The Basics
The Omaha men's basketball team hosts North Dakota for its home finale this Wednesday, Feb. 26, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. at Baxter Arena. The game will be broadcast live on YurView Cox Channel 13, Midco and ESPN+ with Jon Schriner on play-by-play and Kyler Erickson providing color commentary. 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
• Saturday's victory at Western Illinois was Omaha's eighth straight in the series and marked a season-best scoring output.
• A win Wednesday vs. North Dakota would extend Omaha's win streak to four games.
• The Mavericks have the second-best home attendance in the Summit League season with an average of 2,382 fans per game -- 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.
• 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 1,196-1,200.
•
JT Gibson,
KJ Robinson,
Ayo Akinwole and
Matt Pile are serving as first-time team captains this season.
Scouting the North Dakota Fighting Hawks
North Dakota has a record of 13-15 (7-7 Summit League) after a 71-68 win over in-state rival North Dakota State last Saturday. Marlon Stewart had a career night with 35 points, capping it with the go-ahead triple with 0.9 seconds left.
UND was picked eighth in the Summit League's preseason poll. Head coach Paul Sather is in his first season in Grand Forks and has a career record of 295-166 over 15 years.
All-Time Against North Dakota
Wednesday marks the 85th meeting between Omaha and North Dakota. The Fighting Hawks lead the all-time series, 45-39, but Omaha has won 11 straight meetings dating back to 2007.
The Mavericks have a 7-0 advantage in its Division I era, including 3-0 in Omaha.
Last Time Out: Ruffin's Career Day Boosts Omaha to Third Straight Win, 93-86 at WIU
Omaha rattled off its third straight win Saturday afternoon, topping Western Illinois 93-86 at Western Hall.
Marlon Ruffin's season-high 30 points off the bench paced Omaha, as he exploded for 11-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-5 from deep, and was a perfect 4-of-4 at the line. The sophomore added seven rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block in the first 30-point performance for a Maverick this season.
JT Gibson was 4-of-6 beyond the arc, finishing with 19 points.
KJ Robinson added 18 more with a team-leading five assists, and
Wanjang Tut chipped in another 10 points in 13 minutes of action.
Kyle Luedtke matched Ruffin on the glass, collecting a season-high seven boards.
Omaha shot 50.8% (33-of-65) with nine 3-pointers, while WIU finished at 49.2% (30-of-61) with 12 threes. The Mavericks outrebounded the Leathernecks 35-34 and outscored them 40-30 in the paint. Omaha also committed a season-low three turnovers, its lowest total since Feb. 28, 2019 at Oral Roberts. It outscored WIU 17-0 off miscues.
Up Next
Omaha plays its regular-season finale at North Dakota State on Saturday, Feb. 29, with tipoff set for 4 p.m. at the Scheels Center in Fargo, N.D. The game will be broadcast live on YurView Cox Channel 13, Midco and ESPN3, and Gary Sharp will have the radio call on 1290 KOIL. Links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.
Seeding for next week's Summit League Championship in Sioux Falls, S.D., will be announced at the conclusion of all regular-season games.
