The Basics
The Omaha men's basketball team caps a three-game home stand this Saturday, Jan. 4, welcoming Oral Roberts to Baxter Arena at 7 p.m. 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.
Quick Hits
• Omaha set a Baxter Arena basketball attendance record last Sunday vs. South Dakota State with a crowd of 4,234.
•
JT Gibson hit both the 200 career 3-pointers and 100 career steals milestones vs. SDSU.
•
Matt Pile ranks third nationally for total rebounds (170) and 15th for rebounds per game (10.6).
• As a team, Omaha is 15th in the nation for total rebounds (590).
• 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 1,189-1,194.
• The Mavericks have shot 50.0% as a team four times this year and have 17 straight wins when shooting 50.0% or better.
•
JT Gibson,
KJ Robinson,
Ayo Akinwole and
Matt Pile will serve as first-time team captains this season.
Scouting the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles
Oral Roberts has a record of 7-7 (0-1 Summit League) after a 96-79 loss at South Dakota State Thursday night to open league play. Deondre Burns led the Golden Eagles with 23 points, and Emmanuel Nzekwesi had a double-double on 12 points and 13 rebounds. Kevin Obanor and Max Abmas each had another 14 points. Nzekwesi has averaged 16.4 points per game this season, which ranks fourth in the league.
ORU was picked third in the Summit League's preseason poll. Obanor and Nzekwesi were both first-team Preseason All-Summit selections.
Head coach Paul Mills is in his third season in Tulsa and has a career record of 29-49.
All-Time Against Oral Roberts
Saturday marks the 13th meeting between Omaha and Oral Roberts, with the Golden Eagles leading the all-time series 9-3, including 7-3 in the Mavericks' Division I era. ORU has won four straight in the series and two straight at Baxter Arena. Omaha's last win over ORU was on Feb. 16, 2017 by a score of 83-76 at home.
The Golden Eagles are 3-2 against the Mavericks in Omaha since rejoining the Summit League in 2014-15.
Honey, We're Home
Omaha was 10-2 at home last season, including 7-1 in Summit League play, and ended the slate on a six-game home win streak. They averaged 83.3 points per game and had an average margin of victory of 13.4 points at Baxter Arena.
After a Dec. 29 win over South Dakota State, Omaha has won 13 straight home games dating back to last season. Over the last four years, the Mavericks have enjoyed a 42-14 (.750) advantage at home.
Home Is Where the Streak Is
Omaha carries a 13-game home win streak after Sunday's win over South Dakota State, which is the longest stretch of the
Derrin Hansen era. The Mavericks never lost a home contest in the 2019 calendar year.
Last Time Out: Mavericks Top SDSU 81-78 for 13th Straight Home Win
Omaha opened Summit League play Sunday afternoon, gutting out an 81-78 win over South Dakota State. The victory came in front of a Baxter Arena men's basketball-record crowd of 4,234 fans and was the Mavericks' 13th straight home win dating back to last season.
JT Gibson poured in a team-leading 21 points with three 3-pointers while adding four assists and three steals.
Matt Pile followed with 18 points on 9-of-13 shooting with a game-high nine rebounds, an assist, a steal and a season-high-tying four blocks.
KJ Robinson added 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting with another trio of threes, and
Ayo Akinwole had 10 points with two rebounds, four assists and a steal.
Wanjang Tut also collected eight rebounds and added six points.
Omaha shot 51.6% (33-of-64) to South Dakota State's 50.8% (30-of-59) and outrebounded the Jacks 33-31. A week after committing a season-high 20 turnovers against Montana, the Mavericks limited themselves to eight to match their season low. Omaha had a 12-0 advantage in fast-break scoring.
Up Next
Omaha visits North Dakota on Wednesday, Jan. 8, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center in Grand Forks, N.D. The game will be broadcast live on YurView Cox Channel 13, Midco and ESPN+, and Gary Sharp will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2. Links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.
