This Weekend
After three straight games on the road, the Omaha men's basketball team returns home this weekend, hosting South Dakota on Saturday, Jan. 30. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Baxter Arena, and Gary Sharp and Grant Nieland will have the radio call on KOIL 1290 AM. Fans can stream the audio on their smartphones by downloading NRG Media's app “The Mighty 1290 KOIL,” and links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.

Quick Hits
•Omaha sits in a three-way tie for first place in the Summit League standings with South Dakota State and Fort Wayne.
•UNO received votes for the third straight week in the CollegeInsider Mid-Major Top 25 poll. The last time the Mavericks received votes in the poll was Jan. 13, 2013.
•Four Mavericks average double-figure scoring: senior guard Devin Patterson (17.4 ppg), senior forward Jake White (17.0 ppg), sophomore forward Tre'Shawn Thurman (14.5 ppg) and junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins (11.5 ppg).
•Hollins is the nation's leader in both steals (92) and steals per game (4.3).
•Patterson became the 36th 1,000-point scorer in program history last Saturday at Oral Roberts.
•Patterson's 21-point effort at ORU also marked the 22nd Maverick scoring performance with 20 or more points this season. Omaha had 20 scoring efforts with 20+ over 29 games in 2014-15.
•Eleven different Mavericks have had at least one double-figure scoring performance this season.
•According to kenpom.com, UNO is sixth nationally with an adjusted tempo of 76.9, 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 was picked seventh in the Summit League's preseason poll.

Scouting the South Dakota Coyotes
South Dakota carries a record of 10-12 (2-6 Summit League) into Saturday's matchup at Omaha. The Coyotes last played Thursday night, falling 66-52 at Denver, where D.J. Davis led the Coyotes with 12 points.

Head coach Craig Smith is in his second season at South Dakota with a record of 27-28 and a career mark of 99-57 over five years. Saturday marks the 86th meeting between Omaha and USD, with the Coyotes leading the all-time series 43-42. UNO won the most recent meeting, 79-73 on Jan. 9, while South Dakota took the last tilt in Omaha, 74-73 on Feb. 12, 2015.

Last Time Out: Mavericks Fall Short at South Dakota State, 87-76
Omaha rallied from a 13-point deficit to tie it in the second half but came up short in its bid at South Dakota State Thursday night, falling 87-76 at Frost Arena. Senior forward Jake White led five Mavericks in double figures, finishing with 18 points and five rebounds. Senior guard Tim Smallwood added a career-best-tying 15 points off the bench on five 3-pointers, which also matched his career high, while senior guard Devin Patterson had 14 points with a game-high seven assists.

Sophomore forward Tre'Shawn Thurman posted 13 points with a game-high-tying seven boards and a team-best three steals, and junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins rounded it out with 11 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals.

As a team, Omaha shot 43 percent (28-of-65) from the field, 30 percent (6-of-20) from 3-point range and 70 percent (14-of-20) at the free throw line. South Dakota State finished at 60 percent (34-of-57) from the floor, 42 percent (8-of-19) behind the arc and 58 percent (11-of-19) at the stripe. The Jacks also had the advantage in rebounding (39-29) and blocks (4-3), while UNO finished ahead in steals (7-4) and turnovers forced (13-8).

Production in the Paint
Omaha's production in the paint stood out vs. Fort Wayne on Jan. 16, as UNO posted a season-high-tying 50 points in the paint to match its total at Minnesota (Nov. 27). It followed with 40 points in the paint at Denver on Jan. 21.

The Mavericks have averaged 36.8 points in the paint per game this year -- the most since 2009-10 (36.8). When scoring 40 or more points inside, they are 7-3.

Man of Steal
Junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins leads the nation in both total steals (92) and steals per game (4.2). Driven by his efforts on defense, Omaha as a team is also third in the country for total steals and sixth for steals per game.

