 17, winning 95-89 in overtime. The last time the Mavericks trailed by 10 or more points and came back to win was Feb. 26, 2014, when UNO was down 11 in the second half and went on to a 73-67 victory.

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.
    This year, Omaha is up to 11.4 offensive boards per game, grabbing 10 or more in the four out of five games.

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 vs. Saint Mary's on Nov. 15, posting a season-high 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers. He scored in double digits off the bench in three straight games, adding 11 points vs. UMKC on Nov. 17 and 10 more at Colorado on Nov. 22. Smallwood leads Omaha with seven triples made this year.

Stacking Up Nationally
The Mavericks rank 11th nationally for total steals (53) and 14th for steals per game (10.6) through the first five games this season. Omaha is also 13th for free throws made (109) and 21st for free throws attempted (147).

Individually, junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins leads the nation in total steals (23) and is second in steals per game (4.6), and senior guard Devin Patterson is also 25th in the country for total steals (12).

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 has the last two double-doubles of any Maverick, tallying his first at IUPUI on Feb. 28, 2014. He achieved the second double-double of his career Nov. 17 vs. UMKC, finishing with a career-high 30 points and 11 rebounds.

Prior to Thurman, 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.

Compared to the Opposition
One of the nation's top teams in steals per game, Omaha has equaled or tallied more steals than its opponent in all five contests this year. Over three games UNO has:
    •More or equal steals compared to its opponent five times
    •Fewer or equal turnovers compared to its opponent five times
    •More or equal FT attempts compared to its opponent three times
    •More rebounds compared to its opponent twice
    •More or equal blocks compared to its opponent twice
    •More or equal 3-point field goals made compared to its opponent three times

Championship Pedigree
Seven 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. From the state of Kansas, freshman forward Zach Jackson also won a state title with Wichita East in 2014-15, and sophomore guard Devin Newsome captured one in 2012-13 with Shawnee Mission South.

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 -- have seen the floor so far this season.

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.

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 164-140 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 161-188-2 over all teams on the regular-season slate.

Next Up
Omaha returns to action on Tuesday, Dec. 1, hosting Eastern Michigan. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. at Baxter Arena, and Gary Sharp and Grant Nieland will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2. Fans can stream the audio on their smartphones by downloading NRG Media' app “1620 The Zone,” and links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.