The Basics
The Mavericks head to Florida for the Emerald Coast Classic this holiday week. Omaha will play Louisiana Monroe on Friday at 1:30 p.m. Saturday's action will feature a game vs. Southern or Loyola Maryland depending on the outcomes of Friday's action. The Mavericks played Iowa earlier this week in the preliminary game of the tournament.
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 opened a seven-game road trip at Iowa earlier this week. The Hawkeyes were their second ranked opponent of the season, and they took a 100-64 win.
•Dylan Brougham recorded seven blocks in the game. He set a Division I program record for single-game blocks and is second on the league's single-game highs list.
•Brougham ranks16th in the NCAA in total blocks and 25th in blocks per game.
• Prior to hitting the road, Omaha hosted back-to-back games at Baxter Arena. Ball State came out on top Nov. 16. The Mavericks were led by sophomore guard JJ White vs. the Cardinals. He scored a season-high 15 points to go with seven rebounds and five assists.
• Omaha earned a win vs. Idaho in its home opener on Nov. 13. The Mavericks were led by Bellevue native Frankie Fidler who notched his first career double-double with 28 points and 11 rebounds. Both marked season-bests, while his 11 boards was a career-high.
• Fidler's 28 points is third on the league's single-game charts this year. He ranks in the league's top-20 players in both scoring and rebounding averages.
• Omaha is finding early success at the charity stripe. The Mavericks are shooting 75.3 percent from the foul line and are led by Fidler who is shooting 91.7 percent. He went 11-of-11 from the line vs. Idaho and leads the league in free throw percentage.
• Marquel Sutton opened the season on a four-game double-figure scoring streak. The sophomore forward scored 11 points in his career-debut at Kansas followed by another 14 points at Nebraska. He put up season-high numbers of 16 points and eight rebounds vs. Idaho and closed the streak with 10 points vs. Ball State.
• The Mavericks are under new direction this season with UNO alum Chris Crutchfield at the helm. Joining him is associate head coach Kyan Brown and assistant coaches Kenya Crandell and Warren Niles.
• Omaha was tabbed ninth in the Summit League Preseason Poll, while sophomore forward Frankie Fidler garnered Preseason All-Summit First Team honors.
• Fidler takes home a preseason all-league nod following a stellar freshman season. He led the Mavericks in scoring with 12.9 points per game on 48.6 percent from the field, 42.9 percent from three-point range, and 82.4 percent from the foul line.
• The Bellevue, Nebraska native scored double-figures 19 times last season including two 30-point performances. Fidler dropped a career-high 37 points at North Dakota which was the most points scored in a game last year by a freshman. His 35 points vs. SDSU in the league quarterfinals was the second most by a freshman in tournament history.
• In addition to Fidler, Omaha returned five players from last year's roster. Akol Arop, La'Mel Robinson, Dylan Brougham, Kyle Luedtke, and Grant Frickenstein will play another season as Mavericks.
• Crutchfield added 10 new players, which includes five freshman and five transfers.
• Crutchfield enters his first season at the helm with a 10-9 overall coaching record. It marks his second season as a head coach and first with the Mavericks.
Scouting the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks
The Warhawks enter the Emerald Coast Classic at 2-3 overall. They have wins against Dallas Christian and Central Baptist. In both those wins, ULM scored over 100 points and hold a 2.4 edge in scoring over its opponents. The three losses on ULM's record came against Texas A&M, TCU, and Louisiana Tech.
Tyreke Locure is the lone Warhawk scoring double-figure at 14.2 points per game. He's on a four-game scoring streak with at least 10 points. Locure scored a season-high 19 points in ULM's win vs. Dallas Christian on 8-of-13 from the field. The junior guard also dished out eight assists. He connected on three from long range. Most recently, Locure added 18 points in the team's loss at LA Tech. He was 7-of-20 from the field and shot 40 percent from three-point range.
Head coach Keith Richard is in his 13th season leading the Warhawks with a record of 143-234. He's been a head coach for 22 seasons after previously serving at the helm for nine years at LA Tech.
All-Time Against ULM
This is the first ever meeting between the Warhawks and Mavericks.
Scouting the Southern Jaguars
Southern sits at 1-3 following its first four games of the 2022-23 season. The Jaguars opened the season on a three-game skid with losses at UNLV, Arizona, an St. Mary's. They rebounded on Nov. 18 with a win at California, 74-66. Southern has yet to play a game at home this year.
Bryson Etienne leads the Jaguars with 15.3 points per game on 38.9 percent from the field. Etienne has made 12 three-pointers and leads Southern with eight steals this season. In his debut with Southern, Etienne erupted for 25 points at UNLV. He shot 50 percent from the field and made six three-pointers. He followed that up with 17 points and four steals at Arizona.
Sean Woods is in his fifth year at the helm of the Jaguars and holds a 50-68 record. He's been a head coach for 14 seasons with prior stints at Morehead State and Mississippi Valley. His all-time head coaching record is 189-227.
All-Time Against Southern
Omaha leads the all-time series, 2-0. The Mavericks beat the Jaguars, 78-51, in the 2019-20 season in the Mainland Tournament during their last meeting.
Scouting the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds
The Greyhounds sit 2-3 overall heading into the tournament. Both of their wins came on their home court vs. Brown and Washington College. Loyola Maryland has losses at DePaul, Penn State, and at Clemson. The Greyhounds scored a season-high 81 points in their 30+ point win vs. Washington on Nov. 17.
Three players are averaging double-figures through the first five games of the season. Jaylin Andrews and Kenneth Jones lead the team with 11.0 points per game. Andrews scored over 10 points in each of the first three games this season. He poured in a season-high 23 points at Penn State. Jones scored a season-high 20 points at DePaul and hit four three-pointers at DePaul and vs. Brown.
Tavaras Hardy is in his fifth season leading Loyola Maryland. He holds a 48-68 all-time coaching record at the helm.
All-Time Against Loyola Maryland
The Mavericks hold a 1-0 edge in the all-time series. The teams first met in the 2019-20 season. Omaha took a 70-65 win in the Mainland Tournament.
Original source can be found here.
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