This Weekend
The Omaha men's basketball team begins a three-game road stretch this weekend, visiting Montana State on Sunday, Dec. 6. Tipoff is set for 2:05 p.m. (CT) at Worthington Arena 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'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, will redshirt this season.
•Thurman leads the team in scoring (16.3 ppg) and rebounding (8.0 rpg). He and senior forward Jake White, who is second on the team in both categories, both average over 55 percent shooting from the field.
•Junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins is the nation's leader in both steals and steals per game.
•Ten different Mavericks have had at least one double-figure scoring performance this season.
•Omaha has already faced one Big Sky team this year, defeating Northern Colorado 105-85 on Nov. 25.
•Thurman broke into the top 20 in school history for career blocked shots at UNC.
•UNO's top scorers off the bench have been senior guard Tim Smallwood and senior guard/forward Randy Reed II, who both average 6.1 points per game.
•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 78.2 behind The Citadel (81.0), Green Bay (79.3), Coppin State (78.8).

Scouting the Montana State Bobcats
Montana State brings a record of 4-3 (0-0 Big Sky) into Sunday's matchup with Omaha. The Bobcats secured a 76-72 win at Utah Valley on Tuesday, led by Tyler Hall's double-double on a team-high 25 points with 10 rebounds. Head coach Brian Fish is in his second season at MSU with a career record of 11-26.

Sunday marks the first meeting between Omaha and Montana State.

Last Time Out: Eastern Michigan Downs Mavericks, 80-73
Despite two players with double-doubles, Omaha fell 80-73 to Eastern Michigan at Baxter Arena Tuesday night. Sophomore forward Tre'Shawn Thurman picked up his third double-double of the year with 25 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 11-of-19 from the field. Senior forward Jake White joined him with another double-double performance – his first as a Maverick – on 14 points and 12 caroms with 5-of-10 shooting.

Senior guard Devin Patterson rounded it out with 16 points on a trio of 3-pointers, while junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins added six points, six rebounds, nine assists and two steals.

As a team, Omaha shot 37 percent (26-of-70) from the floor, including 24 percent (4-of-17) from long range, with a 68 percent (17-of-25) showing at the line. Eastern Michigan finished at 39 percent (27-of-69) from the field and 36 percent (8-of-22) behind the arc, as well as 67 percent (18-of-27) from the foul line. The Mavericks held the rebounding edge, 48-40.

Stealing the Spotlight
Seven games into the season, junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins leads the nation in both total steals (29) and steals per game (4.1). Driven by his efforts on defense, Omaha as a team is 13th in the country for steals per game (9.7) and 15th for total steals (68).

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 (86.9), field goals made per game (30.4), field goals attempted per game (67.1), total rebounds per game (42.1), offensive boards per game (12.9), defensive boards per game (29.3) and steals per game (9.7). Junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins is first among all league players for assists (44) and steals (29).

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 seven 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 226. 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. The Omaha Central product used a season-high three at Northern Colorado, followed by another against Minnesota, to push himself 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 20th nationally in scoring with 86.9 points per game, up from 77.6 ppg through the first seven games last year. In its three wins this season over Saint Mary's, UMKC and Northern Colorado, UNO has averaged 101.3 points per contest, never scoring less than 95 points.

In those wins, the Mavs have also shot 49 percent (100-of-204) from the field, 36 percent (78-of-97) from long range and 80 percent (78-of-97), compared to 43 percent (113-of-266), 25 percent (19-of-76) and 66 percent (59-of-90), respectively, across their four 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.

Over Jackson's seven starts this season, he has averaged 5.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.4 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 6.0 points per game and is second on the team 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 six 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 Tuesday night vs. Eastern Michigan, putting up 14 points and a career-high 12 caroms.

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).

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 12.9 offensive boards per game, grabbing 10 or more in the six out of the first seven games. The Mavericks tallied a season-high 19 offensive rebounds Tuesday night vs. Eastern Michigan.

Stacking Up Nationally
The Mavericks rank 13th nationally for steals per game (9.7) and 15th for total steals (68) through their first seven games this season. Omaha is also 20th for scoring (86.9) and 32nd for free throws made (137).

Individually, junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins leads the nation in total steals (29) and steals per game (4.1) and is 19th for total assists (44) and 21st for assists per game (6.3). Sophomore forward Tre'Shawn Thurman's three double-doubles also rank 29th.

TT for a D-D
Sophomore forward Tre'Shawn Thurman owns the last four 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. His most recent was Tuesday night vs. Eastern Michigan with 25 points and 11 boards.

Prior to Thurman, former Maverick forward Mike Rostampour accounted for eight of the last nine double-doubles by an Omaha player.

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

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 164-142 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 161-190-2 over all teams on the regular-season slate.

Next Up
Omaha returns to action on Wednesday, Dec. 9, visiting Missouri. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. in Columbia, Mo., and the game will be televised on SEC 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.