Kangaroos Hit the Road for Televised Game at Omaha Tuesday
11/16/2015 3:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball
UMKC Kangaroos (1-1) at Omaha Mavericks (1-1)
Date / Time: November 17 - 7:05 p.m. CT
Site: Omaha, Neb. / Baxter Arena (7,500)
TV: KSMO, local
Talent: Neil Harwell (pxp), Jaycie Pearson (analyst)
Listen:UMKCKangaroos.com (free)
Talent: Steven Davis (pxp)
Webstream:ESPN3.com
Live Stats: OMavs.com
Twitter: @UMKCMensHoops #RooUp
Series: UNO leads 3-2
Home: 2-1
Away: 0-2
Neutral: 0-0
Last Meeting: UMKC won 79-72 in KC, 12/13/14
Richardson vs. Opponent: 1-1
QUICK NOTES
- After the win against William Jewell, UMKC is now 7-1 in its last eight home games.
- The 'Roos hit 12 threes on Friday night, matching the highest it has ever made under Richardson.
- LaVell Boyd scored 25 points in his debut with UMKC, hitting seven threes. It was the most threes made for a 'Roo since Reggie Chamberlain hit seven vs. Western Illinois (1/19/12). It also matched the highest point total ever for a Roo in his debut (Dominique Johnson in 2006 had 25).
- UMKC returns six letterwinners to the lineup this season, all of which have starting experience. Four of those players started more than half the games they played (Martez Harrison, Shayok Shayok, Darius Austin, Thaddeus Smith).
- The 'Roos are facing 10 schools this season that went to postseason tournaments last year (South Dakota St., UT-Martin, Iowa, Louisville, UNC-Wilmington, Oklahoma St., USC-Upstate, Seattle, New Mexico State and Grand Canyon).
- UMKC will play games in 15 different states this season.
- Martez Harrison was named an AP honorable mention All-American last season, becoming the first ever in D-I history. He was named the WAC Player of the Year as well, becoming the second UMKC player ever to win that honor (Michael Jackson, 1999-00).
- Harrison led the league in scoring (17.5 ppg), total steals (60) and total assists (129). He also ranked among the league's top 10 in free-throw shooting (.748) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.50).
- Thaddeus Smith had 44 blocks last year, ranking fourth in a single season at UMKC. He was second in the WAC with 1.5 blocks per game.
- UMKC shattered the school's single season record last year with 266 steals.
- The 'Roos 6-1 home WAC record was the best conference mark in school history.
- UMKC was a No. 2 seed in the WAC Tournament, matching the highest seed it has ever been in the conference tournament (2004-05). The second place WAC regular season finish matched the 2004-05 and 1999-00 teams finishes as the highest ever for UMKC.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
The Mavericks are 1-1 on the season, playing both games at home. They lost to UC-Santa Barbara by one on Friday, before rolling past Saint Mary's 104-58 on Sunday.
The Mavericks return three starters, led by senior guard Devin Patterson, who put up 11.7 points per game last year. On the season, JT Gibson leads the team with 10.5 points, while Randy Reed is averaging 10 and 5.5 boards a game. Tre-Shawn Thurman is the top returner inside, leading the team with 6.0 rebounds per game.
THE COACHES
Kareem Richardson is in his third season as the head coach at UMKC, posting a 25-40 record. He was named the sixth coach in the Division I era on March 19, 2013 after helping Louisville to a National Championship in 2013 as an assistant under Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino.
His second season in Kansas City as the head man was another step in the right direction in 2014-15, and generated several program firsts. The 8-6 WAC record was the first above .500 at UMKC since 2005-06, and its second place finish matched the highest ever in league play. UMKC finished with a 6-1 WAC home record, the best in school history in conference play.
Derrin Hansen is in his 11th season at Omaha, leading them in the transition from D-II to D-I. He has a 162-139 overall record. He guided the Mavericks to two NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and a conference championship in both the MIAA (2010) and the NCC (2008).
THE SERIES
The 'Roos have a 2-3 overall record against UNO, winning last year's meeting at home by a 79-72 margin. UMKC has not won at Omaha, going 0-2 there. The last meeting in Omaha was a 101-71 win for the home team.
A WIN WOULD MEAN...
- The 'Roos would have won two straight in the series for the first time.
- UMKC would have defeated Omaha on the road for the first time.
- Missouri-Kansas City would have moved above .500 for the first time since November 19 of last season when it was 2-1.
UP NEXT
The 'Roos will continue the road swing on Saturday night against Drake at 7 p.m. in Des Moines, Iowa. The game can be seen online at ESPN3.
The 'Roos have never faced Drake in men's basketball.
