The Basics
The Omaha men's basketball team visits Oral Roberts this Wednesday, Feb. 12, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. at the Mabee Center in Tulsa, Okla. 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
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KJ Robinson hit the 1,000 points plateau last Saturday at South Dakota State, joining fellow senior
JT Gibson as a member of the 1,000 Point Club.
• The Mavericks lead the Summit League in average home attendance, which is also their best of the Division I era.
• Omaha started 3-0 in Summit League play and was the last undefeated team in the conference until falling at South Dakota on Jan. 11, which ended its season-long four-game win streak.
• According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index, Omaha is 121st for strength of schedule -- the highest of any league team.
• Omaha was picked fourth in the Summit League's preseason poll, and
Matt Pile and
JT Gibson were both second-team Preseason All-Summit picks.
• 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 1,193-1,199.
•
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 12-12 (5-6 Summit League) after an 83-76 defeat at North Dakota State last Saturday for its second straight loss. Deondre Burns (26) and Kevin Obanor (20) combined for 46 points, and Max Abmas added another 17.
ORU was picked third in the Summit League's preseason poll. Obanor and Emmanuel Nzekwesi were both first-team Preseason All-Summit selections.
Head coach Paul Mills is in his third season in Tulsa with a career record of 34-54.
All-Time Against Oral Roberts
Wednesday marks the 14th meeting between Omaha and Oral Roberts, with the Golden Eagles leading the all-time series 9-4, including 7-4 in the Mavericks' Division I era. ORU had won four straight in the series before Omaha won the most recent meeting, 74-67, on Jan. 4 at Baxter Arena.
ORU has a 4-1 advantage against Omaha in Tulsa since rejoining the Summit League in 2014-15.
Last Time Out: Robinson Reaches 1,000 Career Points As Omaha Falls at SDSU
Omaha celebrated
KJ Robinson reaching the 1,000 career points milestone Saturday afternoon but fell 81-64 to South Dakota State at Frost Arena. Robinson, who became the 41st 1,000-point scorer in program history, led the Mavericks with 20 points, hitting three 3-pointers and going 7-of-8 at the line. The senior added two rebounds, three assists and a steal. Playing his 110th career game, he entered the day with 986 points and now sits at 38th all-time with 1,006.
Matt Pile recorded his ninth double-double of the season, scoring 10 points and bringing down 12 rebounds.
Marlon Ruffin finished with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting and a pair of threes.
SDSU shot 51.7% (30-of-58) to Omaha's 36.7% (22-of-60) and had a 39-32 rebounding advantage.
Up Next
Omaha welcomes Denver on Sunday, Feb. 16, with tipoff set for 4:30 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.
Fans are encouraged to arrive early, as the senior duo of
JT Gibson and
KJ Robinson will be honored with Senior Day festivities prior to the game.
