The Basics
The Mavericks officially close out their road non-conference slate this Sunday at noon when they head to Ames, Iowa to face the highest ranked opponent in program history in No. 3 Iowa State.

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
• The Mavericks began their final road weekend of 2024 with a 78-58 loss to Northern Iowa, one of the top Mid Majors in the country on Friday. The game was closer than the score would suggest, with Omaha leading for most of the first half and later going on a 14-4 run in the second half to get to within 11 of the Panthers with under 10 minutes to play.
• Four Mavericks scored in double figures on Friday, led by Lance Waddles with 14 points. The junior now has six double digit scoring games this season, tying his career high which he set last year with North Dakota State.
• JJ White, earning his second start in a row, had another strong showing vs. UNI, scoring 11 thanks to a .750 3-PT FG% (3-for-4).
• With his best performance in almost a month, Kamryn Thomas was a standout in Cedar Falls, posting his first double-digit scoring game (11 points) since November 14 at UNLV. He also had five rebounds, his most since November 23 at Akron, and had one of the flashiest plays by a Maverick this year when he flew past his defender and threw down a massive dunk with five minutes to go.
• Tony Osburn inched ever closer to reaching 100 career three-pointers when he made number 98 less than a minute and half into the game.
• Marquel Sutton also ended the night with 920 career points as he still has a chance to reach 1000 before the end of 2024. He also crossed 300 career defensive rebounds after finishing with his ninth career double-digit rebounding game with 10 yesterday.
• Five Mavericks have reached the century mark on the season with Ja'Sean Glover (100) and White (106) joining Sutton (194), Osburn (121), and Waddles (114) after Friday's game.
• 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 38-58 career record. This season marks his fourth year as a head coach and third with the Mavericks.

Scouting the Iowa State Cyclones
Sitting in first place in the Big 12 and ranking third in the AP Top 25, the Cyclones will be a top contender for a National Championship come March. So far, their one and only loss this season is an 83-81 loss to No. 2 Auburn. Earlier this season ISU routed fellow Summit League team Kansas City 82-56. Iowa State comes into this game fresh off an 89-80 win over Iowa. As a team, the Cyclones are currently outscoring their opponents by an average of 21.4 points.

One of the top offenses in the country, ISU boasts five players averaging at least 10 ppg, led by senior guards Curtis Jones (17.0 ppg, 153 total) and Keshon Gilbert (16.4 ppg, 148 total). Jones' .431 3-PT FG% ranks second on the team behind Milan Momcilovic (.467), while Gilberts 46 assists and 13 steals both lead the team.

Five Cyclones are currently shooting above .500 from the field, with seniors Dishon Jackson (.686) and Brandton Chatfield (.556) pacing the group. Defensively, junior forward Joshua Jefferson is first in rebounds with 8.0 rpg and 72 total boards, followed by Jackson with 5.6 rpg and 50 rebounds.

Now in his fourth season with the Cyclones, Head Coach T.J. Otzelberger has led the team to three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, making the Sweet 16 twice. Prior to Iowa State, he was head coach at UNLV from 2019-21 and before that he led South Dakota State from 2016-19, making the NCAA Tournament twice and the NIT once. 

All-Time Against Iowa State
The Mavericks are 2-6 all-time against the Cyclones, including an 0-3 mark in the Division I era. The last meeting was an 82-55 loss in Ames back in November 2018. Omaha's last win in the series came in December 1979 when they won 69-68 in overtime on the road.