The Basics
The Omaha men's basketball team heads to Allen Fieldhouse for a meeting with No. 5 Kansas this Friday, Dec. 11. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. in Lawrence, Kan.
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2 with Rich Hollenberg and Jimmy Dykes on the call. 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
• The 2020-21 season is the 108th overall in program history and the 10th of the Mavericks' Division I era. All-time, the program is 1,199-1,206.
• Friday's tilt with No. 5 Kansas is Omaha's sixth game against a Top-25 opponent.
• It also marks the second time the Mavericks have faced two ranked opponents in the same season. The last was 2017-18 with No. 18 Louisville and No. 13 Kansas, 31 days apart.
• Pile owns the third-most total rebounds nationally. His 761 career rebounds are the sixth-most of any active player in NCAA Division I, and his 22 career double-doubles are the 12th-most.
• Pile needs 21 points to become the 42nd 1,000-point scorer in Maverick history.
• Pile has started 78 consecutive games, the longest streak of any active Maverick.
• The Mavericks have a 10-game non-conference slate, all on the road from Nov. 25 to Dec. 29. During that time, their home facility, Baxter Arena, will serve as the host site for the NCHC Pod, with 38 hockey games held Dec. 1-21.
• Omaha plays 18 of its 26 games away from Baxter Arena this season.
• Omaha was picked fourth in the Summit League's preseason poll. Pile was a first-team Preseason All-Summit selection, and
Marlon Ruffin was a second-team pick.
• Pile and Akinwole are serving as team captains for the second straight season.
Scouting the Kansas Jayhawks
No. 5 Kansas rattled off its fifth consecutive win Tuesday, improving to 5-1 after a 73-72 victory over No. 8 Creighton, which pushed the Jayhawks' win streak at Allen Fieldhouse to 11 straight games. Jalen Wilson led all scorers with 23 points and added 10 rebounds, and Christian Braun (14) and David McCormack (13) also scored in double figures.
KU finished the 2019-20 campaign at 28-3 (17-1 Big 12) and was picked second in the Big 12's 2020-21 preseason poll. Marcus Garrett was a unanimous Preseason All-Big 12 selection.
Head coach Bill Self is in his 18th season in Lawrence with a record of 506-110 and carries a career record of 713-215 over 28 years.
All-Time Against Kansas
Friday marks the second meeting all-time between Omaha and Kansas. The first was Dec. 18, 2017 at Allen Fieldhouse, where the Jayhawks won 109-64.
Matt Pile and
Ayo Akinwole are the only two current Mavericks to have played at Allen Fieldhouse, as the two were freshmen in 2017-18. Pile finished with six points, three rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 15 minutes off the bench in that game. Akinwole played 19 minutes in reserve and finished with eight points and a steal while hitting 2-of-2 from deep.
Zach Thornhill was also a freshman that year but ultimately redshirted.
Battling the Big 12
Friday's meeting with Kansas is the first of two games against Big 12 competition this season. Omaha is 0-9 against members of the conference since 2011-12.
Cousins on the Court
Friday night's meeting at Kansas will be a family affair, bringing together cousins on the court in Omaha guard
La'Mel Robinson and Kansas guard Tyon Grant-Foster. Robinson (Riverside, Mo.) and Grant-Foster (Kansas City, Kan.) played the majority of their youth basketball together.
Top 10 Tilts
The Mavericks face two top-10 opponents in an 11-day span this month. On Dec. 1, they played No. 9 Creighton and head to No. 5 Kansas this Friday. That matchup replaces the CU game as Omaha's highest-ranked opponent of its Division I era.
KS/MO Connections
Omaha counts three players from the state of Kansas on its roster:
Matt Pile (Wichita, Kan.),
Zach Thornhill (Lenexa, Kan.) and
Marco Smith (Kansas City, Kan.). Three more Mavericks hail from Missouri:
Darrius Hughes (Kansas City, Mo.),
La'Mel Robinson (Riverside, Mo.) and
Dylan Brougham (Riverside, Mo.).
Hughes played with KU's Christian Braun and Dajuan Harris Jr. his 15u year of AAU ball, played AAU with Tyon Grant-Foster for Team Rush and also played alongside Chris Teahan at Rockhurst High School.
Up Next
Omaha heads to Colorado on Wednesday, Dec. 16, with tipoff set for 4 p.m. CT at the CU Events Center in Boulder, Colo. The game will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Networks, and Gary Sharp will have the radio call on 1290 KOIL. Links to live audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.
