This Week
The Omaha men's basketball team plays its second campus-site game of the Emerald Coast Classic this Monday, Nov. 20 with a visit to TCU. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. at Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, and the game will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Southwest Plus. Gary Sharp will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2, and links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
• Monday's game at TCU marks the sixth time Omaha will face a team from the Big 12 in the Division I era. The Mavericks previously squared off with Oklahoma on Nov. 12, K-State in 2014-15 and 2016-17, Iowa State in 2012-13 and 2016-17 and Texas Tech in 2012-13. Omaha faces three Big 12 opponents this season: OU, TCU and Kansas (Dec. 18).
• Three Mavericks are averaging double-figure scoring:
Zach Jackson (16.8 ppg),
Daniel Norl (16.5 ppg) and
Mitch Hahn (13.7 ppg). Jackson and Norl have hit double digits in all four games this season.
• Omaha ranks sixth nationally for total steals (42) and 15th for steals per game (10.5).
• Omaha came a shot shy of its first NCAA Tournament bid in the Division I era last season, falling 79-77 to South Dakota State in the Summit League Championship. The Mavericks were 18-14 (9-7 Summit League) en route to their second straight third-place finish in the regular-season standings.
• Omaha returns seven letterwinners from its 2016-17 squad, including a Summit League All-Newcomer pick in Hahn.
• Head coach
Derrin Hansen enters his 13th year at Omaha in 2017-18 and needs just three wins to reach 200 career victories.
• Omaha has had at least one scorer tally 20+ points in 18 of its last 21 games dating back to Jan. 4, 2017.
• Omaha went 7-6 in non-conference play in 2016-17, marking its fourth straight season finishing .500 or better against non-conference opponents.
Scouting the TCU Horned Frogs
TCU is 3-0 (0-0 Big 12) entering the week after a 76-71 win over South Dakota at home last Wednesday. The Horned Frogs, who won the 2017 NIT, were picked third in the Big 12 Preseason Poll, with Vladimir Brodziansky named Preseason All-Big 12 and Kenrich Williams earning honorable mention.
Head coach Jamie Dixon is in his second season at TCU with a record of 27-15 and a career mark of 355-138 over 15 seasons.
Monday's game marks the first meeting all-time between Omaha and TCU.
Last Time Out: No. 18 Louisville Holds Off Omaha, 87-78
Omaha surged late but fell short Friday night, dropping an 87-78 decision to No. 18 Louisville at the KFC Yum! Center. It marked the highest-ranked opponent the Mavericks have faced in the Division I era.
Senior
Daniel Norl led the way for Omaha, finishing with 16 points, eight rebounds, an assist and a steal. Senior Lamar Wofford-Humphrey, making his first career start, achieved his first double-double with season bests of 14 points, 12 rebounds, three steals, an assist and a block.
Junior
Zach Jackson put up 15 points with a season-high eight rebounds, two steals, an assist and a block. Sophomore
KJ Robinson followed with
career bests of 14 points, three boards, five assists and three steals.
Louisville shot .464 (32-of-69) to Omaha's .360 (31-of-86) and had a 53-41 rebounding advantage. The Mavericks had the edge in offensive boards, 22-18, and forced 17 Cardinal turnovers while committing just 10 miscues themselves to mark a season low.
Road Warriors
Omaha plays 18 of its 30 games on the road in 2017-18, including seven straight to open the season while its home facility, Baxter Arena, plays host to the U.S. Olympic Curling Trials. The Mavericks begin with three games in one continuous seven-day trip at Montana State (Nov. 10), Oklahoma (Nov. 12) and New Mexico (Nov. 14). Following a short return home, they set out again for Louisville (Nov. 17), and after another short trip back to Omaha, visit TCU (Nov. 20). A Thanksgiving trip to Niceville, Fla., caps it off with two games in the Emerald Coast Classic, Nov. 24-25.
Final Four Foes
Omaha faces three teams with NCAA Final Four appearances on their resumes in the last decade. Oklahoma last made the Final Four in 2016, while Kansas went in 2012 and 2008, and Louisville earned a trip in 2012 and 2013.
Six of the Mavericks' 2017-18 opponents have earned at least one NCAA Tournament berth over the last four years: Kansas (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017), Louisville (2014, 2015, 2017), Oklahoma (2014, 2015, 2016), North Dakota State (2014, 2015), South Dakota State (2016, 2017) and New Mexico (2014).
