This Weekend
After two and a half weeks on the road, the Omaha men's basketball team returns home to host Montana State this Saturday, Dec. 10. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Baxter Arena, and Gary Sharp will have the radio call on 1620 The Zone. Fans can stream audio on their smartphones by downloading NRG Media's app “1620 The Zone,” and links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.

Quick Hits
•Omaha is 6-1 all-time against Big Sky foes. The Mavericks are 1-0 vs. Montana State, 3-0 vs. North Dakota, 0-1 vs. Northern Arizona and 2-0 vs. Northern Colorado.
•Three of Omaha's starters average double-figure scoring: junior forward Tre'Shawn Thurman (13.3 ppg), sophomore guard Zach Jackson (11.9 ppg) and senior guard Tra-Deon Hollins (11.4 ppg).
•Over their careers, Hollins and Thurman have both averaged at least 12 points per game, notching at 12.3 ppg and 12.0 ppg, respectively.
•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.
•Hollins and 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 has returned to the lineup after redshirting in 2015-16. Previously, Tyus had 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 forward Jake White.
•Omaha was a perfect 10-0 when shooting 50 percent or better last year. This year, the Mavericks are 1-1.
•Eight different Mavericks have scored in double figures over the first nine games this year.
•Thurman registered his third double-double of the year Nov. 30 at Cal State Fullerton. In games with a Thurman double-double over the last three years, Omaha is 5-4.

Scouting the Montana State Bobcats
Montana State is 5-5 (0-0 Big Sky) on the year after a 74-57 loss at South Dakota Wednesday. Quinton Everett scored a team-leading 13 points, while Tyler Hall added 12, and Zach Green grabbed a team-best seven rebounds.

Hall averages a team-leading 23.5 points per game, which ranks seventh nationally. He sits in the top five in two other categories, coming in at second for total points (235) and fourth for total 3-pointers made (38).

Head coach Brian Fish is in his third year at MSU, carrying a record of 26-45.

Saturday's game is the second meeting all-time between Omaha and Montana State. The Mavericks won the last matchup 100-97 on Dec. 6, 2015 in Bozeman, Mont.

Last Time Out: Omaha Falls 91-47 at No. 25 Iowa State
Omaha played its first top-25 opponent of the Division I era Monday night, falling 91-47 to No. 25 Iowa State at Hilton Coliseum. Senior guard Tra-Deon Hollins led the Mavericks, scoring 13 points with a pair of 3-pointers, as well as three steals, two rebounds and an assist.

Junior forward Tre'Shawn Thurman, sophomore guard Zach Jackson and sophomore forward Mitch Hahn each pulled down seven rebounds for the night. Hahn, who had four boards on the offensive end, also had a pair of blocks, three points and an assist, while Thurman chipped in six points of his own.

Iowa State was led by 20 points from Deonte Burton, who shot 8-of-11 from the field and 3-of-3 from distance. Donovan Jackson hit five 3-pointers en route to 15 points, while Darrell Bowie (12) and Naz Mitrou-Long (11) scored in double figures as well. Matt Thomas added eight points and seven rebounds.

The Cyclones shot .508 (33-of-65) for the night, including .517 (15-of-29) from long range. Omaha was limited to .284 shooting (19-of-67, including .227 (5-of-22) behind the arc. ISU also had 22 assists on 33 baskets and forced 19 Maverick turnovers, scoring 22 points off miscues.

Road Warriors
Omaha has played seven of its first nine games on the road this season, with trips to UC Santa Barbara, USC, Kansas State, Eastern Michigan, Cal State Fullerton, Iowa and Iowa State. The Mavericks have traveled 14,071 miles in that span.

Junior forward Tre'Shawn Thurman has led the charge for Omaha in road battles. At home, he has averaged 8.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game; in away contests, he has nearly doubled his scoring to 14.9 points per game and almost tripled his performance on the glass to 8.9 rebounds per game.

On the road, Omaha is an .816 free throw shooting team, up from .649 at home. The Mavericks also average 39.7 rebounds per game in away games compared to 33.0 at Baxter Arena.

Solid at the Stripe
Omaha has been strong at the free throw line this season, hitting at a .770 clip. The Mavericks have shot below .700 just twice and earlier this season fired at over .900 in back-to-back games -- .923 (24-of-26) Nov. 26 at Eastern Michigan and .926 (25-of-27) Dec. 30 at Cal State Fullerton.

