This Week
The Omaha men's basketball team makes its first appearance in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) this week, visiting Duquesne in the first round on Wednesday, March 16. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. (CT) at the A.J. Palumbo Center in Pittsburgh, Pa., and Gary Sharp will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2. Fans can stream the audio on their smartphones by downloading NRG Media's app “1620 The Zone,” and links to free live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.

Quick Hits
•Omaha is one of three Summit League teams playing in the postseason. League tournament champion South Dakota State earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, while Fort Wayne will play in the NIT.
•Junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins is the nation's leader in both steals (115) and steals per game (4.0).
•Senior guard Devin Patterson notched his 10th 20-point game of the year with 29 points vs. Oral Roberts (Feb. 25), while senior guard/forward Randy Reed II had his first with a career-high 21 points. It marked the 31st and 32nd Maverick performances of 20 or more points this year. UNO had 20 scoring efforts with 20+ over 29 games in 2014-15.
•Patterson's 538 points and senior forward Jake White's 537 this year are the sixth- and seventh-highest single-season scoring totals in school history and mark the most points in a season since Justin Simmons' 517 in 2012-13.
•With his 12 points vs. Denver at the Summit League Tournament, Patterson claimed UNO's Division I single-season scoring record, passing the previous mark of 532 set by Mitch Albers in 2011-12.
•Patterson (17.4 ppg) and White (17.3 ppg) both own scoring averages over 17.0 ppg. The last time a Maverick squad had two scorers with at least 17.0 ppg each was 2010-11, with Tyler Bullock (19.1 ppg) and Mitch Albers (17.3 ppg).
•Omaha has posted double-digit steals in 14 games this season.
•Eleven different Mavericks have had at least one double-figure scoring performance this year.
•Omaha received votes six straight weeks in the CollegeInsider Mid-Major Top 25 poll from Jan. 11 to Feb. 15.
•According to kenpom.com, UNO is fifth nationally with an adjusted tempo of 76.7, 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 and finished third in the league standings.

Field Set for 2016 CBI
The field is set for the 2016 College Basketball Invitational (CBI), it was announced Sunday night. The CBI is a 16-team, single-elimination tournament, up until its championship series, with all games played at campus sites. The event features eight first-round games (March 15-16), four quarterfinal games (March 21), a semifinal round (March 23) and a championship series (March 28, March 30 and April 1).

Prior to the semifinals, the remaining teams will be re-bracketed. The championship series will be a “best of three” series in which one team will host two of the three games and will be televised nationally on ESPNU.

2016 COLLEGE BASKETBALL INVITATIONAL (CBI) FIRST ROUND SCHEDULE
Tuesday, March 15 • First Round
Morehead State at Siena - 6 p.m. (CT)

Wednesday, March 16 • First Round
Omaha at Duquesne - 6 p.m. (CT)
Albany at Ohio - 6 p.m. (CT)
Houston Baptist at UNCG - 6 p.m. (CT)
Western Carolina at Vermont - 6 p.m. (CT)
Pepperdine at Eastern Michigan - 8 p.m. (CT)
Montana at Nevada - 9 p.m. (CT)
Idaho at Seattle - 9 p.m. (CT)

Scouting the Duquesne Dukes
Duquesne brings a record of 16-16 (6-12 Atlantic 10) into Wednesday's first-round CBI matchup with Omaha. The Dukes last played March 9, falling to La Salle 88-73 at the Atlantic 10 Tournament in Brooklyn, N.Y., where Micah Mason posted a team-high 26 points on six 3-pointers. Derrick Colter also finished with 18 points, and Mar'Qywell Jackson had 10.

Head coach Jim Ferry (Keene State, 1990) is in his fourth season at DU with a record of 49-74 and a career mark of 303-242 over 18 years. This will be the first meeting between Omaha and Duquesne.

Last Time Out: Denver Upends Omaha in League Quarterfinals, 78-70
The third-seeded Omaha men's basketball team erased a 19-point deficit but it was not enough on March 6, as sixth-seeded Denver upended the Mavericks 78-70 at the Summit League Tournament Quarterfinals.

Junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins led UNO with 17 points, five rebounds, eight assists, seven steals and two blocks. Sophomore forward Tre'Shawn Thurman added 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting plus four boards, and senior forward Jake White had 14 points and four more caroms while hitting 10-of-11 at the free throw line. Senior guard Devin Patterson rounded it out with 12 points and four steals for the night.

Hollins, Patterson, White Garner All-Summit Nods
Three Omaha players -- junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins, senior guard Devin Patterson and senior forward Jake White -- were included on the All-Summit teams released March 3. Hollins earned first-team all-league honors, while Patterson and White were both named to the second team.

Hollins received additional recognition, as he was, honored as Summit League Defensive Player of the Year and Summit League Transfer of the Year while also being named to the All-Newcomer Team.

Since Omaha joined the league in 2012-13, seven Mavericks have combined for eight All-Summit accolades.

Tourney Time
Omaha's inclusion in the 2016 College Basketball Invitational marks its first CBI appearance in school history and its second postseason tournament in the Division I era. The Mavericks played in the 2014 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) during its NCAA Division I reclassification period, defeating North Dakota 91-75 in the first round before falling 86-62 at Murray State in the second round.

Drop and Give Me 50
Omaha is a perfect 10-0 when shooting 50 percent or better this year, including 5-0 in league play. The Mavericks shot a season-high .589 (33-of-56) vs. South Dakota State on Feb. 10, and finished the regular season with their second-highest percentage, .563 (36-of-64), vs. Oral Roberts on Feb. 25.

Man of Steal
Junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins leads the nation in both total steals (125) and steals per game (4.0), well ahead of the second-ranked player, Hameed Ali of Texas A&M Corpus Christi (88/2.8 spg).

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.

White Out
Senior forward Jake White is credited for 17.4 points per game, the second-highest average on the team, and has scored in double figures in all but four contests. The Chaska, Minn., native owns six double-double performances this season and is the first Maverick in seven years to shoot at least 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from long range and 75 percent at the line with a minimum of 15 games played. White is .570 from the floor, .500 from 3-point range and .813 at the stripe; the last UNO player to achieve that was Matt Newman in 2009-10 (.511/.433/.783).

Hot-Handed Hollins
Junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins is Omaha's all-time single-season steals leader, and since joining the top 20 for career steals on Feb. 6, he now ranks 12th with 125. On Feb. 20, he cleared the Summit League single-season steals record (115), previously held by Cleveland State's Ken Robertson (1988-89). Hollins' 187 assists are also the third-highest single-season mark in school history.

Hollins had one of his finest games of the season vs. Fort Wayne on Jan. 16, 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.

Hollins had another outstanding performance Feb. 10 vs. South Dakota State, finishing with a season-high 28 points, nine boards, eight assists, four steals and a block. It garnered him Summit League Player of the Week recognition on Feb. 15.

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 average of 48.7 points per game is over seven points higher than the scoring average for the next trio on the list, Oral Roberts' Obi Emegano, Albert Owens and Jalen Bradley (41.5). Patterson is fourth among conference scorers with 17.4 ppg, while White is fifth (17.3) and Thurman is 11th (14.0 ppg).

Stacking Up Nationally
Omaha is fifth in the nation for scoring offense (84.4 ppg) and steals per game (9.4), as well as seventh for total steals (291), 12th for turnovers forced (15.8) and 18th for free throws made (592).

Individually, junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins leads the nation in steals (125) and steals per game (4.0) and is 21st for assists (187) and assists per game (6.0).

League Leaders
Omaha leads the Summit League in six statistical categories: points per game (84.4), field goals made per game (29.6), field goals attempted per game (62.7), free throws made per game (19.1), free throws attempted per game (25.7) and steals per game (9.4).

Individually, junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins is first among all league players for assists (187) and steals (125).

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. He is now fifth on the Omaha career steals list with 173 in three years, and his next hurdle is Dean Thompson (1980-84), who had 174.

Patterson also joined the top 20 in school history for career assists in the opening weekend, and his total has risen to 307 for ninth. His next target is Thad Mott (1988-92), who had 328.

Welcome to the Club, Devin
Senior guard Devin Patterson joined the 1,000 Point Club on Jan. 23 at Oral Roberts, becoming the 36th player in Omaha history to reach the 1,000 career points milestone. He now has 1,178 points, which is the most of any active Maverick, and ranks 15th in school history for scoring. Patterson needs 18 points to tie Jim Gregory (1977-81), who had 1,196.

