This Weekend
The Omaha men's basketball team continues its three-game opening road swing this Sunday, Nov. 13, visiting USC. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, Calif., and the game will be televised on Pac-12 Los Angeles with Jim Watson and Steve Lavin on the call. Gary Sharp will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2.

Fans can stream 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
•Sunday's game at USC marks the second time Omaha has faced a team from the Pac-12. The Mavericks visited Colorado last season, falling 87-82.
•Omaha capped the 2015-16 season at 18-14 overall and 10-6 in the Summit League, finishing third in the conference standings. The Mavericks were picked fourth in the league's 2016-17 preseason poll last month.
•Senior guard Tra-Deon Hollins and junior forward Tre'Shawn Thurman were both named Preseason All-Summit, with Hollins on the first team and Thurman on the second team.
•Hollins was the nation's leader in both steals (127) and steals per game (3.9) as a junior.
•Senior guard Marcus Tyus returns to the lineup after redshirting in 2015-16. Tyus has not played in a game since Feb. 7, 2015 at Denver, when he suffered a season-ending knee injury.
•UNO lost five letterwinners from 2015-16, including second-team All-Summit performers in guard Devin Patterson and Jake White.
•Omaha was a perfect 10-0 when shooting 50 percent or better last year, including 4-0 in league play.
•Eleven different Mavericks had at least one double-figure scoring performance last season.
•According to kenpom.com, UNO enters the season at second nationally for adjusted tempo (76.8), 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.

Scouting the USC Trojans
USC is 1-0 (0-0 Pac-12) on the year after a 75-61 season-opening win over Montana Friday night. Elijah Stewart led the way with a game-best 30 points, hitting four 3-pointers and going 14-of-16 at the line. De'Anthony Melton pulled down a game-high eight rebounds in reserve.

The Trojans went 21-13 (9-9 Pac-12) last season and were picked seventh in the Pac-12 Preseason Poll. Jordan McLaughlin, who led USC with 13.4 points per game in 2015-16, was named to the watch list for the Bob Cousy Award, which is given to the nation's top point guard. Bennie Boatwright was also named to the watch list for the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award, having averaged 11.5 points and 5.2 rebounds last season.

Head coach Andy Enfield enters his fourth season at USC with a record of 45-54 and carries a career mark of 86-82 in six seasons.

Sunday marks the first meeting all-time between Omaha and USC.

Last Time Out: Mavericks Win Season Opener at UCSB, 74-60
Omaha kicked off the 2016-17 season Saturday afternoon, defeating UC Santa Barbara 74-60 at The Thunderdome. Sophomore forward Mitch Hahn led all scorers with 15 points, contributing five 3-pointers off the bench along with five rebounds.

Sophomore Zach Jackson added a career-high-tying 14 points and a game-high and career-best eight rebounds with two assists and a steal. Junior Tre'Shawn Thurman also had 14 points -- his on 7-of-9 shooting -- with four boards and two blocks, while senior Tra-Deon Hollins rounded it out with 12 points, eight assists, three steals and a rebound. He finished a perfect 5-of-5 at the line.

Omaha and UC Santa Barbara shot an identical .400 (24-of-60), with the Mavericks also sinking 17-of-21 at the line. The Mavericks had the edge in rebounding, 39-37.

Success in Season Openers
Omaha is 10-2 in season openers in the Derrin Hansen era, dating back to 2005-06. The Mavericks defeated UC Santa Barbara 74-60 on Saturday, avenging last year's 2015-16 season opener spoiled. In that game, the Gauchos tipped in a missed layup with three seconds left in the game, taking a 60-59 decision at Baxter Arena.

Previously, UNO had posted three straight season-opening victories, having defeated Central Arkansas, 100-75, in 2014-15, Northern Illinois, 68-66, in 2013-14 and NIU, 77-64, in 2012-13.

Man of Steal
Senior guard Tra-Deon Hollins led the nation in both total steals (127) and steals per game (3.97), well ahead of the second-ranked player, Hameed Ali of Texas A&M Corpus Christi (88; 2.67).

Hollins finished one steal shy of averaging a full 4.0 steals per game, and he was the first player in more than a decade to tally 3.5 steals per game while appearing in at least 25 contests.

