The Basics
The No. 5 seed Omaha men's basketball team makes its fifth trip to the Summit League Championship this Sunday, March 8 with a quarterfinal matchup with No. 4 seed Oral Roberts. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Live broadcast coverage will be provided by Midco and ESPN+ with Alex Heinert, Greg Stemen and Jay Elsen on the call, and Gary Sharp and Kyler Erickson will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2. Links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
• At 9-7 in league play, Omaha finished the regular-season in fifth place in the Summit League standings.
• The Mavericks won four of their last five games to complete the month of February.
• A win Sunday over Oral Roberts would give Omaha a 2-1 advantage in the season series and advance the Mavericks to Monday night's semifinal matchup with the winner of No. 1 North Dakota State/No. 8 Denver.
• Since their last meeting Feb. 12 in Tulsa, Omaha has gone 4-1 and Oral Roberts has gone 3-1.
• 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 1,197-1,200.
•
JT Gibson,
KJ Robinson,
Ayo Akinwole and
Matt Pile are serving as first-time team captains this season.
Scouting the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles
Oral Roberts finished the regular season with a record of 16-13 (9-7 Summit League) after a 72-66 win over Purdue Fort Wayne last Saturday. Max Abmas led all scorers with 23 points, R.J. Fuqua had 20, and Emmanuel Nzekwesi had 19 more with a team-leading eight rebounds.
ORU was picked third in the Summit League's preseason poll and enters the Summit League Championship as its No. 4 seed. Nzekwesi was a first-team All-Summit selection, and Burns was an honorable mention pick. He and Abmas both earned a spot on the Summit League All-Newcomer Team.
Head coach Paul Mills is in his third season in Tulsa with a career record of 38-55.
All-Time Against Oral Roberts
Sunday marks the 15th meeting between Omaha and Oral Roberts, with the Golden Eagles leading the all-time series 10-4, including 8-4 in the Mavericks' Division I era. ORU had won four straight in the series before Omaha won 74-67 on Jan. 4 at Baxter Arena, but the Golden Eagles evened it with an 81-78 overtime win Feb. 12 in Tulsa.
This weekend is the Summit League Tournament meeting between Omaha and Oral Roberts, who have never tangled on a neutral floor.
Last Time Out: Mavericks Drop Regular-Season Finale to Bison, 87-67
The regular season came to a close for Omaha last Saturday, as the Mavericks fell 87-67 to North Dakota State at the Scheels Center. The game snapped Omaha's four-game win streak, while NDSU clinched a share of the league's regular-season title and the No. 1 seed for the Summit League Championship.
KJ Robinson led the Mavericks with 18 points alongside three rebounds, two assists and a steal.
JT Gibson added 15 points, and
Marlon Ruffin had 12 more with a game-leading seven rebounds.
Zach Thornhill matched him on the glass, pulling down seven more boards.
Wanjang Tut also had eight points, four rebounds, two assists and three blocks.
NDSU shot 48.4% (31-of-64) with 15 threes for the day and was a perfect 10-of-10 at the free throw line. Omaha finished at 41.7% (25-of-60) with six triples, led by two apiece from Robinson and Ruffin.
2020 Summit League Men's Basketball Championship Field Set
The field is set for the 2020 Summit League Men's Basketball Championship, with eight teams competing March 7-10 at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, S.D. The tournament champion advances to the NCAA Tournament as the league's automatic bid. Tickets for the event may be purchased at all Ticketmaster locations, online at Ticketmaster.com or in person at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center Box Office.
2020 SUMMIT LEAGUE MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Saturday, March 7 • Quarterfinals
Game 1 (6 p.m.) - No. 1 North Dakota State vs. No. 8 Denver
Game 2 (8:30 p.m.) - No. 2 South Dakota State vs. No. 7 Purdue Fort Wayne
Sunday, March 8 • Quarterfinals
Game 3 (6 p.m.) - No. 4 Oral Roberts vs. No. 5 Omaha
Game 4 (8:30 p.m.) - No. 3 South Dakota vs. No. 6 North Dakota
Monday, March 9 • Semifinals
Game 5 (6 p.m.) - Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 3
Game 6 (8:30 p.m.) - Winner of Game 2 vs. Winner Game 4
Tuesday, March 10 • Championship
Game 7 (8 p.m.) - Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6
Up Next
With a win Sunday night, Omaha will meet the winner of the North Dakota State/Denver game in the semifinal round on Monday, March 9. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, S.D.
The game will be broadcast live on Midco and ESPN+ with Brian Shawn, Greg Stemen and Elaina Lanson on the call, and Gary Sharp and Kyler Erickson will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2. Links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.
