This Weekend
The Omaha men's basketball team welcomes South Dakota State this Saturday, Jan. 28. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Baxter Arena, and Gary Sharp and John Karhoff 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.

The first 2,500 fans in attendance will receive a free t-shirt as part of the NorthStar Foundation's NorthStar Night at UNO, sponsored by First National Bank. NorthStar is Greater Omaha's only all-boys after-school program, serving fourth- through 10th-grade boys from 23 area schools in Northeast Omaha.

Quick Hits
•In the second half of league play, Omaha plays five of its eight remaining games at home. Western Illinois is the only other team in the conference to play that many home games to close the regular season.
•Five Omaha players average double-figure scoring: Marcus Tyus (16.0 ppg), Tre'Shawn Thurman (12.6 ppg), Tra-Deon Hollins (12.5 ppg), Zach Jackson (11.3 ppg) and Mitch Hahn (11.2 ppg).
•Tyus eclipsed 1,000 career points Jan. 4 vs. Fort Wayne, becoming the 37th Maverick to reach the milestone. Thurman is next in line, entering Wednesday's game with 987 career points.
•Thurman also owns 541 career rebounds. The last Maverick to achieve at least 1,000 career points and 500 career boards was John Karhoff (2010-14), who had 1,348 points and 524 rebounds.
•Tyus is averaging 20.5 points per game over the first half of league play, which ranks third in the conference. In non-conference, he had averaged 13.2 points per game.
•Hollins sits at 13th on the Summit League's all-time career steals list with 195.
•Omaha has forced at least 14 turnovers 14 times this year.
•Omaha went 7-6 in non-conference play, marking its fourth straight season finishing .500 or better against non-conference opponents.
•Head coach Derrin Hansen has used three different lineups this year.
•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.
•Hollins and Thurman were both named Preseason All-Summit, with Hollins on the first team and Thurman on the second team.
•Omaha was a perfect 10-0 when shooting 50 percent or better last year. This year, the Mavericks are 3-2.
•Nine different Mavericks have scored in double figures this season.
•Thurman registered his team-leading fifth double-double of the year Jan. 4 vs. Fort Wayne. In games with a Thurman double-double over the last three seasons, Omaha is 6-5.

Scouting the South Dakota State Jackrabbits
South Dakota State enters the weekend with a record of 9-14 (2-6 Summit League) after a 91-82 loss at Denver Wednesday night. Mike Daum led all scorers with 29 points.

Daum, the Summit League Preseason Player of the Year, posted 42 points last Saturday vs. Fort Wayne. He hit a school-record 10 3-pointers in the game, which helped him pass the 1,000 career points mark. Daum also averages league-leading 23.1 points per game and ranks eighth nationally for scoring.

SDSU was picked second in the preseason league poll. Daum earned first-team Preseason All-Summit recognition, while Tellinghuisen was a second-team pick. Head coach T.J. Otzelberger is in his first year at South Dakota State, carrying a career record of 9-14.

South Dakota State leads the all-time series with Omaha, 41-30. The two teams last met on Jan. 7 in Brookings, S.D., where the Mavericks won 101-93. UNO also won the last matchup at Baxter Arena, 96-92, on Feb. 10, 2016.

Last Time Out: Mavericks Falter at Oral Roberts, 103-86
Omaha shot over 50 percent and got a career effort from senior guard Tra-Deon Hollins but saw its four-game win streak halted last Saturday, falling 103-86 to Oral Roberts at the Mabee Center. Hollins flirted with triple-double territory, posting a career-high 33 points, a season-high-tying eight rebounds, nine assists and three steals. The Omaha Central product shot 10-of-16 from the floor and dropped in 5-of-9 from 3-point range as well as 8-of-9 at the free throw line.

Three other Mavericks joined him with double-figure scoring: sophomore forward Mitch Hahn (13), junior guard Daniel Norl (12) and senior guard Marcus Tyus (10). Norl's scoring total marked a season high.

Oral Roberts had three 20-point scorers, who combined for 78 points: Albert Owens (28), Kris Martin (26) and Jalen Bradley (24). Emmanuel Nzekwesi tallied a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

UNO shot 53.6 percent (30-of-56) from the floor, 56.5 percent (13-of-23) from long range and 76.5 percent (13-of-17) at the line. ORU finished at 52.3 percent (34-of-65) from the field, 42.9 percent (9-of-21) from deep and 89.7 percent (26-of-29) at the stripe. The Golden Eagles outrebounded UNO 37-25, scored 20 points off 15 turnovers and had the advantage in the paint, 42-20.

The Last Five
Omaha has won four of its last five games, spurred by a four-game win streak from Jan. 7-18. It was the Mavericks' longest since winning six straight from Dec. 21, 2015 to Jan. 9, 2016.

Over the last five games, Omaha has been spurred by 22.4 points per game from a red-hot Marcus Tyus, who has shot .500 (18-of-36) from long range and had three scoring efforts of 20+. Tra-Deon Hollins (16.4 ppg) and Mitch Hahn (16.2 ppg) have also turned it up offensively, with Hahn stepping in as another 3-point sharpshooter at .600 (18-of-30) from deep in the recent stretch.

Homaha
Omaha has a record of 5-2 at home this season, and the Mavericks have averaged 94.1 points per game with a 16.4 margin of victory at home at Baxter Arena. Senior guard Marcus Tyus has averaged 20.7 points per game and shoots .576 (19-of-33) from distance on his home floor.

This weekend vs. South Dakota State, Omaha seeks its third straight home win. The Mavericks previously won three in a row at home with victories over Buena Vista (Nov. 22), Montana State (Dec. 10) and Cal State Fullerton (Dec. 18).

