This Week
The Omaha men's basketball team returns home after three straight games on the road, hosting Eastern Michigan on Tuesday, Dec. 1. Tipoff is set for 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's app “1620 The Zone,” and 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' first six games.
•Thurman is averaging 14.8 points and a team-high 7.5 boards per game, while senior forward Jake White has a team-leading 16.3 points per game. Both are shooting over 55 percent from the floor this year.
•Junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins is the nation's leader in both steals and steals per game.
•Omaha's 50 points in the paint at Minnesota last Friday were its most since 50 vs. Iowa Wesleyan on Dec. 10, 2014.
•Ten different Mavericks have had at least one double-figure scoring performance this season.
•Omaha is 3-0 all-time against teams from the MAC, with its most recent win coming 68-66 at Northern Illinois on Nov. 8, 2013.
•Thurman broke into the top 20 in school history for career blocked shots last Wednesday at Northern Colorado.
•The Mavericks' 64 first-half points at Northern Colorado were the most since scoring 65 vs. Peru State on Nov. 24, 2009. UNO's 105 total points in the game represented its highest-scoring contest since posting 106 vs. Peru State on Feb. 1, 2012.
•UNO's top scorer off the bench has been senior guard Tim Smallwood, who has 7.2 points per game.
•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 78.5 behind The Citadel (80.2) and Green Bay (80.0).

Scouting the Eastern Michigan Eagles
Eastern Michigan brings a record of 4-2 (0-0 MAC) into Tuesday's matchup with Omaha. Since falling 89-65 at No. 3 Michigan State on Nov. 23, the Eagles have rebounded with back-to-back home wins, 108-64 over Marygrove and 79-63 over Madonna. Head coach Rob Murphy is in his fifth season at Eastern Michigan with a career record of 77-67.

Tuesday marks the first meeting between Omaha and Eastern Michigan.

Last Time Out: Minnesota Escapes Mavericks, 93-90
Omaha again flirted with the possibility of a big road upset last Friday, falling 93-90 to Minnesota at Williams Arena. Senior forward Jake White, playing in his home state, led all scorers with 23 points on 7-of-16 shooting, including a 3-of-3 effort behind the arc. Sophomore forward Tre'Shawn Thurman registered his second double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds, an assist and a block.

Junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, nine assists, four steals and a block. Senior guard/forward Randy Reed II and freshman guard JT Gibson, also playing in his home state, had 11 points apiece. Gibson added five boards, two assists and a steal, while Reed had three rebounds as well.

As a team, UNO shot 48 percent (36-of-75) from the field, 30 percent (7-of-23) from long range and 73 percent (11-of-15) at the line. Minnesota came in at 49 percent (32-of-65) from the floor, 55 percent (11-of-20) beyond the arc and 60 percent (18-of-30) at the stripe. The Mavericks held the advantage on the glass, outrebounding the Gophers 43-38.

Hollins Steals the Defensive Spotlight
Six games into the season, junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins leads the nation in both total steals (27) and steals per game (4.5). Driven by his efforts on defense, Omaha as a team is 10th in the country for steals per game (10.2) and 12th for total steals (61).

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 (89.2), field goals made per game (31.2), field goals attempted per game (66.7), total rebounds per game (41.2), offensive boards per game (11.8) and steals per game (10.2). Junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins is first among all league players for assists (35) and steals (27).

Pitter Patterson
Senior guard Devin Patterson is known for his quickness, and the Portsmouth, Va., native led the Summit League in steals each of the last two seasons. Now six 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 225. 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 eight more this season, sophomore forward Tre'Shawn Thurman entered the top 20 in school history for career blocks on Nov. 25. Last week, the Omaha Central product had a season-high three at Northern Colorado, followed by another against Minnesota, pushing him to 19th on the list.

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 six starts this season, he has averaged 6.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.7 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. Playing in his home state last Friday at Minnesota, he put up 11 points and five boards against the Gophers.

For the season, Gibson has averaged 7.0 points per game and is tied for the team lead with eight 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 a team-leading 16.3 points per game. He has scored in double figures in five consecutive games, including a career-high 25 at Northern Colorado last Wednesday and another 23 points with a 3-for-3 effort from long range against Minnesota last Friday.

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 11.8 offensive boards per game, grabbing 10 or more in the five out of the first six 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 is second on the team with seven triples made this year.

Stacking Up Nationally
The Mavericks rank 10th nationally for steals per game (10.2) and 12th for total steals (61) through their first six games this season. Omaha is also 15th for scoring (89.2) and 35th for free throws made (120).

Individually, junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins leads the nation in total steals (27) and steals per game (4.5).

TT for a D-D
Sophomore forward Tre'Shawn Thurman owns the last three 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, then had another Nov. 27 at Minnesota with 16 points and 10 boards.

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 six contests this year. Over three games UNO has:
    •More or equal steals compared to its opponent six 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 three times
    •More or equal blocks compared to its opponent twice
    •More or equal 3-point field goals made compared to its opponent three times

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 164-141 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 161-189-2 over all teams on the regular-season slate.

Next Up
Omaha returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 6, traveling to Montana State. Tipoff is at 2:05 p.m. (CT) in Bozeman, Mont., and Gary Sharp 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.