What a difference a year makes.

Tony Osburn says Omaha Men's Basketball had always played the role of hunter. It was a team seeking to knock off the league title favorites.

Following an historic 2024-25 season, now the Mavericks are the hunted. And that's just fine with Osburn and his teammates.

"I think everyone love the expectation," said Osburn on being picked second in the Summit League preseason poll. "Last year we were picked eighth in the preseason. We had a chip on our shoulder. We still have a chip on our shoulder. It's easy to work everyday when you've seen what it takes. We have no guys in the gym who are fat and happy that we who it last year."

Nine Mavs are back from last year's team that won 18 of its last 22 games. 

Omaha found ways to win close games and for the first time it won the Summit League regular-season and tournament titles and went dancing in the NCAA tournament.

Three starters - Osburn, Kamryn Thomas and Isaac Ondekane - return, as do some of its top bench players such as Ja'Sean Glover and Lance Waddles.

Chris Crutchfield said his team has a lot of experienced players who also understand the program's culture.

"The biggest challenge now for us is putting guys in roles where they can flourish," said Crutchfield, who enters his fourth season as Omaha's head coach.

Omaha's top two scorers last season, forward Marquel Sutton and point guard JJ White, have moved on to other programs. Sutton, who was the Summit player of the year, is at LSU and White is at Baylor. Omaha will play at LSU on Nov. 21.

To help fill that offensive void, Crutchfield said roles will expand for players like Waddles, Thomas and Glover. Also for Osburn, who averaged 12.1 points last season and was one on the league's top 3-point shooters with 74. Crutchfield looks for Osburn to run the offense more this season.

"We got to have dudes step up and expand their roles," Osburn said. "I bet there are two or three guys who average 14, 15 points (a game). That makes it really hard to guard in conference play."

Another element Crutchfield likes about this season's team is its depth.

Ondekane sprained his left ankle during one of the Mavs' preseason scrimmage, but newcomers are expected to fill that role to start the year.

"It's really important when you have a guy like Isaac go down," Crutchfield said of the team's depth. "You still have Christian Richardson (a 7-foot-1 transfer from Long Beach State), you still have (Omaha Skutt graduate) Brock Scholl, not to mention (South Alabama transfer) Julian Margrave who can play some 5 (position). This is probably the most depth we've had since I've been here."

Omaha's season opens Monday, Nov. 3 with a neutral-site game against Murray State in Sioux Falls, S.D as part of the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon. The Racers finished 16-17 last season.