This Weekend
The Omaha men's basketball team continues its three-game homestand this weekend, hosting Western Illinois for a league rematch on Saturday, Feb. 14. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. at Ralston Arena, and the game will be broadcast live on 1180 Zone 2 with Gary Sharp and former Maverick Grant Nieland on the call. 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.
    
Scouting the Western Illinois Leathernecks
Western Illinois carries a record of 8-14 (3-8 Summit League) into Saturday's game. The Leathernecks last took the court on Thursday, falling 77-67 at Oral Roberts. J.C. Fuller posted a team-high 18 points and also grabbed five rebounds, while Jalen Chapman contributed 13 points and had a team-high eight boards.

Billy Wright is in his first year as head coach for the Leathernecks and holds an 8-14 record at Western Illinois.

Saturday will be the 14th all-time meeting between Western Illinois and Omaha, with WIU holding a 9-4 advantage. In the last clash on Jan. 4, the Leathernecks earned an 80-78 win in Macomb, Ill. UNO is 1-1 against Western Illinois at Ralston Arena.

Quick Hits
•Junior guard Tim Smallwood made his first career start on Thursday night, taking the place of injured junior guard Marcus Tyus.
•Two Mavericks lead the Summit League in at least one statistical category: senior forward Mike Rostampour in rebounds per game (7.8) and offensive boards (73) and junior guard Devin Patterson in steals (50).
•Senior guard CJ Carter averages 17.9 points per game in Summit League play, which ranks third. He is also third in the league for overall scoring with 16.7 ppg.
•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 74.2, behind only VMI (78.3).
•Over the last three years, Omaha is 18-6 when shooting .500 or better as a team, including 5-2 this season.
•UNO has six players who average 7.0 or more points per game, and eight different Mavericks have scored in double figures in at least one game.
•When scoring 40 or more points in the first half, Omaha has gone 5-1 this season.
•Since the 2012-13 season, Omaha is 20-16 when Carter scores 15 or more points in a game.
•This year, UNO is 4-1 when Patterson tallies 20 or more points.
•Omaha leads the Summit League in points per game, field goals made per game and steals per game.
•The Mavericks were picked sixth in this year's Summit League preseason poll.

Last Time Out: South Dakota Edges Mavericks, 74-73
Despite an outstanding double-double performance from senior forward Mike Rostampour, the Omaha men's basketball team dropped a 74-73 loss to South Dakota Thursday night at Ralston Arena. Rostampour achieved the eighth double-double of his career and his fifth of the season, finishing with a career-high-tying 24 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. The West St. Paul, Minn., native shot 9-of-15 from the field with a pair of threes and was 4-of-5 at the line while adding two assists and two blocks.

Freshman Forward Tre'Shawn Thurman added 12 points and six boards, shooting 5-of-9. Junior guard Devin Patterson rounded out the double-figure scoring efforts with 11 points alongside three assists and three steals.

Senior guard CJ Carter also chipped in nine points with three assists and a board, while junior forward Jake White had eight points, five caroms and a block.

As a team, Omaha shot 27-of-59 (.458) from the floor to South Dakota's 28-of-65 (.431).

House of Carter
CJ Carter's position in UNO's record books has been rapidly rising during his senior season. He is sixth all-time for career scoring (1,412 points), seventh for assists (331), eighth for steals (137) and field goals made (498), 10th in 3-pointers made (138) and 19th for blocked shots (36).

On Feb. 7 at Denver, the Omaha native passed Mike Simons (1996-2000) and moved up to sixth on the scoring list, and he is now 45 points away from tying Phil Cartwright (1988-92) for fifth at 1,457 points.

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 17 times this year. Through 24 games Omaha has:
    •More or equal steals compared to its opponent 17 times
    •Less or equal turnovers compared to its opponent 17 times
    •Shot more or equal FT attempts compared to its opponent 16 times
    •More rebounds compared to its opponent 12 times
    •More or equal blocks compared to its opponent 11 times
    •More or equal 3-point field goals made compared to its opponent 10 times

Rebounds by Rostampour
Senior forward Mike Rostampour has been solid on the glass this year, as he leads the Summit League for rebounding. The West St. Paul, Minn., native is averaging 7.8 rebounds per game, up from his 6.7 rpg at this point last year.

Rostampour grabbed at least six boards in 11 consecutive games from Dec. 2 to Jan. 10. He achieved his fifth double-double of the year -- and the eighth of his career -- against South Dakota on Thursday night, finishing with a career-high-tying 24 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, which was also his seventh double-digit rebound effort of the season.

Terrific Trios
Senior guard CJ Carter and junior guards Devin Patterson and Marcus Tyus have been the second-highest scoring trio in the Summit League this season. Their combined average of 41.1 points per game is behind only Oral Roberts' Obi Emegano, Korey Billbury and Denell Henderson (41.2 ppg).

Individually, Carter ranks third in the conference with 16.7 ppg, has 17 double-figure scoring games and has led Omaha in scoring nine times. Tyus is also 12th among league scorers with 13.0 ppg, while Patterson is 14th (11.4).

Carter for Three
Senior guard CJ Carter has the most performances with multiple 3-pointers made of any Maverick this season. He has made at least two threes on at least 14 occasions, and his 44 total treys lead the team. Additionally, Carter hit 7-of-8 from long range on Jan. 18 in his 45-point scoring effort, a career best for both scoring and triples made.

Double-Double = Double Trouble
    Senior forward Mike Rostampour has accounted for Omaha's last eight double-doubles, including five this season against Central Arkansas, Marquette, South Dakota State and South Dakota. When recording a double-double, Rostampour averages 16.9 points and 13.5 points per game for his career.

Wiping Down the Offensive Glass
UNO has tallied double-digit offensive rebounds in 16 of 24 (67 percent) games this year: 26 vs. Central Arkansas, 11 at Seattle, 11 at Marquette, 15 at Air Force, 11 vs. Iowa Wesleyan, 17 at UMKC, 12 vs. Northern Colorado, 12 vs. UT Pan American, 16 at Chicago State, 13 at Western Illinois, 19 vs. South Dakota State, 10 vs. Denver, 18 at South Dakota State, 11 at North Dakota State, at 14 at Denver and 10 vs. South Dakota.

Only three other teams in the Summit League have had more games with double-digit offensive boards: South Dakota (21), IUPUI (18) and Oral Roberts (17).

Stacking Up Nationally
The Mavericks have maintained their place the top 50 in the national statistical rankings, as Omaha's 76.3 points per game ranks 24th among Division I programs, and its 8.1 steals per game are 28th. UNO's 420 free throws made this year are also 11th in the country.

Individually, junior guard Devin Patterson is 15th with 2.3 steals per game.

Up Next
Omaha returns to action on Thursday, Feb. 19, hosting Oral Roberts. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Ralston Arena, and UNO will honor its two seniors, CJ Carter and Mike Rostampour, with pregame Senior Night festivities. The game will be broadcast on 1180 Zone 2 with Gary Sharp and former Maverick Grant Nieland on the call. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.