This Weekend
The Omaha men's basketball team concludes its first conference roadtrip this Saturday, Jan. 9, visiting South Dakota. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, S.D., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and Midco. Gary Sharp will also have the radio call on KOIL 1290 AM, and fans can stream the audio on their smartphones by downloading NRG Media's app “1620 The Zone.” Links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.

Quick Hits
•Omaha moved atop the Summit League standings Thursday night, improving to 3-0 with its win at North Dakota State. The victory ended NDSU's 31-game home win streak, which was a Summit League record and the sixth-longest active streak in the nation. The Bison had not lost at game at home since Nov. 18, 2013.
•The Mavericks' five-game win streak is its longest since winning five straight from Nov. 25 to Dec. 14, 2013.
•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 (17.8 ppg), while Thurman is first for rebounding (7.6 rpg).
•Four Mavericks average double-figure scoring: Patterson (17.8 ppg), Thurman (14.6 ppg), senior forward Jake White (16.1 ppg) and junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins (10.4 ppg).
•Hollins is the nation's leader in both steals (68) and steals per game (4.0).
•Patterson has totaled 25, 24 and 32 points in his last three games. The last Maverick to score 20 or more points in three consecutive games was Justin Simmons in 2012-13, with 26 vs. Chicago State, 20 vs. North Dakota and 29 vs. South Dakota State.
•In league action, Patterson paces the conference in points per game (27.0), points scored (81), free throws made (26) and minutes played (112).
•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 78.3, 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 9-8 (1-2 Summit League) into Saturday's matchup with Omaha. The Coyotes last played Jan. 6, falling 85-65 at Fort Wayne. Shy McClelland scored a team-leading 19 points, and Casey Kasperbauer added another five to become the 45th Coyote in school history to reach the 1,000 career points milestone.

Head coach Craig Smith is in his second season at South Dakota with a record of 26-24 and a career mark of 98-53. Thursday marks the 85th meeting between Omaha and USD, with the Coyotes leading the all-time series 43-41. South Dakota won the most recent meeting, 74-73 on Feb. 12, 2015, while the Mavericks took the last tilt in Vermillion, 86-77 on Jan. 2, 2015.

Last Time Out: Omaha Topples North Dakota State, 91-82
Omaha moved atop the Summit League standings with its victory Thursday night, defeating North Dakota State 91-82 at Scheels Arena. Senior guard Devin Patterson led the Mavericks with 32 points, connecting on 11 of 14 shots from the floor with two 3-pointers and an 8-of-9 effort at the line.

Senior forward Jake White added 17 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore forward Tre'Shawn Thurman recorded 16 points and a game-high nine rebounds, shooting 7-of-10 from the field while tallying three assists, two blocks and two steals. Junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins rounded out the Mavericks' four double-figure scoring performances, finishing with 12 points, as well as three rebounds, three helpers and four steals.

As a team, Omaha connected on 54 percent (33-of-61) of its shots from the floor, 20 percent (2-of-10) from 3-point range and 74 percent (23-of-31) at the stripe. North Dakota State shot 48 percent (29-of-60) from the field, 38 percent (8-of-21) from long range and 89 percent (16-of-18) at the line. The Mavericks had the edge in rebounding (32-30) and steals (10-3), while the Bison had the advantage in blocks (4-2) and assists (15-12). Omaha committed a season-low eight turnovers while forcing 15 for NDSU.

Man of Steal
Junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins leads the nation in both total steals (68) and steals per game (4.0). Driven by his efforts on defense, Omaha as a team is also first in the country for total steals and seventh 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.

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 Dec. 28 to Jan. 3, the conference office announced Jan. 4.

The award was the third career player-of-the-week honor for Patterson and his second this season. The Portsmouth, Va., native led Omaha in scoring in both games last weekend, averaging 24.5 points, 5.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals with a .536 field goal percentage and a .818 free throw percentage.

Patterson was previously honored as the league's player of the week on Dec. 7.