Tyus Joins 1,000 Point Club
He entered the 2016-17 season having not played a game since Feb. 7, 2015, but senior guard Marcus Tyus is now the most recent Omaha player to join the prestigious 1,000-Point Club. Over four active seasons (2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2016-17), he has amassed 1,122 career points to rank 19th in school history. Tyus was the 37th UNO player to reach the 1,000 points milestone.

Omaha's active career leader for 3-pointers, Tyus moved up to 11th on the triples chart Jan. 14 vs. Western Illinois. His career total of 140 sits just behind former teammate CJ Carter (2011-15), who had 142.

History-Making Hollins
Senior guard Tra-Deon Hollins is Omaha's all-time leader for both career and single-season steals. He joined the top 20 for career steals on Feb. 6, 2016 and finally claimed the career mark in his 52nd game as a Maverick, vs. Denver on Jan. 18, by passing Calvin Kapels (2002-06), who had 191. Hollins now has a career total of 195 swipes as he continues to add to his record mark.

Hollins' 196 assists last season were the second-highest single-season mark in school history. He broke into the  all-time top 20 for assists Nov. 19 vs. Rice and is now eighth with 334, having passed Thad Mott (1988-92), who had 328. Hollins now needs nine more to match CJ Carter (2011-15), who had 343 for seventh.

Last season, Hollins claimed Omaha's single-season steals record (then 81) vs. Fort Wayne on Jan. 16, 2016, 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, finishing with 23 points, 13 assists and eight steals against the Mastodons.

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 through the 2016-17 campaign, the Omaha Central product now sits at fifth on the list with 84, which passes Levy Jones (2003-05), who had 83. Thurman's next hurdle is Frank Cypress (1993-95), who had 94.

Thurman most recently inked his name in the Omaha record books for career rebounds, joining the top 20 in school history on Dec. 21 at Pitt. He currently sits at 13th on the list with 541 boards, having passed Glenn Moberg (1975-79), who had 531. Thurman's next target is Dennis Forrest (1973-77), who grabbed 557.

Thurman is also on the brink of becoming the second Maverick this season to join the 1,000 Point Club. With 987 points to his credit entering this weekend, he needs 13 more to become the 38th 1,000-point scorer in school history.

Stacking Up Nationally
As a team, Omaha ranks 14th nationally for free throws made (389), as well as 22nd for scoring (82.8), 23rd for free throw attempts (524), 29th for 3-point percentage (.391), 35th for total steals (164), 36th for 3-pointers made (9.2) and 40th for steals per game (7.8).

Individually, senior guard Tra-Deon Hollins is second for total steals (68), third for steals per game (3.2), fifth for total assists (138) and ninth for assists per game (6.6).

League Leaders
As a team, Omaha is the Summit League's leader in free throws made per game (18.5) and free throw attempts per game (25.0). Individually, senior guard Tra-Deon Hollins leads the way in steals (68) and assists (138).

Feelin' Hahn, Hahn, Hahn
Sophomore forward Mitch Hahn is averaging 11.2 points per game this season, the most of any Maverick coming off the bench and is second on the team with 40 3-pointers made. Over the last five contests, the Fremont, Neb., native has averaged 16.2 points per game and shot .600 (18-of-30) from deep, and he has scored in double figures five consecutive times. In games when Hahn scores in double figures, Omaha is 9-4.

Hahn tallied a season-high 24 points Jan. 14 vs. Western Illinois, helped by his 6-of-8 showing from 3-point range. He also had a standout effort in his debut on 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.

Second-Half Success
Omaha has averaged 42.9 second-half points this season, up from 38.8 first-half points per game. The Mavericks have seen second-half success from 3-point range, shooting .436 (105-of-241) in the second stanza compared to .347 (87-of-251) in the first.

Senior guard Marcus Tyus has been particularly effective in the second half, shooting .531 (60-of-113) from the field compared to .409 (47-of-115) in the first. Tyus is bolstered by .510 (25-of-49) 3-point shooting in his second-half performances, an improvement from .383 (23-of-60) in the opening half.

Marcus Making His Mark
Senior guard Marcus Tyus tallied his fourth 30-point game of the season Jan. 18 vs. Denver. Previously, Tyus had a career-high 37 points Dec. 10 vs. Montana State, which tied for the sixth-best scoring performance in school history with Calvin Kapels vs. St. Cloud State (Jan. 26, 2006) and Devin Patterson at Duquesne (March 16, 2016). Tyus also dropped 33 at USC on Nov. 13 and 34 at South Dakota State on Jan. 7.

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 26.9 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 26.6 bench points per game.

Over the last five games, Omaha has held a 154-107 bench advantage and averaged 30.8 bench points per game.

Compared to the Opposition
Over its 21 contests this season, Omaha has:
    •More or equal field goals made compared to its opponent seven times
    •More or equal 3-point field goals made compared to its opponent 11 times
    •More or equal free throws made compared to its opponent 14 times
    •More or equal rebounds compared to its opponent eight times
    •More or equal assists compared to its opponent nine times
    •More or equal steals compared to its opponent 12 times
    •Fewer or equal turnovers compared to its opponent nine times
    •More or equal blocks compared to its opponent 10 times

Norl Notches in Double Figures
Junior guard Daniel Norl, a transfer from Mineral Area CC who began his collegiate career at Eastern Kentucky in 2014-15, has scored in double figures four times off the bench this season. He posted a season-high 12 points at Oral Roberts on Jan. 21, shooting 5-for-7 in the game with pair of threes. Over 21 games, Norl has had five performances with at least two 3-pointers this year.

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 143-180 over all teams on the regular-season slate.

Next Up
Omaha welcomes South Dakota on Wednesday, Feb. 1. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Baxter Arena, and Gary Sharp and John Karhoff will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.