The last time a Maverick team shot .900 or better at the stripe in back-to-back games was 2007-08 vs. York College (.926 on Jan. 12, 2008) and Nebraska-Kearney (.900 on Jan. 14, 2008).

Tyus on Track
Though he entered the 2016-17 season having 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 active seasons (2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2016-17), he has amassed 874 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 is 15th on the Mavericks' career triples chart. His career total of 103 sits behind Devin Patterson (2013-16), who had 116.

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. Midway into the 2016-17 campaign, the Omaha Central product now sits at seventh on the list with 72, and his next hurdle is Matt Hagerbaumer (2010-14), who had 79 for sixth.

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.

Action Jackson
Sophomore guard Zach Jackson is second on the team for scoring and rebounding with 11.9 points and 5.4 boards per game this season. In Omaha's season opener Nov. 12 at UCSB, he scored 14 points and pulled down a career-best and eight rebounds and has matched the rebounding performance twice more -- Nov. 15 at Kansas State and Dec. 3 at Iowa. He has scored in double figures in all but one game this season -- including his latest with a career-high 21 points at Iowa on Dec. 3.

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.

Feelin' Hahn, Hahn, Hahn
Sophomore forward Mitch Hahn is averaging 8.4 points per game, the most of any Maverick coming off the bench.

The Fremont, Neb., native had an impressive debut Nov. 12 at UC Santa Barbara, leading all scorers with 15 points in reserve with five 3-pointers. Hahn was the first Maverick to knock down at least five triples in a season opener since former Maverick Jeff Martin did so in 2009-10.

Hahn has matched his season best of 15 points twice more -- Nov. 19 vs. Rice, shooting 5-of-7 with two 3-pointers, and again Dec. 3 at Iowa. He now holds the team lead for threes made this season with 14.

Looking to the Bench
Omaha's bench outscored Buena Vista's bench 60-28 on Nov. 22. The last time the Mavericks' bench enjoyed a scoring margin of 30 or more was March 1, 2014, when UNO outscored Fort Wayne's reserves 59-26.

The 2016-17 Mavericks are averaging 28.8 points per game by bench scorers, the highest of any Derrin Hansen-coached team. The next highest average is courtesy of the 2013-14 squad, which had 24.9 bench points per game.

Stacking Up Nationally
As a team, Omaha ranks 24th nationally in free throw percentage (.770). Individually, senior guard Tra-Deon Hollins is fourth among Division I players for total steals (26) and sixth for steals per game (2.9), 11th for total assists (57) and 17th for steals per game (6.3).

League Leaders
As a team, Omaha is the Summit League's leader in free throws made per game (17.9). Individually, senior guard Tra-Deon Hollins leads the way in steals (26).

Compared to the Opposition
Over the first nine contests of the 2016-17 season, Omaha has:
    •More or equal field goals made compared to its opponent three times
    •More or equal 3-point field goals made compared to its opponent three times
    •More or equal free throws made compared to its opponent six times
    •More rebounds compared to its opponent four times
    •More or equal steals compared to its opponent three times
    •Fewer or equal turnovers compared to its opponent five times
    •More or equal blocks compared to its opponent three times

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. Hollins moved up to ninth in school history Dec. 3 at Iowa, passing CJ Carter (2011-15), and now has a career total of 153 swipes.

Hollins' 196 assists last season were also the second-highest single-season mark in school history. He broke into the  all-time top 20 for assists Nov. 19 vs. Rice and moved up to 14th Dec. 5 at Iowa State, as his 253 helpers tie with Caleb Steffensmeier (2010-14).

Hollins had one of his finest performances of the 2015-16 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.

Bouncing Back
Omaha showed the ability to bounce back from losses last season, going 8-4 in games that followed a defeat. The Maverick offense also came back with a vengeance in those games, averaging 92.8 points per game in the next contest after a loss. This season, UNO is 2-2 after a loss and averages 87.5 points in those games.

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.

The 2016-17 season also features four opponents the Mavericks have never faced: USC, Rice, Cal State Fullerton and Pitt. They now hold a combined all-time record of 136-175 over all teams on the regular-season slate.

Next Up
Omaha returns to action on Thursday, Dec. 15, visiting UMKC. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Municipal Auditorium, and Gary Sharp will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.