Two for 20
Omaha has had two scorers with 20 or more points on the same night four times this season and is 4-0 in those games. Last season, the Mavericks had two 20-point scorers in the same game just once -- Nov. 22, 2014 in their road upset of Marquette, when Patterson had 26 points and CJ Carter had 25.

Stacking Up Nationally
UNO leads the nation in team steals (168) and is second free throws made (338) and free throw attempts (463). The Mavericks are also seventh for steals per game (9.9), 10th for scoring (85.5 ppg), 12th for total rebounds (662) and 17th for turnovers forced per game (16.5)

Individually, junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins leads the nation in steals (68) and steals per game (4.0) and is 20th for assists (92). Senior guard Devin Patterson is 23rd for steals (31), 25th for points scored (303) and 27th for free throws made (81).

League Leaders
Omaha leads the Summit League in eight statistical categories: points (1,453), points per game (85.5), field goals made per game (30.0), field goals attempted per game (64.4), free throws made per game (19.9), free throws attempted per game (27.2), total rebounds per game (38.9) and steals per game (9.9).

Individually, junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins is first among all league players for assists (92) and steals (68).

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 48.5 points per game is over five points ahead of the scoring average for the next trio on the list, Oral Roberts' Obi Emegano, Jalen Bradley and Albert Owens (42.8). Patterson is second among conference scorers with 17.8 ppg apiece, while White is sixth (16.1) and Thurman is 11th (14.6 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 ninth on the Omaha career steals list with 147 in two and a half years. Patterson's next hurdle is former teammate CJ Carter (2011-15), who had 149 steals for eighth.

Patterson also joined the top 20 in school history for career assists in the opening weekend, and his total has risen to 259 for 12th place. His next target is Thor Palamore (1987-91), who owned 276 helpers.

Additionally, Patterson has pushed his career scoring total to 943 points, which is the most of any active Maverick. Patterson needs 57 points to become Omaha's 36th 1,000-point scorer.

Tracking Tre'Shawn
After 30 blocked shots to his credit as a freshman and 19 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 14th on the list, and his next target is Tola Dada (2000-03), who had 53 for 13th place.

Thurman started all but three games in his freshman season as the first UNO freshman to earn a start since CJ Carter in 2011-12. Thurman finished with 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, becoming 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.

Picking Up the Pace
Omaha ranks 10th nationally in scoring with 85.5 points per game, up from 78.5 ppg at this point of the season last year. In its 11 wins this season, UNO has averaged 90.5 points per contest, scoring 95 points or more in five of those games. In those games, the Mavericks have also shot 49 percent from the field, 31 percent from long range and 76 percent at the line, compared to 42 percent, 26 percent and 68 percent, respectively, across their six losses.

White Out
In 2015-16, senior forward Jake White has taken a starting role and is one of four Mavericks averaging in double figures, credited for 16.1 points per game. He has scored in double figures in all but three games, including a career-high 25 at Northern Colorado on Nov. 25. White owns four 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) and Dec. 19 at Wyoming (17 points/career-high 13 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.

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 12.1 offensive boards per game, grabbing 10 or more in 13 out of 17 contests. The Mavericks have also averaged 13.3 second-chance points in that span.

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 17 games UNO has:
    •More or equal steals compared to its opponent 16 times
    •Fewer or equal turnovers compared to its opponent 15 times
    •More or equal free throws made compared to its opponent 12 times
    •More rebounds compared to its opponent 10 times
    •More or equal blocks compared to its opponent eight times
    •More or equal 3-point field goals made compared to its opponent seven times

Hitting the Century Mark
Omaha hit the century mark for the fourth time this season with its 108-104 overtime win at Grand Canyon on Dec. 13. Over the 11-year Derrin Hansen era, the Mavericks are a perfect 17-0 when scoring 100 points or more in a game.

#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.

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 172-144 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 169-192-2 over all teams on the regular-season slate.

Next Up
Omaha returns to action Saturday, Jan. 16, hosting Fort Wayne. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. at Baxter Arena, 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 ­stats and audio will be available on OMavs.com.