The Basics
The Mavericks earned back-to-back wins in the Emerald Coast Classic to clinch the championship in the consolation portion of the bracket. Omaha looks to extend that win streak to three consecutive games Monday night in Starkville vs. Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are undefeated this season and have won six so far.

Gary Sharp will have the call on 1180  KZOT, and links to live stats, audio, and video can be found at OMavs.com.

Quick Hits
• For the first time since the 2020-21 season, Omaha picked up wins in back-to-back games helping them to the consolation championship of the Emerald Coast Classic.
• Luke Jungers scored a career-high 17 points in Omaha's 88-78 win vs. Southern. He was one of six Mavericks in double-figures. It marked the first game this season more than five players scored over 10 points in a game.
• Akol Arop netted a career-high 12 points in Friday's 63-56 win vs. ULM.
• Jungers and Arop both came off the bench and led the Omaha scoring in their respective career nights.
• Marquel Sutton scored 10 points vs. ULM and 15 vs. Southern. It marked his fifth and sixth double-figure scoring efforts of the year. Sutton now leads Omaha averaging 11.6 ppg.
• The Mavericks opened a seven-game road trip at Iowa last week. The Hawkeyes were their second ranked opponent of the season.
• Dylan Brougham recorded seven blocks in the game. He set a Division I program record for single-game blocks and is second on the league's single-game highs list.
• Following the career-hight, Brougham ranked16th in the NCAA in total blocks and 25th in blocks per game.
• Prior to hitting the road, Omaha hosted back-to-back games at Baxter Arena. Ball State came out on top Nov. 16. The Mavericks were led by sophomore guard JJ White vs. the Cardinals. He scored a season-high 15 points to go with seven rebounds and five assists.
• Omaha earned a win vs. Idaho in its home opener on Nov. 13. The Mavericks were led by Bellevue native Frankie Fidler who notched his first career double-double with 28 points and 11 rebounds. Both marked season-bests, while his 11 boards was a career-high.
• Fidler's 28 points is third on the league's single-game charts this year. He ranks in the league's top-20 players in both scoring and rebounding averages.
• Crutchfield enters his first season at the helm with a 10-9 overall coaching record. It marks his second season as a head coach and first with the Mavericks.

Scouting the Mississippi State Bulldogs
The Bulldogs are a perfect 6-0 to open this week's action. They have wins vs. Texas A&M - Corpus Christi, Akron, Arkansas - Pine Bluff, South Dakota, Marquette, and Utah. Mississippi State holds its opponents to a 48.5 scoring average. It is the third lowest point total allowed by a team in the NCAA this season. Defensively, the Bulldogs grab 48.5 rebounds per game, which ranks third in the country.

Tolu Smith is averaging a double-double with 15.7 points per game and 11.0 rebounds per game.He has two double-doubles this season vs. Texas A&M - Corpus Christi (19p/11r) and vs. Utah (16p/16r). The senior forward scored a season-high 26 points vs. Akon. He grabbed 16 boards in back-o-back games for season-best.

Head coach Chris Jans is in his first season with the Bulldogs. His overall coaching record sits at 149-44 over a seven year career. He previously coached at New Mexico State and Bowling Green.

All-Time Against Mississippi State
This is the first ever meeting between the Bulldogs and Mavericks.