The Basics
The Omaha men's basketball team completes its three-game road swing this Saturday, Jan. 18 with a trip to Denver. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT at Hamilton Gymnasium in Denver, Colo.
Gary Sharp will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2, and links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
• Omaha started 3-0 in Summit League play and was the last undefeated team in the conference until falling at South Dakota last Saturday, which snapped the Mavericks' season-long four-game win streak.
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Matt Pile is the only Summit League player averaging a double-double.
• Pile ranks 11th nationally for total rebounds (197) and 19th for rebounds per game (10.4).
• The Mavericks had a 3.14 semester GPA as a team in the fall semester. It marked their third straight semester with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
• 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 1,191-1,195.
• The Mavericks have shot 50.0% as a team six times this year. They had 18 straight wins when shooting 50.0% or better until last Saturday's loss at USD.
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JT Gibson,
KJ Robinson,
Ayo Akinwole and
Matt Pile will serve as first-time team captains this season.
Scouting the Denver Pioneers
Denver has a record of 4-15 (0-5 Summit League) after an 86-80 road loss last Saturday at Western Illinois. Jase Townsend scored a game-high 28 points on 11-of-19 shooting. Robert Jones added 13 points and seven rebounds, and Ade Murkey had another 14 points.
Townsend has averaged a team-leading 16.5 points per game this season, which ranks sixth in the league. DU was picked ninth in the Summit League's preseason poll.
Head coach Rodney Billups is in his fourth season in Denver with a career record of 43-66.
All-Time Against Denver
Saturday marks the 16th meeting between Omaha and Denver, with the Pioneers leading the all-time series, 8-7. Omaha won the most recent matchup, 86-76, on March 2, 2019 at Magness Arena to sweep last year's season series.
The series is tied at 7-7 in the Mavericks' Division I era, but the Pioneers have a 4-3 advantage in Denver since 2012-13.
Last Time Out: Omaha Takes First League Loss at South Dakota, 91-81
Omaha saw its four-game win streak stopped last Saturday, falling 91-81 to South Dakota at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
KJ Robinson led Omaha with 20 points on four 3-pointers on the day, along with five rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Wanjang Tut added 13 points on a strong 6-of-9 shooting effort alongside five rebounds, and
JT Gibson had 12 points of his own.
Marlon Ruffin notched 11 points off the bench, and
Matt Pile finished with 10 points, a game-high eight rebounds and two blocks.
Zach Thornhill dished out a team-leading five assists with eight points.
Omaha both outshot and outrebounded USD in the loss. The Mavericks finished at 52.5% (32-of-61) to the Coyotes' 49.1% (27-of-55) and had a 33-28 advantage on the glass, as well as a 38-28 edge in points in the paint.
USD got to the line 36 times and finished at 75% (27-of-36) for the day while also shooting 55.6% (10-of-18) from three. The game included nine ties and 16 lead changes.
Up Next
Omaha begins a four-game home stand with Western Illinois on Thursday, Jan. 23, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. at Baxter Arena. Gary Sharp and
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.
