Omaha Athletics

This Week
After a 2-0 home weekend, the Omaha men's basketball team visits Denver this Wednesday, Feb. 14. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m., and the game will be televised on Altitude 2. Gary Sharp will have the radio call on 1620 The Zone, and links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
 
Quick Hits
• Four Mavericks are averaging double-figure scoring: Zach Jackson (18.3 ppg), Daniel Norl (12.7 ppg), Mitch Hahn (11.5 ppg) and JT Gibson (10.8 ppg).
• Jackson has tallied in double figures in 20 straight games and in that span, has averaged 19.3 points and 7.0 rebounds while shooting .557 from the field, .464 from 3-point range and .842 from the free throw line.
• Jackson averaged 17.4 points per game in non-conference games and is up to 19.8 ppg in league play. He also has 1.8 assists per game in league games, compared to 0.6 apg in non-conference.
• Norl is a perfect 16-of-16 at the line since Jan. 25. His has scored in double figures in 10 of his last 11 games.
• Ayo Akinwole's 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio is third among Summit League players.
• Five Mavericks have had at least one 20-point scoring performance this season.
• Saturday night's attendance of 4,106 marked the largest men's basketball crowd in Baxter Arena history.
• Head coach Derrin Hansen earned his 200th career victory Dec. 17 vs. Cornell College.
• By Dec. 3, Omaha had played in all four time zones in the contiguous United States.
• The Mavericks shot .500 or better as a team in four straight games from Nov. 20-29 and 10 times overall this year.
• Omaha returned seven letterwinners from its 2016-17 squad, including a Summit League All-Newcomer pick in Hahn.
 
Scouting the Denver Pioneers
Denver is 11-14 (5-6 Summit League) following a 66-63 home win over North Dakota State on Saturday, which swept the season series against the Bison. Joe Rosga led the way with 26 points, and Daniel Amigo had another 19. Ade Murkey pulled down a game-high eight rebounds.
 
Head coach Rodney Billups is in his second season with Denver, carrying a career record of 27-28.
 
Wednesday's game marks the 13th meeting all-time between Omaha and Denver, with the Pioneers leading the series, 7-5, including 6-5 in the Division I era. The Mavericks have won three straight against DU.
 
The two teams last met on Jan. 18 at Baxter Arena, where Omaha prevailed 86-80 in double overtime. Last season at Denver (Feb. 23, 2017), Mitch Hahn's last-second shot lifted the Mavericks to an 84-83 win.
 
Last Time Out: Hahn, Norl Lift Mavericks Over Fort Wayne, 90-85
Omaha secured its eighth home win Saturday night in front of a record crowd of 4,106, defeating Fort Wayne 90-85 at Baxter Arena. Mitch Hahn exploded for a season-high 21 points to lead Omaha, finishing 5-of-8 from the field with a trio of 3-pointers and an 8-of-10 effort at the line. He added six rebounds and three assists for the night.
 
Daniel Norl followed with 19 points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal, going a perfect 7-of-7 at the stripe. Zach Jackson also finished with 16 points, team highs of seven boards, four assists and two blocks, plus a steal.
 
Daniel Meyer added a big performance off the bench, posting nine points, seven rebounds, an assist and a block while hitting 4-of-6 from the field. KJ Robinson matched him with another nine points, and Ayo Akinwole pitched in six points, five rebounds and three assists.
 
Omaha shot .500 (27-of-54) to Fort Wayne's .457 (32-of-70). The Mavericks finished at .480 (12-of-25) from long range to the Mastodons'.385 (15-of-39) and also shot .727 (24-of-33) at the line to their .500 (6-of-12). Additionally, Omaha outrebounded Fort Wayne, 38-33.
 
Action Jackson
Junior Zach Jackson is in his third year as a starter, averaging team bests of 18.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. The Wichita, Kan., native has scored in double figures in all but one game, including 10 20-point scoring performances.
 
Jackson ranks in the top five in the Summit League in six categories: third for free throws made (104), fourth for points (477), points per game (18.3) and field goals made (167) and fifth for field goal percentage (.535) and 3-point percentage (.433).
 
Against high major opponents this season, Jackson averaged 18.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.7 blocks in six games. Combined against Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisville, TCU, Washington and Kansas, he has shot .507 from the field and .763 at the stripe.
 
Jackson Tabbed Summit League Player of the Week
Zach Jackson was tabbed Summit League Men's Basketball Player of the Week for his performances Feb. 5-11 the league office announced Monday. It marks the first weekly award of his career, and he is the first Maverick honored this season.
 
