The Basics
The Omaha men's basketball team plays its opening game of the 2019-20 campaign this Tuesday, Nov. 5, visiting Wichita State. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kan.
The game will be broadcast live on YurView Cox Channel 1013 with Shane Dennis on play-by-play and Bob Hull providing color commentary. Gary Sharp will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
• The 2019-20 season is the 107th overall in program history and the ninth of the Mavericks' Division I era. All-time, the program is 1,181-1,186.
• Tuesday's game marks Omaha's earliest start date in program history, a full day ahead of last year's opener.
• It is also Omaha's fourth straight season opener away from home. The Mavericks previously opened on the road Nov. 6, 2018 at Minnesota, Nov. 10, 2017 at Montana State and Nov. 12, 2017 at UC Santa Barbara.
• Wichita native
Matt Pile returns to his hometown for Tuesday night's tilt. Pile has played one other collegiate game in his home state -- when Omaha visited Kansas in 2017-18.
•
Wanjang Tut and
Zach Thornhill are both slated to make their first career starts Tuesday night at WSU.
•
JT Gibson,
KJ Robinson,
Ayo Akinwole and
Matt Pile will all serve as first-time team captains this season.
Scouting the Wichita State Shockers
Wichita State was 22-15 (10-8 AAC) in 2018-19 and returns nine letterwinners and three starters from last year's squad. The Shockers were picked fourth in the 2019-20 American Athletic Conference's preseason poll after finishing sixth in the conference standings, bolstered by nine wins in their last 11 league games last season. They won 14 of their final 18 games en route to an appearance in the NIT semifinals.
Head coach Gregg Marshall has compiled a career record of 286-98 in 12 seasons at Wichita State and a career mark of 480-181 over 21 years.
All-Time Against Wichita State
Tuesday marks the third meeting between Omaha and Wichita State, with the Shockers leading the all-time series, 2-0. Both games were played in Wichita.
Omaha and WSU have never met in the Mavericks' Division I era. Their most recent meeting was 25 years ago -- an 89-66 win for the Shockers on Dec, 3, 1994. Prior to that, the two teams squared off in a 70-43 decision on Dec. 15, 1984.
Success in Season Openers in the Derrin Hansen Era
Omaha is 10-4 in season openers in the
Derrin Hansen era, which dates back to 2005-06. The Mavericks have won four of their last seven openers, most recently registering a 74-60 win at UC Santa Barbara in 2016-17.
The Opening Tip
Omaha is 4-4 in season openers since its Division I era began in 2011-12. The Mavericks have averaged 75.8 points per game in those eight games, with a high of 100 points vs. Central Arkansas on Nov. 16, 2014.
Date – Opponent -- Result
Nov. 6, 2018 -- at Minnesota -- L, 104-76
Nov. 10, 2017 -- at Montana State -- L, 89-80 (OT)
Nov. 12, 2016 -- at UC Santa Barbara -- W, 74-60
Nov. 13, 2015 -- UC Santa Barbara -- L, 60-59
Nov. 16, 2014 -- vs. Central Arkansas -- W, 100-75
Nov. 8, 2013 -- at Northern Illinois -- W, 68-66
Nov. 9, 2012 -- vs. Northern Illinois -- W, 77-64
Nov. 12, 2011 -- at Fort Wayne -- L, 83-72
Noting the Schedule
Over the regular season in 2019-20, Omaha will play in 12 states with competition from nine other Division I conferences. The schedule has three opponents from the Big Sky, two from the Pac-12 and one apiece from the American, Atlantic-10, MEAC, Mountain West, Pac-12, Sun Belt, WAC and West Coast Conference. It marks the second straight year Omaha has faced multiple Pac-12 opponents.
Saint Mary's, Montana and defending Summit League champion North Dakota State were all part of the 2019 NCAA Tournament field.
Omaha plays 17 of its 31 games on the road this season, with its longest away stretch including games at Saint Mary's, Arkansas State, Northern Arizona and Arizona from Dec. 1-11. By Nov. 21, Omaha will have played in all four time zones in the contiguous United States.
