The Basics
The Mavericks open the middle portion of their stretch of seven straight road games this week when they head west to Las Vegas to take on UNLV this Thursday at 9 p.m. (CT).

Gary Sharp will have the call on 1290 KOIL and links to live stats, audio, and video can be found at OMavs.com.

Quick Hits
• The Mavericks went 2-1 in opening week, topping MACU in the season opener, before hitting the road and taking down reigning ASUN champion Stetson and almost pulling off a massive upset in a narrow loss to Minnesota to end the week.
• Omaha actually led for most of the game at Minnesota, heading into halftime with a 33-30 lead and leading by as many as six points in the second half. It was not until the clock hit five minutes that the Gophers retook the lead and managed to hold off the Mavericks.
• Facing their toughest opponent yet so far, Kamryn Thomas and Isaac Ondekane each turned in their best performance of the season against the Gophers. Thomas led the team with 14 points while also pulling down five rebounds. This was his first career double-digit scoring performance. As for Ondekane, he also logged his first game in double figures after totaling 11 points.
• Marquel Sutton continues to play well early in the season, recording his first double-double of the year against Stetson, before falling just a single rebound short of another one against Minnesota as he scored 13.
• Omaha has seen a lot of success off the bench through three games, with 85 of the team's 228 points (37%) coming from them. JJ White leads the bench with 33 points11 rebounds, and four assists.
• With an overall deeper lineup than previous seasons,11 Mavericks have seen action already, with nine of them scoring at least one point.
• Sutton (14.0), White (11.0), and Ja'Sean Glover (10.0) are all averaging double figures, while Thomas is right behind at 9.3 ppg.
• Defensively, the Mavericks outrebounded both Stetson and Minnesota as the team currently boasts a +5 rebounding margin.
• As a team, the Mavericks are shooting 46% from the field and 38.6% on threes. Both numbers would be the highest for Omaha since the 2018-19 season in which the Mavericks went 21-11 and made it to the Championship Game of the Summit League Tournament.
• Sutton earned his first career Summit League Preseason honor after being named Second Team All-Preseason in October. In 2023-24, he was second on the team with 12.3 PPG (406 total) and led all Mavericks with 6.3 RPG (208 total boards).
• Lance Waddles (NDSU), Joshua Streit (NDSU), and Isaac Ondekane (Lindenwood) headline the Mavericks' top transfers this year with the trio coming to Omaha with a combined six seasons of Division I basketball under their belts. Also new this year are top JUCO transfers Kamryn Thomas (2024 NJCAA Third Team All-American), Khamani Cooper (465 points as a freshman in 2024), and Valentino Simon (965 career points from 2022-24). 
• Omaha has three captains this year: Marquel Sutton, Tony Osburn, and Lance Waddles.
• Head Coach Chris Crutchfield has a 36-51 career record. This season marks his fourth year as a head coach and third with the Mavericks.

Scouting the UNLV Runnin' Rebels
UNLV went 1-1 in its opening week, beating Alabama State (Omaha's opponent next Thursday) 93-79 in their season opener before falling late 80-74 vs. Memphis on Saturday. The Rebels are coming off a 21-13 season that earned them a trip to the NIT where they went 2-1.

Reigning Mountain West Freshman of the Year and All-MW Preseason Selection Dedan Thomas Jr. is off to another hot start as he leads the team with 19.5 ppg (39 points) while shooting .409 from the field, .500 from behind the arc, and .818 from the line. Second to him on the team in scoring is JUCO transfer Jeremiah "Bear" Cherry, who is averaging 16.5 ppg (33 points). 

He also leads UNLV with four blocks and 18 rebounds, recording a double-double with 24 points and 11 boards on opening day. Most notable is his .933 FG% as he has only missed one of his 15 attempts so far.

Son of former UNLV and Oklahoma Head Coach Lon Kruger, Kevin Kruger has spent most of his career with the Runnin' Rebels, beginning as a player when he helped them to the Sweet 16 in 2007, before returning as an assistant coach in 2019. After two seasons in that role, Kevin took over as head coach in the 2021-22 season. Since then he has not posted a losing season and took the team to its first postseason tournament in 11 years when they hosted the first round of the 2024 NIT.

All-Time Against UNLV
Omaha comes into this game 0-2 all-time against UNLV. Their first loss was a narrow 73-70 game back in 2013, followed by an 84-71 contest in 2021.