If Hollins maintains his pace, he will become just the 12th Division I player to average 4.0 steals or more for a season. The last time it happened was 2002, when Alabama A&M's Desmond Cambridge averaged a nation-leading 5.52 spg and Providence's John Linehan had 4.48 spg.

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.

Stacking Up Nationally
Omaha leads the nation in free throws made (436) and is third for steals (211). The Mavericks are also sixth for steals per game (9.6) and free throws attempted (586), 10th for scoring offense (84.7 ppg) and 17th for turnovers forced (16.2).

Individually, junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins leads the nation in steals (92) and steals per game (4.2) and is 15th for assists (131) and 21st for assists per game (6.0). Additionally, senior guard Devin Patterson is 27th for free throws made (112).

Bouncing Back
Omaha has shown the ability to bounce back from losses this season, going 5-1 in games that follow a defeat.

DP for Three
Senior guard Devin Patterson hit three 3-pointers vs. Fort Wayne on Jan. 16, becoming the Mavericks' active career leader in that category. He now owns 94 treys in three seasons and leads Omaha this year with 35 triples. In games when Patterson knocks down at least three 3-pointers, UNO is 4-1.

League Leaders
Omaha leads the Summit League in seven statistical categories: points (1,863), points per game (84.7), field goals made per game (29.6), field goals attempted per game (63.3), free throws made per game (19.8), free throws attempted per game (26.6) and steals per game (9.6).

Individually, junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins is first among all league players for assists (131) and steals (92).

Close Calls
Omaha's seven losses have come by an average margin of just 5.0 points this year. The Mavericks have fallen by one (vs. UC Santa Barbara, at Wyoming), three (at Minnesota), five (at Colorado, vs. Fort Wayne), seven (vs. Eastern Michigan, at Missouri) and 11 (at South Dakota State). Last season's average margin of loss was 10.8 points.

Terrific Trio
Senior guard Devin Patterson, senior forward Jake White and sophomore forward Tre'Shawn Thurman are the highest-scoring trio in the Summit League this season. Their combined average of 48.9 points per game is over eight points ahead of the scoring average for the next trio on the list, Oral Roberts' Obi Emegano, Jalen Bradley and Albert Owens (41.5). Patterson is third among conference scorers with 17.4 ppg, while White is fourth (17.0) and Thurman is 10th (14.5 ppg).

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. In the middle of his senior season, he is tied for seventh on the Omaha career steals list with 155 in three years, matching Vernon Manning (1978-82), His next hurdle is Andrew Bridger (2006-10), who had 158.

Patterson also joined the top 20 in school history for career assists in the opening weekend, and his total has risen to 277 for 11th place. His next target is Seth Nelson (1999-2003), who dished out 288 assists.

Additionally, Patterson has pushed his career scoring total to 1,023 points, which is the most of any active Maverick. He became Omaha's 36th 1,000-point scorer on Jan. 23 at Oral Roberts and now ranks 31st in school history for scoring.

Tracking Tre'Shawn
After 30 blocked shots to his credit as a freshman and 27 more this season, sophomore forward Tre'Shawn Thurman has made his way into the top 15 in school history for career blocks. The Omaha Central product is now 12th on the list with 57 blocks, and his next target is Jerry Bennett (2006-08), who had 63 for 11th place.

Thurman put up five blocks at South Dakota on Jan. 9, matching his career high set against Nevada as a freshman.

Picking Up the Pace
Omaha ranks 10th nationally in scoring with 84.7 points per game, up from 76.5 ppg at this point of the season last year. In its 14 wins this season, UNO has averaged 87.8 points per contest, scoring 95 points or more in five of those games. In their wins, the Mavericks have also shot 49 percent from the field, 31 percent from long range and 77 percent at the line, compared to 43 percent, 29 percent and 70 percent, respectively, across their eight losses.

