This Weekend
The Omaha men's basketball team finishes its three-game road stretch this weekend, visiting Grand Canyon on Sunday, Dec. 13 as part of the Global Sports Classic. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. (CT) at Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix, Ariz., and Gary Sharp 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 stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.

Quick Hits
•Omaha hit the century mark for the third time this season with its 100-97 win at Montana State last Sunday. Over the 11-year Derrin Hansen era, the Mavericks are a perfect 16-0 when scoring 100 points or more in a game.
•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, will redshirt this season.
•Patterson leads the team in scoring (16.3 ppg), while Thurman is first for rebounding (7.4 rpg) and second in scoring (15.9 ppg).
•Junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins is the nation's leader in both steals (37) and steals per game (4.1).
•Ten different Mavericks have had at least one double-figure scoring performance this season.
•UNO's top scorer off the bench is senior guard/forward Randy Reed II, who averages 6.1 points per 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 79.0 behind The Citadel (81.1).
•Omaha was picked seventh in the Summit League's preseason poll.

Scouting the Grand Canyon Antelopes
Grand Canyon, in its third year of reclassification to NCAA Division I, brings a record of 7-1 (0-0 WAC) into Sunday's matchup with Omaha. The Antelopes won six straight games to start the year before seeing their streak snapped at Louisville, 111-63, on Dec. 5. On Tuesday, GCU rebounded with a 70-56 win over Southern to improve to a perfect 7-0 at home, led by Grandy Glaze's career-high 20 points. Head coach Dan Majerle is in his third season at Grand Canyon with a career record of 39-31.

Sunday marks the second meeting between Omaha and Grand Canyon. The Antelopes won the only other game in the all-time series, 88-84, on Nov. 29, 1997 in Phoenix, Ariz.

Last Time Out: Missouri Outlasts Mavericks, 85-78
Though it finished within single digits of a power conference opponent for the third time this year, Omaha fell 85-78 to Missouri Wednesday night at Mizzou Arena. Senior forward Jake White recorded his second double-double of the season, scoring a game-high 18 points and hauling in a game-best 10 rebounds. The Chaska, Minn., native shot 6-of-8 from the floor and a perfect 5-of-5 at the line, adding two steals and an assist as well.

Senior guard Devin Patterson also had a double-figure scoring night with 17 points, also putting up seven assists, four boards and two steals. Junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins added 13 points with three steals, an assist and a block, going 7-of-7 at the free throw line.

As a team, Omaha shot 41 percent (25-of-61) from the floor, 23 percent (5-of-22) from three and 74 percent (23-of-31) at the stripe. Missouri came in at 48 percent (25-of-52) from field with a 38 percent (6-of-16) showing from long range and 76 percent (29-of-38) foul shooting.

Missouri was led by Kevin Puryear's 18 points and eight rebounds.

Patterson Tabbed Summit League Co-Player of the Week
Senior guard Devin Patterson was named Summit League Co-Player of the Week for his performances Nov. 30 to Dec. 6, the conference office announced Monday.

The award is the second career player-of-the-week honor for Patterson and his first this season. The Portsmouth, Va., native averaged 27.0 points per game while shooting .571 (20-of-35) from the field and .462 (6-of-13) from long range for the week. Patterson nailed the game-winning three at the buzzer Sunday to give Omaha a 100-97 win over Montana State, part of his career-best 38 points on 68 percent (15-of-22) shooting.

Man of Steal
Nine games into the season, junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins leads the nation in both total steals (37) and steals per game (4.1). Driven by his efforts on defense, Omaha as a team is fifth in the country for total steals (90) and 10th for steals per game (10.0).

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 seven statistical categories: points per game (87.3), field goals made per game (30.6), field goals attempted per game (66.9), free throws made per game (20.2), free throws attempted per game (27.0), rebounds per game (40.6) and steals per game (10.0)

Individually, junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins is first among all league players for assists (54) and steals (37).

The Terrific Trio
Senior guard Devin Patterson, sophomore forward Tre'Shawn Thurman and senior forward Jake White are the highest-scoring trio in the Summit League this season. Their combined average of 47.1 points per game is ahead of Oral Roberts' Obi Emegano, Jalen Bradley and Albert Owens (44.7).

Individually, Patterson ranks fifth in the conference with 16.3 ppg, while Thurman is seventh 15.9 ppg and White is 10th (14.9).

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 nine games into his senior season, he is 10th on the Omaha career steals list with 131 in two and a half seasons. Patterson's next hurdle is Thor Palamore (1987-91), who had 136 steals for ninth.

Patterson also joined the top 20 in school history for career assists in the opening weekend, and his total has risen to 235 in 15th place. His next target is Denny Johnston (2004-08), who owned 241 helpers.

After Wednesday's game at Missouri, Patterson pushed his career scoring total to 787 points, which is tied with teammate Marcus Tyus for the most of an active Maverick. Patterson needs 213 points to become Omaha's 36th 1,000-point scorer.

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. The Omaha Central product now has nine this season, which has pushed 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.

Picking Up the Pace
Omaha ranks 11th nationally in scoring with 87.3 points per game, up from 78.8 ppg through the first nine games last year. In its four wins this season over Saint Mary's, UMKC, Northern Colorado and Montana State, UNO has averaged 101.0 points per contest, never scoring less than 95 points.

In those wins, the Mavs have also shot 50 percent (137-of-275) from the field, 35 percent (30-of-87) from long range and 82 percent (100-of-122), compared to 42 percent (138-of-327), 25 percent (24-of-98) and 68 percent (82-of-121), respectively, across their five losses.

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.

Jackson was the first freshman to start a season opener since CJ Carter at Fort Wayne on Nov. 12, 2011. Over his eight starts this season, he has averaged 6.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Jackson turned in a season-best 14 points and seven rebounds at Montana State on Dec. 6.

White Out
In 2015-16, senior forward Jake White has taken a starting role and is one of three Mavericks averaging in double figures, credited for 14.9 points per game. He has scored in double figures in seven consecutive games, including a career-high 25 at Northern Colorado on Nov. 25 and another 23 points with a 3-for-3 effort from long range against Minnesota last on Nov. 27. White achieved his first double-double as a Maverick Dec. 1 vs. Eastern Michigan with 14 points and a career-high 12 caroms. He added his second double-double on Wednesday at Missouri with 18 points and 10 boards.

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 12.3 offensive boards per game, grabbing 10 or more in the seven out of the first nine contests. The Mavericks have also averaged 13.3 second-chance points in that span.

Stacking Up Nationally
Through their first nine games this season, UNO ranks eighth nationally for fifth in total steals (90), 10th in steals per game (10.0) and free throws made (182), 11th in scoring office (87.3 ppg) and 17th in free throws attempted (243).

Individually, junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins leads the nation in total steals (37) and steals per game (4.1) and is 19th for total assists (54) and 27th for assists per game (6.0).

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 nine contests this year. Over seven games UNO has:
    •More or equal steals compared to its opponent nine times
    •Fewer or equal turnovers compared to its opponent seven times
    •More or equal FT attempts compared to its opponent four times
    •More rebounds compared to its opponent five times
    •More or equal blocks compared to its opponent three times
    •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 165-143 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 162-191-2 over all teams on the regular-season slate.

Next Up
Omaha returns to action on Wednesday, Dec. 16, hosting Simpson College at Baxter Arena at 7 p.m. 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.