The Basics
A four-game home stand comes to an end Saturday afternoon with a 1 p.m. tipoff between Omaha and Kansas City. Both are sitting 1-1 to start conference play and dropped close battles earlier this week. The Mavericks took the Golden Eagles down the wire, while the Roos saw three overtimes in Denver.

Gary Sharp will have the call on 1620 the Zone and links to live stats, audio, and video can be found at OMavs.com.

Quick Hits
• Omaha battled with Oral Roberts Thursday night to open this week's action. Four Mavericks scored double-figures and helped the team force nine lead changes. The Golden Eagles held on for a three-point win, 92-89.
• For the second time this season, Frankie Fidler scored at least 20 points. He went 4-of-13 from the field and was a perfect 11-of-11 at the charity stripe.  He scored a season-high 28 points vs. Idaho earlier this year.
• Tony Osburn netted a career-high with 14, while Luke Jungers came off the bench with 16 points. He was 5-of-5 from deep.
• Marquel Sutton (13) and JJ White (11) also provided production from the starting five unit.
• Despite a competitive first half between Omaha and Denver, the Mavericks handed the Pioneers a 17-point loss on the opening night of Summit League play. The Mavericks won, 83-66, to  enter the holiday break sitting 1-0 in the conference standings.
• The win also marked Omaha's fifth of the season. It matches the team's win total from both the 2020-21 season and 2021-22 season.
• Jungers led the Mavericks vs. the Pioneers with a career-high 20 points. Seventeen of those points came in the second half powering the win for Omaha. He was 7-of-13 from the field and hit five threes.
• White also had a career-night matching his high of 18 points. He also tallied a career-best eight assists.
• Fidler was the third and final Maverick in double-figures with 16 points. He also recorded a season-high in assists with seven on the night.
• Omaha's final non-conference game at Iowa State scheduled for Dec. 21 was cancelled due to a winter storm warning. The Mavericks capped the non-con portion of their schedule with a 4-8 record, which included an Emerald Coast Classic Consolation Championship.
• Omaha returned to Baxter Arena following a seven-game road trip two weeks ago. The Mavericks put on a show for the home crowd with a stunning 104-72 win vs. Midland.
• Marquel Sutton and Kyle Luedtke erupted for career-highs, while Jungers, Fidler, White, and Dylan Brougham joined them in double-figures.
• Sutton was 14-of-15 from the field for a 29-point performance. He was the second Maverick this season to surpass 25 points in a game, and it sits eighth on the Summit League single-game highs list for the year.
• Luedtke was 7-of-8 from three-point range for 21 points. It matched his career-high set last season vs. SIUE. His seven three-pointers was just one shy of tying the program's single-game record.
• Fidler added 14 points, six boards, four assists, and two steals. White scored 11 points, while Brougham and Jungers each tallied 10 points.
• Fidler leads the Maverick offense with 12.2 ppg. He ranks 14th in the conference with that average. In Summit 
• Fidler is shooting 93.8 percent from the foul line this season. It ranks first in the league and third in the NCAA. He is helping the Mavericks to a 78.7 team free throw percentage, which sits 10th in the country. 
• Head coach Chris Crutchfield has an 15-18 overall coaching record. It marks his second season as a head coach and first with the Mavericks.

Scouting the Kansas City Roos
Kansas City is 5-10 overall and 1-1 in league play heading into Saturday's contest. The Roos earned a league win in the opener vs. South Dakota. They then fell in a triple-overtime battle at Denver earlier this week, 85-83. Kansas City has non-conference wins against Calvary Bible, Toledo, Indiana State, and Lindenwood this season. The Roos are averaging 65.3 points per game.

The Roos have two players averaging at least 17 ppg. RayQuawndis Mitchell leads the charge with 17.3 ppg, while Shemarri Allen adds 17.0 ppg. Mitchell is on a six-game double-figure scoring streak. Within that streak, he scored 28 points vs. South Dakota and 27 vs. Lindenwood. He netted a season-best 35 points earlier this year  vs. Toledo. Allen leads the Roos with 5.7 rebounds per game.

Head coach Marvin Menzies is in his first season at the helm of Kansas City and sits 5-10 overall. He has 12 years of prior head coaching experience with gigs at UNLV and New Mexico. His overall career record is 249-171.

All-Time Against Kansas City
Omaha leads the all-time series 9-7. The 2021-22 series split with the Mavericks winning their home contest, 69-68. Fidler scored 25 points, including the buzzer beater winning shot.