Challenging Foes
In the last three seasons (2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20), Omaha will have faced five teams with NCAA Final Four appearances on their resumes in the last decade. This year's slate includes one opponent with a recent Final Four to its credit: Wichita State in 2013.
Ten Maverick opponents in 2019-20 have earned at least one NCAA Tournament berth over the last five years: Wichita State (2015, 2016, 2017, 2017), Dayton (2015, 2016, 2017), Southern (2016), Saint Mary's (2017, 2019), Arizona (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018), Montana (2018, 2019), Eastern Washington (2015), North Dakota State (2015, 2019), South Dakota State (2016, 2017, 2018) and North Dakota (2017).
What Makes Up the Mavericks
• Omaha has seven returning letterwinners and three returning starters from its 2018-19 squad.
• Omaha returns 56 percent of its offensive production from 2018-19, as this year's returners accounted for 1,410 of the Mavericks' 2,523 points. The returners were also credited for 53 percent (559) of last season's 1,047 boards.
• Omaha's seven returners accounted for 60 percent (3,902) of last year's 6,450 minutes played.
•
JT Gibson played the second-most minutes in 2018-19, averaging 33.4 minutes per game. He and
KJ Robinson (30.6) are the only two returning Mavericks to have averaged more than 30 minutes per contest.
• Omaha's returning corps have a combined 148 starts to their credit. Gibson and
Matt Pile were the only two to start every game in 2018-19.
• Two Mavericks tote previous collegiate experience, with
Marco Smith transferring from UMKC and
Marlon Ruffin having previously played at Highland Community College.
• UNO's 2019-20 roster has two seniors, two juniors, five sophomores, one redshirt freshman and four true freshmen.
• The Mavericks hail from five different states. Five are from Nebraska, three come from Kansas, three from Missouri, two from Minnesota and one from Wisconsin.
Fresh Faces
Omaha's roster features seven newcomers this season, with four true freshmen, one redshirt freshman and two sophomores.
Marco Smith (Kansas City, Kan.) joins the Mavericks after two seasons at UMKC, where he averaged 5.0 points and 2.3 rebounds as a freshman in 2017-18. Fellow transfer
Marlon Ruffin (Madison, Wis.) began his collegiate career with one season at Highland Community College, averaging 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game en route to second-team All-NJCAA Region IV and all-conference honors.
Kyle Luedtke is a local product from Creighton Prep, where he played for his father, Josh Luedtke. An all-state selection as a senior,
Kyle Luedtke averaged 13.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game and helped the Junior Jays to the 2018 Class A state championship with a 26-1 record. He redshirted his inaugural season at Omaha.
Darrius Hughes (Kansas City, Mo.) was a four-year letterwinner at Rockhurst High School, where he ranked as the No. 7 player in the state of Missouri according to PrepHoops.com. Hughes averaged 18.0 points per game and earned all-state honors as a senior, and he played AAU ball for Team Rush under Coach Victor Williams, who also coached Maverick guards
KJ Robinson and
La'Mel Robinson.
La'Mel Robinson (Riverside, Mo.) was a four-year letterwinner at Park Hill South High School, where he was a three-time first-team all-state pick. As a senior, he averaged 25.0 points per game and finished his career as his school's all-time leader in scoring (2,050 points) and assists (600). Robinson played alongside Hughes for Team Rush.
Grant Frickenstein (Fremont, Neb.) lettered four years at Archbishop Bergan High School and captained the Class D-1 All-State Team as a senior. Frickenstein averaged 20.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and helped his team to a state runner-up finish.
Nathan Brusseau (New Prague, Minn.) was a three-year letterwinner and a two-time all-conference honorable mention at New Prague High School. Brusseau completed nearly two years of college credits while still in high school with Advanced Placement courses and post-secondary enrollment as a senior.
Up Next
Omaha welcomes Midland for its home opener on Thursday, Nov. 7, with tipoff set for Noon at Baxter Arena. Gary Sharp and former Maverick
Kyler Erickson will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2, and links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.
