Kangaroos to Face Future Summit League Member Mavericks on Wednesday
11/15/2011 9:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball
TV: KSMO - Kansas City (Neil Harwell, J.C. Pearson)
Radio: 810 AM (Steven Davis, Steven St. John)
Webcast: UMKCKangaroos.com (subscribers only)
Live Stats: UMKCKangaroos.com
THE GAME
The Kangaroos are looking for their first win of the season on Wednesday when future Summit League member Nebraska-Omaha comes to town for a 7:05 p.m. tipoff. It will be the first televised game of the season on KSMO-TV in Kansas City.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Nebraska-Omaha is 1-1 on the season, falling 83-72 to IPFW on the road, before coming home to face Concordia (Neb.) in the home opener, winning 100-68. The Mavericks are averaging 86 points per game, and have hit 51.2 percent of their shots. This is the first season in Division I for UNO, who played in the MIAA of NCAA-II last season. They will enter the Summit League in
They are led by senior guard Mitch Albers, who averages 22.5 points a game, and comes off a night in which he tallied 30 points on 12-of-13 shooting. They also have three others in double-figure scoring with guard C.J. Carter and forward Alex Welhouse at 12.0 per game, and center John Karhoff at 11.5 per contest. Welhouse leads all rebounders with 8.0 per outing.
THE SERIES
The Kangaroos and Mavericks have never faced as Division I foes, with the last meeting coming when UMKC was an NAIA team back in 1977. They played twice during the 1976-77 season, with each winning a game.
UNO is the second team they will have played this season that played in the MIAA (Division II), facing Northwest Missouri State last Friday.
THE COACHES
Matt Brown is in his fifth season as the head coach of the UMKC men's basketball program, and comes off his most successful season at the helm. In 2010-11, he posted his first winning record at 16-14 overall. The 'Roos also posted the third-most home wins in school history, going 11-4 in Kansas City, and the third-most overall wins in program history.
Brown joined the 'Roos as the eighth head coach in school history on April 12, 2007. In his five seasons as head coach, Brown has guided UMKC to a 42-79 overall record and has coached seven players to all-Summit League recognition.
Derrin Hansen is in his seventh season at Nebraska-Omaha, and boasts a 111-69 overall record. He served as the head assistant for the Mavericks before that.
SCORING LOSSES
The Kangaroos lost three of their top four scorers from last season in Jay Cousinard, Spencer Johnson, and Bakari Lewis. With all of the losses, it adds up to 63 percent of its total scoring from a year ago.
TEAM CAPTAINS
The three 'Roo captains, as voted upon by the team, are seniors Dustin Dibble and Reggie Chamberlain, and sophomore Kirk Korver. Chamberlain is the leading returning scorer, while Dibble has played more games at UMKC than any player on the roster. Korver is coming back after a redshirt season in which he was injured.
OFF THE GLASS
Senior guard Dustin Dibble has been the Kangaroos most effective rebounder this season, despite being only 6-4.
He set career-highs in both of the season's first two contests, grabbing seven against NWMSU, and 11 against Bradley.
SCORING HALL
Sophomore Trinity Hall leads the Kangaroos in scoring (14.0), blocks (3), and steals (3), while ranking second in rebounds (5.0) and field goal percentage (.429). The only area he has not been solid this year is the free throw stripe, hitting only 44 percent.
SHOOTING WOES
The Kangaroos have played two tough defensive teams this year, and as a result, their field goal percentage has struggled. They are shooting .348 overall, and .295 from behind the three-point line.
OFFENSIVE BOARDS
UMKC has been active on the offensive glass this season, recording 29 offensive boards, and scoring 27 points off them. That is 23 percent of the 'Roos points on second-chance buckets.
On the contrary though, the 'Roos have allowed 28 offensive boards, and gave up 17 against Bradley on Sunday, while only getting 17 defensive rebounds.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
The Kangaroos have eight players averaging more than 4.5 points per game this season, with seven different guys starting games. In addition, 12 players have seen the floor in the two games decided by 10 points or less.
CHARITY TOSS-UP
The 'Roos have hit only 59.2 percent from the foul line so far this season, while their opponents have hit 58.5 percent. Their total dropped against Bradley, hitting only 38.9 percent from the line.
HOME SWEET SWINNEY
The 'Roos have a decided home court advantage since moving back on campus to Swinney, posting a 10-4 record in their first full season last year. In the last two seasons, UMKC has a 10-5 mark there (.667).