If Hollins can surpass last year's steals output in his senior campaign, he can 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 all players in the NJCAA with 4.1 swipes per game while playing at Central CC in 2013-14.

Tyus on Track
Though he has not played a game since Feb. 7, 2015, senior guard Marcus Tyus is the next Omaha player on track to join the prestigious 1,000-Point Club. Over four seasons (2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2016-17), he has amassed 796 career points. If he reaches 1,000, Tyus will be the 37th UNO player to achieve the feat.

Omaha's active career leader for 3-pointers, Tyus also sits at 18th on the Mavericks' career triples chart. His 93 3-pointers sit just behind Charles Box (1995-98) and CJ Carter (2011-15), who each had 94.

Tracking Tre'Shawn
After 30 blocked shots to his credit as a freshman and 35 more as a sophomore, junior forward Tre'Shawn Thurman made his way into the top 10 in school history with 65 career blocks. With his two at UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, the Omaha Central product now has sole possession of 10th on the list with 67, and his next hurdle is Bryan Muellner (1985-89), who had 68 for ninth.

Thurman's 35 blocks in 2015-16 were the 10th-highest single-season mark in school history, and the total ranked him third in the Summit League. His 21 blocks in league play were also the second-most of any league player last year.

Summit League Preseason Poll Released
Omaha was picked to finish fourth in the 2016-17 Summit League Preseason Poll, the conference office announced in October. The poll was tallied in a vote of the league's head coaches, communications personnel and media.

Fort Wayne was the favorite to win the Summit League, garnering 18 first-place votes for 491 points. South Dakota State was second and received nine first-place votes for 424 points, while North Dakota State earned four first-place votes and 422 points for third. Omaha came in fourth with 352 points, followed by IUPUI, which received one first-place vote and 331 points for fifth. Oral Roberts was sixth in the poll with 199 points, while South Dakota (176), Denver (150) and Western Illinois (107) rounded it out in seventh, eighth and ninth places, respectively.

Erickson Granted Sixth Year of Eligibility by NCAA
Senior guard Kyler Erickson was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA to play in 2016-17, it was announced in May. The waiver was granted after the university submitted a request for an extension of eligibility beyond Erickson's five-year window.

Erickson began his collegiate career at Northwest Missouri State, redshirting in 2011-12 before playing the 2012-13 season. Upon transferring to UNO, he sat out the 2013-14 season in compliance with the NCAA's one-year residency requirement for transfers. Erickson then played in 2014-15 and 2015-16 for the Mavericks, moving into a starting role in the middle of the latter season.

As a senior at Millard South High School, Erickson had 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 120,000 views in 114 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.

For his dedication to community service, Erickson was named to the 2016 Allstate NABC Good Works team. Over the last five years, he 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.

Welcome to the Good Life
Omaha's roster includes six players from the state of Nebraska: senior guards Tra-Deon Hollins and Kyler Erickson, junior forward Tre'Shawn Thurman, junior guard Alex Allbery, sophomore forward Mitch Hahn and redshirt freshman forward Ben Kositzke. Hollins, Erickson and Thurman -- all three Omaha natives -- tote previous starting experience, as Hollins and Thurman started every game in 2015-16, and Erickson got the nod in the last seven games of the year.

Transfer Trio Brings Past Division I Experience
Omaha's roster includes a trio of transfers with previous Division I playing experience with junior guard Daniel Norl, sophomore forward Mitch Hahn and senior guard Renard Suggs.

Norl began his collegiate career at Eastern Kentucky in 2014-15, appearing in 11 games in reserve for the Colonels. Last season, he played at Mineral Area CC, where he averaged 10.5 points per game and shot 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range and 75 percent at the free throw line.

Hahn, a Fremont, Neb. native, sat out in 2015-16 in accordance with NCAA transfer rules after playing his freshman season at Holy Cross. He averaged 4.7 points and 2.2 rebounds per game and shot .447 from the field.

Suggs joins the Mavericks after playing at Washington State in 2015-16. He appeared in 25 games for the Cougars, averaging 5.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assists over 12.6 minutes per game minutes per game. Suggs scored in double figures in the first three games of the season and posted a career-high 14 points off the bench in WSU's upset of No. 25 UCLA. He will sit out in 2016-17 in accordance with NCAA transfer rules.

