This Weekend
The Omaha men's basketball team visits Western Illinois this Saturday, Feb. 4. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Western Hall in Macomb, Ill., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN3. Gary Sharp will have the radio call on 1620 The Zone, and 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
•Omaha plays five of its eight final league 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 (16.2 ppg), Tre'Shawn Thurman (12.8 ppg), Tra-Deon Hollins (12.8 ppg), Mitch Hahn (11.5 ppg) and Zach Jackson (10.8 ppg).
•Tyus eclipsed 1,000 career points Jan. 4 vs. Fort Wayne, while Thurman passed the mark Jan. 28 vs. South Dakota State. They represent the 37th and 38th 1,000-point scorers in program history, respectively.
•Omaha is one of 48 teams in the country and two squads in the Summit League with at least two 1,000-point scorers on the roster.
•Thurman is also the 11th player in school history with at least 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in a career.
•Tyus averages 20.1 points per game in league play, which ranks fourth in the conference. In non-conference, he had averaged 13.2 points per game.
•Omaha has forced at least 15 turnovers 11 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 season.
•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 Western Illinois Leathernecks
Western Illinois enters the weekend with a record of 7-14 (4-6 Summit League) after a 98-65 loss at South Dakota State on Wednesday. CJ Duff led the Leathernecks with 16 points, and Dalan Ancrum had another 14.

Garret Covington leads WIU with 18.7 points per game, which ranks second in the league. Mike Miklusak also averages in double figures with 14.1 points per game, and he is second among league players with 8.8 rebounds per contest.

Head coach Billy Wright is in his third season at WIU and carries a career record of 25-51.

Saturday's game marks the 18th meeting all-time between Omaha and Western Illinois, with the Leathernecks leading the series 10-7. The two teams met most recently on Jan. 14 at Baxter Arena, where the Mavericks earned an 86-72 win. WIU took the last meeting in Macomb, Ill., 83-76 on Feb. 3, 2016.

Last Time Out: Mavericks Topple South Dakota, 91-83
Omaha withstood a late threat by South Dakota Wednesday night, avenging an earlier loss to the Coyotes with a 91-83 win at Baxter Arena. Senior guard Tra-Deon Hollins flirted with a triple-double again, leading the Mavericks with game highs of 19 points, eight rebounds, nine assists, five steals and two blocks. The Omaha native is now up to 202 career steals, which makes him the 11th player in Summit League history to pass the 200 career steals plateau.

Senior guard Marcus Tyus added 17 points, four boards, three assists and four steals while shooting a perfect 8-of-8 at the free throw line, and junior guard Daniel Norl had 12 points and three rebounds. Junior forward Tre'Shawn Thurman and sophomore forward Mitch Hahn matched each other with 11 points, with Thurman grabbing four rebounds and Hahn pulling down another five caroms.

Junior forward Daniel Meyer also had a standout effort, posting a season-high-tying nine points -- all in the first half -- and five rebounds over 19 minutes of work off the bench.

UNO shot 46.3 percent (31-of-67) from the field and 82.1 percent (23-of-28) at the line, while USD finished at 52.7 percent (29-of-55) from the floor and 65.4 percent (17-of-26) at the stripe. Omaha had a 39-28 advantage on the glass, a 42-28 edge in points in the paint and a 12-2 lead in second-chance points. The Mavericks' bench also outscored the Coyotes', 32-19.

Hollins Adding Name to NCAA, Summit League Lists
Senior guard Tra-Deon Hollins is the NCAA's active career leader with 3.67 steals per game. He also has the third-most career steals of any player nationally with 202, which matches Iowa State's Monte Morris and sits just behind Tennessee State's Tahjere McCall (213) and Illinois State's Paris Lee (234).

Hollins is 10th on the Summit League's all-time career steals list and one of 11 players in league history to pass the 200 steals plateau.

Spurring the Stretch
After starting Summit League play 0-3, Omaha has gone 5-2 over its last seven games with an average of 89.1 points per contest. Within that span, Omaha enjoyed a four-game win streak from Jan. 7-18, its longest of the season.

Over the last seven games, Omaha has been spurred by 21.3 points per game from a red-hot Marcus Tyus, who has shot .458 (22-of-48) from long range and had four scoring efforts of 20+. Mitch Hahn (16.4 ppg) and Tra-Deon Hollins (15.7 ppg) have also turned it up offensively, with Hahn another 3-point sharpshooter at .553 (21-of-38) from deep in the recent stretch.