Stepping Up in the Summit
Omaha upped its game in league play this season, as the Mavericks shot .485 from the field, .370 from 3-point range and .757 at the line over 16 conference games. Comparatively, Omaha shot .461, .304 and .724, respectively, in those categories in non-conference play from Nov. 13 to Dec. 22.

Erickson Named to Allstate NABC Good Works Team
Senior guard Kyler Erickson has been named to the 2016 Allstate NABC Good Works Team, it was announced Feb. 9. The Allstate NABC Good Works Team recognizes 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 was one of 154 NABC nominees.

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.

Members of the Allstate NABC Good Works Team will be invited by Allstate to be recognized at the 2016 NCAA Men's Final Four and NABC Convention and will participate in a community service project to benefit the host city of Houston.

Omaha Homaha
The addition of senior guard Kyler Erickson to Omaha's starting five on Feb. 10 marked the third different lineup the Mavericks have used this season. Erickson, out of Millard South, joined two other hometown natives -- junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins and sophomore forward Tre'Shawn Thurman, both from Omaha Central -- as starters.

The last time UNO featured a starting lineup with at least three players from Omaha was Nov. 23, 2012 vs. Bethune-Cookman, when CJ Carter, Koang Doluony and John Karhoff got the nod.

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 110 treys in three seasons to rank 14th in school history and leads Omaha this year with 51 triples, the most since Alex Welhouse had 50 in 2011-12. In games when Patterson knocks down at least three 3-pointers, UNO is 6-2.

Tracking Tre'Shawn
After 30 blocked shots to his credit as a freshman and 35 more this season, sophomore forward Tre'Shawn Thurman has made his way into the top 10 in school history for career blocks. The Omaha Central product is now tied for 10th with Terry Sodawasser (1981-85), and his next hurdle is Bryan Muellner, who had 68 for ninth. Thurman's 35 blocks are the 10th-highest single-season mark in school history, and the season total ranks third in the Summit League.

Close Calls
Omaha's losses have come by an average margin of 5.7 points this year, its lowest average in the Derrin Hansen era. The Mavericks have fallen by one (vs. UC Santa Barbara, at Wyoming), three (at Minnesota, vs. Denver), four (at Fort Wayne), five (at Colorado, vs. Fort Wayne), seven (vs. Eastern Michigan, at Missouri, at Western Illinois), eight (vs. Denver), 11 (at South Dakota State) and 12 (at IUPUI). Last season's average margin of loss was 10.8 points.

Two for 20
Omaha has had at least two scorers with 20 or more points on the same night seven times this season and is 6-1 in those games. An astonishing four Mavericks were 20-point scorers on Jan. 16 vs. Fort Wayne, marking the first time that has occurred in the modern era.

Last season, the Mavericks had two 20-point scorers in the same game just twice -- last on Nov. 22, 2014 in their road upset of Marquette, when Patterson had 26 points and CJ Carter had 25.

Bouncing Back
Omaha has shown the ability to bounce back from losses this season, going 9-3 in games that follow a defeat.

Comeback Kids
Omaha has overcome a double-digit deficit for a win five times this season, including down 21 at South Dakota (Jan. 9). The Mavericks also overcame a 19-point deficit at Grand Canyon (Dec. 13), a 16-point deficit vs. Western Illinois (Jan. 1), and 10-point deficits vs. UMKC (Nov. 17) and vs. South Dakota State (Feb. 10).

Over Derrin Hansen's 11-year career, the Mavericks have prevailed over a double-digit deficit 24 times, including 12 in the Division I era.

Picking Up the Pace
Omaha ranks fifth nationally in scoring with 84.4 points per game, up from 76.8 ppg last season. It marks the  second-highest scoring average of any Derrin Hansen-coached team at UNO and is 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 this season, UNO has averaged 88.8 points per contest, scoring 95 points or more in eight of those games. In their wins, the Mavericks have also shot 50 percent from the field, 35 percent from long range and 77 percent at the line, compared to 44 percent, 32 percent and 70 percent, respectively, across their 13 losses.