Jackson averaged 20.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 blocks and 0.5 steals per game over two contests last week, shooting .520 from the field, .462 from long range and .818 at the free throw line. The Wichita, Kan., native scored a game-high 25 points with four 3-pointers in Thursday's 71-68 win over Western Illinois. He followed with 16 points and team highs of seven rebounds, four steals and two blocks in a 90-85 win over Fort Wayne on Saturday. The performances extended his double-figure scoring streak to 20 games.
 
Gibson at Full Strength
Sophomore JT Gibson is fourth on the team for scoring with 10.8 points per game and has 10 double-figure scoring efforts this season. Omaha's triples leader, he owns 15 performances with two or more treys. Additionally, Gibson's 26-of-26 streak at the free throw line, in place since Nov. 14, came to an end Saturday vs. Fort Wayne.
 
With 97 career assists to his credit, he is tied with Daniel Norl as Omaha's active career leader in the category.
 
Here's to You, Mr. Robinson
Sophomore KJ Robinson has assumed a starting role in 2017-18, averaging 9.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. He scored in double figures in three straight games against North Dakota State (Jan. 25), South Dakota State (Jan. 30) and Western Illinois (Feb. 8), and has averaged 12.8 points per contest over the last four.
 
A native of Blue Springs, Mo., Robinson had a standout performance vs. No. 18 Louisville (Nov. 17) with a then-career-high 14 points, three rebounds, five assists and three steals. He followed by dishing out a career-best eight assists at TCU (Nov. 20) while adding 11 points, four rebounds and a steal. Against Tennessee Tech (Nov. 24), Robinson went off for a career-high 25 points while hitting seven 3-pointers and adding five rebounds, five assists and a block. It was the most threes in a game by any Maverick since Marcus Tyus had eight at South Dakota State (Jan, 7, 2017).
 
Norl's Senior Campaign
Senior Daniel Norl has been strong in his senior season, ranking second on the team for scoring with 12.7 points per game alongside 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per contest. The Clarksville, Tenn., native earned his first career start at Montana State (Nov. 10), exploding for career highs of 29 points, nine rebounds and two steals while shooting 13-of-18. He posted his second 20-point effort with a game-high 23 points, three boards, a career-high-tying seven assists and a career-best three steals at Oral Roberts (Dec. 30).
 
With 97 career assists to his credit, he is tied with JT Gibson as Omaha's active career leader in the category.
 
The Pile Driver
Freshman Matt Pile averaged 6.3 minutes per game over the first three contests this season but has seen his court time increase to 18.6 minutes per game since then. In that stretch, Pile has boosted his averages to 6.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. He transitioned into the starting five Jan. 30 at South Dakota State.
 
Pile notched his first career double-double vs. Doane (Jan. 2) with career highs of 18 points and 10 rebounds and 9-of-11 shooting. He put together a six-block performance vs. Denver (Jan. 18), which marked the most of any Maverick since Adam Wetzel's six in 2002.
 
Pile ranks third in the Summit League for blocks (29) this season.
 
Feelin' Hahn, Hahn, Hahn
Junior Mitch Hahn is back in the lineup after more than seven weeks out due to injury. Since Jan. 25, the 2016-17 Summit League All-Newcomer Team selection has averaged 10.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, and his most recent effort against Fort Wayne (Feb. 10) included a season-high 21 points with six rebounds and three helpers.
 
To start the season, Hahn scored in double figures in three straight games with 12 points at Montana State (Nov. 10), 13 at Oklahoma (Nov. 12) and a season-high 16 at New Mexico (Nov. 14). After missing three games from Nov. 17-25, he returned to the lineup vs. Drake (Nov. 29), posting four points, five rebounds and two assists. He followed up with a double-double on 15 points and 10 rebounds at Washington (Dec. 3) and another with 13 points and 13 rebounds at UC Santa Barbara (Dec. 5). After suffering an injury late in the game Dec. 5 at UCSB, he was out of commission until returning Jan. 25 at North Dakota State.
 
More on Meyer
Senior Daniel Meyer made his second collegiate appearance in his home state Nov. 10 with Omaha's season opener at Montana State. The Billings, Mont., native is Omaha's active career leader for games played (107) and blocks (30).
 
Meyer has been on fire over the last two games, averaging 8.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game in reserve while shooting .667 (8-of-12). Against Western Illinois (Feb. 8), he posted eight points, then followed with season highs of nine points and seven boards against Fort Wayne (Feb. 10).
 
Meyer has been mainstay for Omaha over the last few seasons. He appeared in every game in 2015-16 and 2016-17, making 11 starts as a junior and finishing the year with 2.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.
 
Off the court, Meyer is a fully-rated instrument and private aircraft pilot.
 
Up Next
Omaha visits South Dakota on Saturday, Feb. 17, with tipoff set for 3:30 p.m. at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center in Vermillion, S.D. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and Midco, and Gary Sharp will have the radio call on 1620 The Zone. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.