Feelin' Hahn, Hahn, Hahn
Junior
Mitch Hahn has scored in double figures in all three games in which he has played, tallying a season-high 16 points Nov. 14 at New Mexico. Hahn made his season debut Nov. 10 at Montana State and posted his second career double-double on 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Hahn averaged 11.6 points per game in his sophomore season in 2016-17, appearing in 31 games before earning his first start in the Summit League Championship Game. For the year, he had 20 double-figure scoring games, including two with 20 or more points, and canned at least five 3-pointers three times. The Fremont, Neb., native ranked sixth in the league for free throw percentage (.838) and 10th for 3-point percentage (.420) and blocks (22), and he capped the year with Summit League All-Newcomer Team recognition.
Hahn scored in double figures in seven straight games from Jan. 7 to Feb. 1 and had 12 games of 15+ points last year. In games when he scores in double figures, Omaha is 12-10.
Action Jackson
Junior
Zach Jackson is in his third year as a starter, averaging a team-leading 16.5 points per game with 6.0 rebounds per contest. The Wichita, Kan., native scored a career-high 24 points Nov. 12 at Oklahoma and followed up with a team-high 16 points Nov. 14 at New Mexico.
Jackson had 10.8 points per game last season and scored in double figures in 21 games, including two 20-point performances. He was instrumental in Omaha's road upset of Iowa, posting a then-career-high 21 points and a career-high-tying eight rebounds. Jackson strung together six straight double-figure scoring games from Nov. 19 to Dec. 3, 2016, then had another six-game stretch from Feb. 11 to March 6, 2017.
Norl Off to a Strong Start
Senior
Daniel Norl has had a strong start to his senior season, pacing Omaha with 7.3 rebounds alongside 16.5 points per game over the first four contests. The Clarksville, Tenn., native earned his first career start at Montana State on Nov. 10, exploding for career highs of 29 points, nine rebounds and two steals while shooting 13-of-18. He collected 11 points, six boards, two assists and two steals at Oklahoma (Nov. 12), then followed with 10 points and seven caroms at New Mexico (Nov. 14). On Friday at No. 18 Louisville, Norl led the Mavericks with 16 points and added eight rebounds.
Norl made his Maverick debut in 2016-17, appearing in 29 contests and averaging 5.6 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 15.6 minutes per game. He had eight double-figure scoring performances as a junior, including a season-high 14 points with four 3-pointers in Omaha's quarterfinal win over Fort Wayne in the Summit League Tournament. He accounted for 10 performances with at least two 3-pointers.
Gibson Back at Full Strength
Sophomore
JT Gibson was one of two Mavericks to achieve a career high in scoring Nov. 12 at Oklahoma. The Brooklyn Park, Minn., native tallied 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting with three 3-pointers, adding four rebounds, and career bests of four assists and three steals. Gibson has two double-figure scoring efforts this year and has twice led the Mavericks in assists.
Gibson had a second go at his freshman campaign in 2016-17. In 2015-16, he appeared in eight games off the bench before suffering a season-ending elbow injury that led to a medical redshirt.
Wofford-Humphrey's Breakout Night
Senior Lamar Wofford-Humphrey had a standout performance at No. 18 Louisville last Friday, tallying his first double-double as a Maverick with 14 points, a team-high 12 rebounds, three steals, a block and an assist.
The transfer from Eastern Michigan has two double-figure scoring games to his credit, and he ranks third in the Summit League with 10 offensive rebounds so far, propelled by seven against the Cardinals.
Robinson's Ready
Sophomore
KJ Robinson appeared in all but one game last season, averaging 2.5 points and 0.7 assists over 8.8 minutes per contest off the bench. He has now assumed a starting role over the first four games of the 2017-18 season.
A native of Blue Springs, Mo., Robinson achieved four career highs at No. 18 Louisville on Friday, with 14 points, three rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Up Next
Omaha takes a Thanksgiving trip to the beach, facing Tennessee Tech in the Emerald Coast Classic on Friday, Nov. 24. Tipoff is set for 12:30 p.m. CT in Niceville, Fla., and Gary Sharp will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2. Links to live stats and audio will be available on OMavs.com.