Gibson Back at Full Strength
Redshirt freshman guard JT Gibson is back for a second go at his freshman campaign after earning a medical redshirt in 2015-16. The Brooklyn Park, Minn., native appeared in eight games off the bench last year before suffering a season-ending elbow injury in December. Gibson averaged 5.3 points and 1.9 rebounds over 14.3 minutes played per contest. He scored a season-high 13 points against Saint Mary's, shooting 4-for-7 with three 3-pointers, and added another double-figure scoring effort with 11 points in front of a hometown crowd at Minnesota.

Action Jackson
Sophomore guard Zach Jackson started 24 games in his freshman campaign in 2015-16, averaging 3.5 points and 2.1 rebounds per contest. A native of Wichita, Kan., he scored in double figures twice, first notching 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting vs. Saint Mary's, then 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting at Montana State.

Jackson was the first Omaha freshman to start a season opener since CJ Carter in 2011. Jackson also had the distinction of making the first basket in Baxter Arena history, nailing a jumper 52 seconds into last year's season opener vs. UC Santa Barbara.

On Saturday vs. UCSB, Jackson scored a career-high-tying 14 points and pulled down a career-best and game-high eight rebounds.

History-Making Hollins
Junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins is Omaha's all-time single-season steals leader, and he joined the top 20 for career steals on Feb. 6, 2016. Now in his senior season, he is tied for 11th in school history with 130 career swipes.

Hollins' 196 assists last season were also the second-highest single-season mark in school history.

Hollins had one of his finest performances of the season vs. Fort Wayne on Jan. 16, 2016, finishing with 23 points, a season-high 13 assists and a season-best eight steals alongside five rebounds. He claimed Omaha's single-season steals record (then 81) in the game, clearing the previous mark of 80 set by Vernon Manning (1981-82). Hollins was also the first Omaha player in six years to record a double-double off points and assists.

Robinson's Ready
Freshman guard KJ Robinson is the only true freshman on Omaha's roster this season, and he comes with a list of prep accomplishments. At Blue Springs South High School in Blue Springs, Mo., Robinson received a three-star rating from Rivals and helped the Jaguars win their first state championship in 2015. He was a three-time first-team all-conference, all-area and all-district selection over his career and earned all-state accolades as a senior after averaging 25.0 points per game. Additionally, Robinson played AAU ball for Team YOBO, coached by former Oklahoma State standout Victor Williams.

Robinson made his career debut for Omaha in Saturday's opener at UC Santa Barbara, finishing with seven points on 2-of-3 shooting off the bench.

Picking Up the Pace
Omaha ranked fourth nationally in scoring with 85.3 points per game in 2015-16, behind only Oakland (86.4), The Citadel (86.0) and Marshall (86.0). It marked the highest scoring average of any Derrin Hansen-coached team at UNO and was the fourth Maverick squad under his direction to average more than 80 points per contest, joining teams from 2010-11 (81.3 ppg), 2009-10 (84.6) and 2008-09 (81.3).

In its 18 wins last season, UNO averaged 88.8 points per contest, scoring 95 points or more in eight of those games. In their wins, the Mavericks also shot 50 percent from the field, 35 percent from long range and 77 percent at the line, compared to 44 percent, 33 percent and 71 percent, respectively, across 14 losses.

2016-17 Slate = Tough Test for Mavericks
Omaha's 2016-17 schedule includes 29 games, and the team will play in 13 states against schools from nine other Division I conferences. The schedule has two opponents from both the Big 12 and Big West and one each from the Pac-12, Big Ten, ACC, Conference USA, MAC, Big Sky and WAC. Five opponents – USC, Iowa, Iowa State, Pitt and defending Summit League champion South Dakota State – played in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.

Entering the season, the Mavericks have never faced four of their opponents: USC, Rice, Cal State Fullerton and Pitt. They hold a combined all-time record of 133-170 over all teams on the regular-season slate.

Next Up
Omaha returns to action on Tuesday, Nov. 15, visiting Kansas State. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kan., and the game will be televised on Fox Sports Kansas City. Gary Sharp will also have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2, and links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.