The Basics
Following a loss to first-place North Dakota on Thursday, the Mavericks look to regain ground in the standings this Saturday at 1 p.m. when they close out their road trip at North Dakota State.

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 were unable to recover from a slow start against North Dakota on Thursday and ended up falling 78-99 to the top team in the Summit League. Omaha is now 12-13 on the season and 505 in league play, placing them in the middle of the standings, though, only two wins out from first place.
• Thursday was the biggest game of the season for Omaha's bench as five players combined for a season-high 39 points. Likewise, the Mavericks scored 48 points in the paint, their most in conference play this year.
• The loss to North Dakota was just Omaha's third this season when scoring at least 75 points.
• Marquel Sutton had one of his best games of the season as he recorded his team-leading third double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. He also ended the day with 316 points, a new single season best.
• Frankie Fidler finished Thursday's game with 1320 career points, bringing him to 12th all-time at Omaha. He also extended his double figure scoring streak to 19 games.
• Jaeden Marshall and Marcel Bryant both set new season highs in points on Thursday, with Marshall shooting 6-for-11 for 15 points and Bryant going 5-for-5 with a pair of free throws for 12 points.
• Grant Stubblefield, Marcel Bryant, Nick Davis, and Biko Johnson are Omaha's top newcomers coming into this season. 
• Stubblefield was named 6A Player of the Year and First Team All-State while at Blue Valley Northwest and Bryant was named the Austin Area Player of the Year at Cedar Ridge. Johnson is coming off his second season at Western Nebraska CC where he was named All-Conference and All-Nebraska, while Davis is fresh off winning GAC Defensive Player of the Year and a trip to the Sweet 16 of the Division II NCAA Tournament with Southern Nazarene. 
• Fidler was Omaha's lone All-Summit honoree last season, earning an Honorable Mention. He led Omaha in scoring (14.7 ppg), rebounding (5.8 rpg), steals (1.2 spg), and free throw percentage (.887), with his FT% in particular ranking in the NCAA's top-25 for most of the season.
• Head Coach Chris Crutchfield has a 31-45 career record. It marks his third season as a head coach and second with the Mavericks.

Scouting the North Dakota State Bison
The Bison are coming off an 82-78 overtime victory against Kansas City on Thursday that keeps them in the middle of the Summit League standings at 11-13 overall and 4-5 in league play. 

Senior guard Boden Skunberg leads the Bison as one of the league's top 10 scorers with 15.1 ppg and 348 total points, as well as sitting just outside the top 10 in rebounding with 5.6 rpg and 128 total rebounds. He comes into this game having scored in double figures in 12 straight games.

Right behind Skunberg in scoring is sophomore guard Damari Wheeler-Thomas (11.9 ppg, 285 points). Wheeler-Thomas is also first on the team in steals (20), assists (64), and FT% (.864). Meanwhile, forwards Andrew Morgan and Noah Feddersen are the only two Bison shooting above .500 from the field at .528 and .613, respectively.

Now in his 10th year leading the Bison and 21st with the program, Head Coach David Richman is one of the most accomplished coaches in the Summit League with three conference titles and NCAA Tournament berths, including a win over North Carolina central in the 2019 NCAA Tournament.

All-Time Against North Dakota State
Omaha moved to 32-53 all-time against NDSU and 6-19 in the Division I era after snapping a nine-game losing streak to them with a stunning 96-92 overtime victory back on January 13. Fidler had season highs in points (34) and rebounds (12) to lead the Mavericks, while Wheeler-Thomas paced the Bison with 30 points.