White Out
In 2015-16, senior forward Jake White is one of four Mavericks averaging in double figures, credited for 17.0 points per game, and has scored in double figures in all but three games. The Chaska, Minn., native owns five double-double performances this season: Dec. 1 vs. Eastern Michigan (14 points/12 rebounds), Dec. 9 at Missouri (18 points/10 rebounds), Dec. 16 vs. Simpson (17 points/11 rebounds), Dec. 19 at Wyoming (17 points/career-high 13 rebounds) and Jan. 16 (26 points/11 rebounds).

White was named to the Global Sports Classic All-Tournament Team for his play over the four tournament games, Dec. 13-22. He averaged 19.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game, shooting 62 percent (26-of-42) from the field and 77 percent (23-of-30) at the line.

Home Sweet Home Advantage
During head coach Derrin Hansen's career, Omaha has won 70 percent of its home contests, going 102-43. The Mavericks secured their first win at brand-new Baxter Arena on Nov. 15, 104-58 vs. Saint Mary's (Minn.).

The 2014-15 season marked UNO's third and final season playing at Ralston Arena, which served as the home of Maverick men's basketball since 2012-13. Over three years at Ralston, Omaha posted a home record of 25-16.

Last season on its home court, UNO's average margin of victory was 17.3, and it scored an average of 79.8 points per game. Over the 10 previous years of the Hansen era, the Mavericks averaged 81.6 points per game at home at Sapp Fieldhouse and Ralston Arena, including 80.5 during the four Division I years.

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 but one game this year. Over 22 games UNO has:
•More or equal steals compared to its opponent 21 times
•Fewer or equal turnovers compared to its opponent 19 times
•More or equal free throws made compared to its opponent 17 times
•More rebounds compared to its opponent 11 times
•More or equal blocks compared to its opponent nine times
•More or equal 3-point field goals made compared to its opponent nine times

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.

This year, Omaha is up to 11.1 offensive boards per game, grabbing 10 or more in 14 out of 22 contests. The Mavericks have also averaged 12.4 second-chance points in that span.

#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.

Erickson Nominated for NABC Good Works Team
Senior guard Kyler Erickson has been selected as a nominee for the 2016 Allstate NABC Good Works Team, it was announced in December. The Allstate NABC and WBCA Good Works Teams recognize a distinguished group of student-athletes who have demonstrated a commitment to enriching the lives of others and contributing to the greater good in their communities. Erickson is one of 154 NABC nominees, and the final NABC Good Works Team comprising student-athletes from NCAA Divisions I, II and III and the NAIA will be unveiled in February.

As a senior at Millard South High School, Erickson witnessed a shooting in his school's administration office on Jan. 5, 2011. Nearly a year and a half later, he suffered the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and since undergoing successful treatment, he has become a vocal advocate encouraging others to seek assistance for mental health issues. Erickson runs a website, KylerErickson.com, that details his story, and his videos have garnered widespread attention with over 50,000 views in 110 countries. Erickson's message of “turning tragedy into testimony” encourages people in all walks of life to confront mental health challenges they may be facing.

Erickson has served as a speaker, member and volunteer for the National Alliance on Mental Illness and spoken to over 20 elementary, middle and high schools in Omaha and San Diego. He also starred in an episode of “The Harbor TV,” a hope-filled homeroom program for high schools across the country and has mentored several mentally ill students and residents in the Omaha area. Additionally, Erickson has volunteered with multiple local charities, organizations and schools.

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 175-146 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.

Entering the season, the Mavericks had never faced six of their opponents: UC Santa Barbara, Saint Mary's (Minn.), Colorado, Eastern Michigan, Montana State and Southern. They hold a combined all-time record of 172-194-2 over all teams on the regular-season slate.

Next Up
Omaha returns to action on Wednesday, Feb. 3, traveling to Western Illinois. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Western Hall, and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN3. Gary Sharp will also have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2, and fans can stream the audio on their smartphones by downloading NRG Media's app “1620 The Zone.” Links to ­stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.