Home Sweet Homaha
Omaha has a record of 6-3 at home this season, and the Mavericks have averaged 92.7 points per game with a 15.0 margin of victory at Baxter Arena. Senior guard Marcus Tyus has averaged 20.2 points per game and shoots .519 (27-of-52) from distance on his home floor.

Tyus Joins 1,000 Point Club
Marcus Tyus entered the 2016-17 season having not played a game since Feb. 7, 2015, but the senior guard finally joined the prestigious 1,000-Point Club on Jan. 4 vs. Fort Wayne. Tyus was the 37th UNO player to reach the 1,000 points milestone, and over four active seasons (2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2016-17), he has amassed 1,159 career points to rank 17th in school history.

Omaha's active career leader for 3-pointers, Tyus moved up to 10th on the triples chart Jan. 28 vs. South Dakota State. His career total of 144 sits just behind Alex Welhouse (2008-13), who had 151.

Tyus also ranks 15th in school history for career steals (114), just behind Tom Thompson (1984-88), who had 116.

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 202 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  top 20 for assists Nov. 19 vs. Rice and is now seventh all-time with 349, having passed CJ Carter (2011-15), who had 343. Hollins now trails Vernon Manning (1978-82), who had 406 for sixth.

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
Midway through the 2016-17 campaign, junior forward Tre'Shawn Thurman sits at fifth on Omaha's career blocks list with 85. The Omaha Central product recently passed Levy Jones (2003-05) on the chart, who had 83, and his next hurdle is Frank Cypress (1993-95), who had 94.

Thurman inked his name in the Omaha record books for career rebounds earlier this season, joining the top 20 in school history on Dec. 21 at Pitt. He currently sits at 13th on the list with 550 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 the second Maverick this season to join the 1,000 Point Club, joining Marcus Tyus. Thurman became the 38th 1,000-point scorer in school history on Jan. 28 vs. South Dakota State, and he now owns 1,017 career points to tie for 33rd all-time with Tola Dada (2000-04). Thurman needs 31 more points to pass Leonard Todd (1966-70), who had 1,048 for 32nd.

Stacking Up Nationally
As a team, Omaha ranks 11th nationally for free throws made (434), 19th for scoring offense (83.2) and free throws attempted (578), 29th for total steals (183), 35th for steals per game (8.0), 40th for 3-point percentage (.385), 42nd for 3-pointers made (207) and 45th for 3-pointers made per game (9.0).

Individually, senior guard Tra-Deon Hollins is third for total steals (70) and steals per game (3.2), sixth for total assists (144) and eighth for assists per game (6.5).

League Leaders
As a team, Omaha is the Summit League's leader in free throws made per game (18.9) and free throw attempts per game (25.1). Individually, senior guard Tra-Deon Hollins leads the way in steals (75) and assists (153).

Feelin' Hahn, Hahn, Hahn
Sophomore forward Mitch Hahn is averaging 11.5 points per game this season -- the most of any Maverick coming off the bench -- and is second on the team with 43 3-pointers made. Over the last seven contests, the Fremont, Neb., native has averaged 15.7 points per game and shot .553 (21-of-38) from deep, and he has scored in double figures seven consecutive times. In games when Hahn scores in double figures, Omaha is 10-5.

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 in 2009-10.

Looking to the Bench
Omaha's bench outscored Buena Vista's bench 60-28 on Nov. 22. The last time the Mavericks' bench had 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 27.0 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 seven games, Omaha has held a 210-142 bench advantage and averaged 30.0 bench points per game.

Compared to the Opposition
Over its 23 contests this season, Omaha has:
    •More or equal field goals made compared to its opponent eight 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 16 times
    •More or equal rebounds compared to its opponent nine times
    •More or equal assists compared to its opponent 10 times
    •More or equal steals compared to its opponent 14 times
    •Fewer or equal turnovers compared to its opponent 11 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 off the bench five times 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, then matched that with another 12 points vs. South Dakota on Feb. 1. Over 23 games, Norl has had six performances with at least two 3-pointers this year.

Doubling Down
Five Mavericks scored in double figures Feb. 1 vs. South Dakota, the third time that has happened this season. Senior guard Tra-Deon Hollins led the way with 19 points, followed by senior guard Marcus Tyus (17), junior guard Daniel Norl (12), junior forward Tre'Shawn Thurman (11) and sophomore forward Mitch Hahn (11).

In 2015-16, Omaha had five or more double-figure scorers seven times.

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 144-181 over all teams on the regular-season slate.

Next Up
Omaha returns to action on Wednesday, Feb. 8, welcoming IUPUI. 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.