Hitting the Century Mark
Omaha hit the century mark for the sixth time this season in its 102-98 win over Oral Roberts on Feb. 25. Over the 11-year Derrin Hansen era, the Mavericks are 18-1 when scoring 100 points or more, including 5-1 in 2015-16.

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 three games this year. Over 31 contests UNO has:
•More or equal steals compared to its opponent 28 times
•Fewer or equal turnovers compared to its opponent 26 times
•More or equal free throws made compared to its opponent 24 times
•More or equal blocks compared to its opponent 15 times
•More rebounds compared to its opponent 13 times
•More or equal 3-point field goals made compared to its opponent 13 times

#euromavs: A Maverick Adventure to Italy
Omaha embarked on its first overseas training trip August 12-22, 2015 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.

What Makes Up the Mavericks
•UNO returned 61 percent of its offensive production from last season, as this year's returners accounted for 1,361 of the Mavericks' 2,226 points. The returning nine were also credited for 69 percent (696) of last season's 1,009 rebounds.
•Senior guards Devin Patterson and Marcus Tyus were UNO's leading returning scorers after averaging 13.0 and 11.7 points per game, respectively, both of which ranked among the top 15 scorers in the Summit League. Patterson also led the league in steals (59) and was second in assists (104), while Tyus was third for 3-point percentage (.440).
•Patterson played the most minutes last season of any returner on this year's roster, averaging 30.5 minutes per game.
•UNO's 2015-16 roster includes six seniors, one junior, five sophomores and four freshmen.
•The Mavericks hail from eight different states. Six are from Nebraska, three are from Minnesota, and two are out of Kansas, while Oklahoma, Missouri, Virginia and Montana are all represented once on the roster.

Reed Named to NABC Honors Court
The National Association of Basketball Coaches released its 2014-15 NABC Honors Court in July, and the list included senior guard/forward Randy Reed II, who earned his first Honors Court award. Reed is a general studies major from St. Louis, Mo., and he carries a 3.47 grade-point average.

Championship Pedigree
Seven players on Omaha's roster made appearances in state basketball championship games with their high school programs. Junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins and sophomore forward Tre'Shawn Thurman played on three state championship teams together at Omaha Central in 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13, and Hollins had another under his belt in 2009-10. From the state of Kansas, freshman forward Zach Jackson also won a state title with Wichita East in 2014-15, and sophomore guard Devin Newsome captured one in 2012-13 with Shawnee Mission South.

Sophomore forward Daniel Meyer's Central Catholic squad made it to the Montana championship game in 2012-13, and freshman guard JT Gibson, from Champlin Park in Minnesota, and freshman center Zach Pirog, out of ThunderRidge in Colorado, each appeared in state championship contests in 2014-15.

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 179-151 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 32 games, and the team will play in 14 states against schools from 11 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, SWAC and Atlantic 10. Two opponents – Wyoming and defending Summit League champion North Dakota State – played in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.

Entering the regular season, the Mavericks had never faced six of their opponents: UC Santa Barbara, Saint Mary's (Minn.), Colorado, Eastern Michigan, Montana State and Southern, and UNO will face Duquesne for the first time as well. The Mavericks hold a combined all-time record of 176-199-2 over all teams on the slate.

Former Mavericks Rostampour, Carter Playing Professionally Overseas
Former Maverick forward Mike Rostampour signed a contract in August to play professionally for BC Prievidza, a basketball club in the Slovak Extraliga, the highest professional league in Slovakia.

Rostampour was a two-year starter and a three-year member of the Omaha program from 2012 to 2015. As a senior, he was named All-Summit Honorable Mention and averaged 10.2 points and a team-best 7.7 rebounds per game while leading the league in offensive rebounds.

In February, former Omaha men's basketball player CJ Carter signed with MZT Skopje Aerodrom, a club in the Prva Liga (Macedonian First League), the highest professional league in Republic of Macedonia. Carter was a four-year starter in the Omaha program from 2011 to 2015. As a senior, he was named second-team All-Summit and averaged 16.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks per game.

Next Up
With a win Wednesday, Omaha returns to action on Monday, March 21 to face the winner of Morehead State/Siena in the CBI Quarterfinals.