This Weekend
The No. 3-seeded Omaha men's basketball team makes its first appearance at the Summit League Men's Basketball Championship this weekend, facing No. 6 seed Denver in the quarterfinal round on Sunday, March 5. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, S.D., and the game will be broadcast live on Midco and ESPN3, with Tom Nieman on play-by-play and Brad Newitt providing color commentary. 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 live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.

Quick Hits
•Omaha clinched the No. 3 seed in the Summit League Tournament with its 102-98 win over Oral Roberts on Feb. 25.
•Senior guard Devin Patterson notched his 10th 20-point game of the year with 29 points vs. Oral Roberts, 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.
•Junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins is the nation's leader in both steals (115) and steals per game (4.0).
•Patterson's 526 points and senior forward Jake White's 523 this year are the 10th- and 12th-highest single-season scoring totals in school history and mark the most points in a season since Justin Simmons' 517 in 2012-13.
•With six points, Patterson will tie UNO's Division I single-season scoring record set by Mitch Albers (532) in 2011-12.
•Patterson (17.5 ppg) and White (17.4 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 13 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 sixth nationally with an adjusted tempo of 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.
•Omaha was picked seventh in the Summit League's preseason poll.

2016 Summit League Men's Basketball Championship Field Set
The field is set for this weekend's 2016 Summit League Men's Basketball Championship, with eight teams competing March 5-8 at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, S.D. The tournament champion advances to the NCAA Tournament as the league's automatic bid. Tickets for the event can be purchased at all Ticketmaster locations, online at Ticketmaster.com or in person at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center Box Office.

    2016 SUMMIT LEAGUE MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
    Saturday, March 5 • Quarterfinals
        Game 1 (6 p.m.) - No. 1 Fort Wayne vs. No. 8 South Dakota
        Game 2 (8:30 p.m.) - No. 2 South Dakota State vs. No. 7 Oral Roberts

    Sunday, March 6 • Quarterfinals
        Game 3 (6 p.m.) - No. 4 IUPUI vs. No. 5 North Dakota State (Midco/ESPN3)
        Game 4 (8:30 p.m.) - No. 3 Omaha vs. No. 6 Denver (Midco/ESPN3)

    Monday, March 7 • Semifinals
        Game 5 (6 p.m.) - Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 3 (Midco/ESPN3)
        Game 6 (8:30 p.m.) - Winner of Game 2 vs. Winner Game 4 (Midco/ESPN3)

    Tuesday, March 8 (Championship)
        Game 7 (8 p.m.) - Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6 (ESPN2/WatchESPN.com)

Scouting the Denver Pioneers
Denver brings a record of 15-14 (7-9 Summit League) into Sunday's quarterfinal matchup with Omaha. The Pioneers last played Feb. 27, defeating North Dakota State 70-59 at home, where C.J. Bobbitt posted a team-high 16 points and six rebounds. Marcus Byrd also finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.

Head coach Joe Scott (Princeton, 1987) is in his ninth season at Denver with a record of 145-131 and a career mark of 234-239 over 16 years. Saturday is the ninth meeting between UNO and DU, with the Pioneers leading the all-time series, 7-2. The two squads split the season series, as DU won the most recent matchup, 75-72, on Feb. 6 at Baxter Arena, and Omaha won 69-55 on Jan. 21 in Denver.

Last Time Out: Mavericks Best Oral Roberts 102-98 on Senior Night
Omaha capped the regular season in a big way Feb. 25, defeating Oral Roberts 102-98 on Senior Night at Baxter Arena. Senior guard Devin Patterson led all scorers with 29 points, shooting 10-of-16 from the field with four 3-pointers and a 5-of-5 effort at the free throw line. The Portsmouth, Va., native added five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Senior guard/forward Randy Reed II followed with a career-high 21 points, hitting 8-of-11 shots from the floor and 4-of-4 at the line while pulling down five boards and adding a steal.

Junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins achieved his second double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 assists, adding four caroms, three steals and a block. Senior forward Jake White rounded it out with 18 points, a team-high seven rebounds and a steal.

