SBU BEARCATS (19-8, 10-7 MIAA) at
NEBRASKA-OMAHA MAVERICKS (17-7, 10-7 MIAA)

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2010 • 3:30 PM
OMAHA, NE • SAPP FIELDHOUSE
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SBU NOTES | UNO NOTES
   
OMAHA, Neb. -- The SBU Bearcats are looking to get back on the winning track this weekend, as they face the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks in an afternoon matchup that could have be a big factor in determining the seeding of the MIAA Tournament. The Bearcats and Mavericks enter the game tied for third in the conference standings, with just three games to play.

Pre-season All-American Matt Rogers had been averaging 21.8 points per game before missing the last five games due to injury. Rogers has won three MIAA Player of the Week awards this season, and ranks fourth in the nation in blocks (3.6 per game), as well as 15th in all of Division II in points.

Junior point guard Tomas Brock has stepped up in Rogers' absence, averaging 17.2 points the last five games, including a career-high 24 points against Emporia State. Brock's 4.9 assists per game is good for third in the MIAA.

Forward Kurtis Koenig has scored double figures in four of his last six games, and he ranks 19th in the MIAA with 12.7 points a game. Koenig also averages a team-high 5.7 rebounds, 13th-most in MIAA.

Stepping into the starting lineup with Rogers out, freshman Ivan Cropotov has made steady improvement throughout the last nine games. Cropotov has raised his scoring average from three points a game when he was coming off the bench, to 5.5 points, and has scored double figures in six of those matchups, hitting his career high of 14 points three times.

As a team, the Bearcats are ranked in the top 25 nationally in a number of statistics, including points per game (86.7, 12th), three-pointers per game (9, 12th), and free throw percentage (76.1%, 8th).

THE COACHES AND THE ALL-TIME SERIES
SBU head coach Jeff Guiot is in his sixth season in Bolivar, where he has led the Bearcats to a 126-51 (.716) record. Guiot has a 344-144 record overall, and has yet to suffer a losing season during his fifteen-year career. Guiot has won 20 games ten times, as well as eight conference titles, including three of the last four MIAA regular season championships while at SBU.

Derrin Hansen is in his fifth season at Omaha, where he has earned an overall record of 86-57. Hansen has led the Mavs to three winning seasons over the last four years. Omaha won their final appearance in the North Central Conference tournament in 2004-05, and won a school record 25 games. UNO leads the all-time series with their win earlier this season, 2-1. The victory in Bolivar snapped SBU's 38-game home winning streak. The first meeting between the two schools came only last year, when Nebraska-Omaha first joined the MIAA.

SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS
Nebraska-Omaha has been coming on of late, winning their last three games before narrowly missing out on an upset of #3 Central Missouri earlier this week in a five-point loss. A number of Mavericks are having solid statistical seasons, showing up all over conference and national leaderboards. Junior Tyler Bullock leads the team with 18.2 points a game, second-most in the conference. A trio of Mavericks rank among the MIAA leaders in rebounds in junior Eugene Bain (6.8 rpg), and seniors Matt Newman (6.0) and Dion Curry (6.0). Andrew Bridger leads the South Central region and is 12th in the nation with 6.3 assists per game. Jeff Martin's three treys per game on average is most in the conference.
       
NEXT UP FOR THE SBU BEARCATS
SBU will prepare for yet another battle of the Bearcats next week, when they host Northwest Missouri State on SBU's Senior Night. The green Bearcats will be fighting for their playoff lives, as they currently sit eighth in the MIAA standings, just half a game above Washburn for the final spot in the MIAA Tournament. Northwest Missouri has had an up-and-down season, upsetting nationally-ranked Fort Hays last month, followed by another big win on the road against Nebraska-Omaha. Lately, however, losses to both Pittsburg State and Truman (10th and 11th in the MIAA) have put Northwest in a tight spot coming down to the end of the season. Junior forward Elijah Allen leads the green 'Cats with 17.9 points a game, fourth-most in the MIAA. Senior guard Girod Adams is not far behind with 16.3 points on average, good for 7th among league leaders. Adams is also one of the best free throw shooters in the country, shooting 92.5% from the charity stripe, the third-best percentage in Division II. Adams, along with freshman DeShawn Cooper, are two of the top passers in the league, averaging 4.0 and 3.9 assists respectively.