The Basics
The Omaha men's basketball team hits the road for South Dakota State this Saturday, Feb. 8, with tipoff set for 4:15 p.m. at Frost Arena in Brookings, S.D. 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 enters the weekend needing just 14 points to become Omaha's 41st 1,000-point scorer in program history.
• Omaha looks to right the ship after losing two straight on the back end of its four-game home stand, the first of which snapped its 16-game home win streak on Sunday. The Mavericks have dropped consecutive home losses just twice since moving into Baxter Arena in 2015-16.
• 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 123rd 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 1,193-1,198.
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JT Gibson,
KJ Robinson,
Ayo Akinwole and
Matt Pile will serve as first-time team captains this season.
Scouting the South Dakota State Bison
South Dakota State has a record of 17-8 (8-2 Summit League) after a 71-61 win at Western Illinois last Saturday for its third straight victory. Douglas Wilson paced the Jackrabbits with a game-high 18 points, while Alex Arians added 14 points and Noah Freidel had 11 more.
Wilson has averaged a team-leading 17.6 points per game, which ranks fourth in the conference this season, and he shoots a league-leading 61.4% from the field. SDSU was picked fifth in the Summit League's preseason poll.
Head coach Eric Henderson is in his first season in Brookings with a career record of 17-8.
All-Time Against South Dakota State
Saturday marks the 79th meeting between Omaha and South Dakota State, and the Jackrabbits lead the all-time series 46-32, including 11-5 in the Mavericks' Division I era. Omaha has won the last two meetings with SDSU and opened the season series Dec. 29 with an 81-78 win at Baxter Arena.
The Jackrabbits have a 5-2 advantage in Brookings since 2012-13.
Last Time Out: Mavericks Fall 86-78 to North Dakota State
Omaha suffered its second straight loss Wednesday night, falling 86-78 to North Dakota State at Baxter Arena.
KJ Robinson led the Mavericks with 20 points with four 3-pointers and a 6-of-7 effort at the free throw line.
Marlon Ruffin followed with 17 points off the bench with 6-of-10 shooting, and
Matt Pile added 15 points and a team-leading six rebounds.
NDSU shot 54.2% (26-of-48) to Omaha's 45.2% (28-of-62) and hit 11 threes for the night. The Bison also had a 36-25 rebounding advantage.
Omaha, which went without a turnover in the first half, committed a season-low six miscues.
Up Next
Omaha visits Oral Roberts on Wednesday, Feb. 12, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. at the Mabee Center in Tulsa, Okla. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3, 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.