Omaha had its second-highest field goal percentage of the season, shooting 56 percent (36-of-64) from the floor. The Mavericks were also 53 percent (9-of-17) from long range and 78 percent (21-of-27) at the stripe, and they finished with a 9-6 advantage in steals.

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 Thursday. 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.

It's Tourney Time
Omaha last played in a conference tournament in its final year of the Division II era at the 2011 MIAA Tournament in Kansas City, Mo. The Mavericks were ineligible for the Summit League Tournament during their Division I transition from 2011-15, though they earned a postseason bid to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament in 2014.

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 (118) and steals per game (3.9), well ahead of the second-ranked players, Hameed Ali of Texas A&M Corpus Christi (83) and Kris Dunn of Providence (2.9).

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 .574 from the floor, .513 from 3-point range and a team-best .806 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 13th. On Feb. 20, he cleared the Summit League single-season steals record (115), previously held by Cleveland State's Ken Robertson (1988-89). Hollins' 179 assists are also the fourth-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 48.9 points per game is over seven points higher than the scoring average for the next trio on the list, Oral Roberts' Obi Emegano, Jalen Bradley and Albert Owens (41.8). Patterson is fourth among conference scorers with 17.5 ppg, while White is fifth (17.4) and Thurman is 11th (14.0 ppg).

Stacking Up Nationally
Omaha is fifth in the nation for scoring offense (84.9 ppg), as well as sixth for steals per game (9.3), seventh for steals (278), ninth for free throws made (565), 16th for turnovers forced (15.8) and 19th for free throw attempts (763).

Individually, junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins leads the nation in steals (118) and steals per game (3.9) and is 17th for assists (179) and 24th for assists per game (6.0). Senior guard Devin Patterson (526) and senior forward Jake White (523) both rank in the top 85 nationally for points scored this season, with Patterson at 77th and White at 83rd.

League Leaders
Omaha leads the Summit League in seven statistical categories: points (2,547), points per game (84.9), field goals made per game (30.0), field goals attempted per game (63.3), free throws made per game (18.8), free throws attempted per game (25.4) and steals per game (9.3).

Individually, junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins is first among all league players for assists (179) and steals (118).

Stepping Up in the Summit    
Omaha has upped its game in league play this season, as the Mavericks have 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.

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 109 treys in three seasons to rank 14th in school history and leads Omaha this year with 50 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.

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 169 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 306 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 1,166 points, which is the most of any active Maverick, and ranks 15th in school history for scoring. Patterson needs 30 points to tie Jim Gregory (1977-81), who had 1,196.

Tracking Tre'Shawn
After 30 blocked shots to his credit as a freshman and 34 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 11th, and his next hurdle to break into the top 10 is Terry Sodawasser (1981-85), who had 65. Thurman's 34 blocks this year tie John Eriksen (1979-80) for the 10th-highest single-season mark in school history.

Thurman's 21 blocks in Summit League play are the second-most of any conference player this year. He put up a career-high-tying five blocks at South Dakota on Jan. 9, which matched his mark set against Nevada as a freshman.

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.

Close Calls
Omaha's losses have come by an average margin of 5.5 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), 11 (at South Dakota State) and 12 (at IUPUI). Last season's average margin of loss was 10.8 points.

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 84.9 points per game, up from 76.8 ppg last season. It marks the 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 69 percent, respectively, across their 12 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 30 contests UNO has:
    •More or equal steals compared to its opponent 27 times
    •Fewer or equal turnovers compared to its opponent 25 times
    •More or equal free throws made compared to its opponent 23 times
    •More or equal blocks compared to its opponent 14 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.

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 179-150 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 31 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. 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 176-198-2 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 in Sunday's Summit League Championship quarterfinals, Omaha returns to action on Monday, March 7 to face South Dakota State or Oral Roberts in the semifinal round. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, S.D., and the game will be broadcast live on Midco and ESPN3. Gary Sharp will also have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2, and links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.