To wrap up the regular season, the Omaha Mavericks (17-11) will travel to Allen County War Memorial Coliseum and meet the IPFW Mastodons (21-7). Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 20.
The Mastodons enter this game hoping for similar success after topping South Dakota State 91-79 on Thursday. John Konchar played a pivotal role, recording his 10th double-double of the season with 22 points and 12 rebounds. The Mavericks, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 88-76 loss against IUPUI on Wednesday. Jake White had a game-high 21 points.
Max Landis has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Mastodons. During that stretch, he has averaged 24.8 points, 1.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 5.0 three-pointers. Tra-Deon Hollins has upped his play for the Mavericks. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 14.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 3.8 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 1.2 three-pointers.
When evaluating eFG%, the Mastodons could have a healthy advantage on offense. They’re ranked 15th in the nation in that category at 55.6%, while the suspect defense of Omaha is ranked 278th in eFG% defense, allowing opponents to connect at a rate of 51.5% this year.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Mastodons winning the first matchup 106-101. Landis had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 37 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals, and nine three-pointers.
The Mastodons come into this game 21-7 Straight Up (SU) and 18-5 Against The Spread (ATS). The Mastodons have no trouble scoring as they rank 32nd in the nation in offense with 79.8 points per game. The Mastodons are one of the best in Division I in terms of three-point field goals, making 10.0 shots per game from beyond the arc.
Over on the other bench, the Mavericks have records of 14-10 ATS and 17-11 SU. Offensively, they average 84.1 points per game, which is good for fifth in the country. The Mavericks get to the line and convert their free throws at a high volume, ranking fourth in the nation with 534 made (19.0 per game). Moving on to the Omaha defense, the Mavericks are a terror in the passing lanes, averaging an impressive 9.4 steals per game.
In their previous meeting this season, IPFW beat Omaha, bumping its SU record to 7-2 over Omaha in their most recent meetings. Furthermore, IPFW holds the advantage ATS with a record of 4-3. IPFW held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers one time in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Omaha never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – NEOma, ATS Winner – NEOma
Notes
“IUPU Fort Wayne is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games “.
“IUPU Fort Wayne is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of IUPU Fort Wayne’s last 5 games “.
“IUPU Fort Wayne is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games at home”.
“IUPU Fort Wayne is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of IUPU Fort Wayne’s last 5 games at home”.
“IUPU Fort Wayne is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Nebraska Omaha”.
IPFW and Omaha hold winning records against the Summit League Conference this season. The IPFW Mastodons sit at 10-3 SU and the Omaha Mavericks have a 9-5 record.
Omaha averages 84.1 points per game (ranked fifth). The IPFW defense has done poorly this season, giving up 75.8 PPG (ranked 214th).
Omaha averages 84.0 points per away game, ranking fourth in the country. IPFW, on the other hand, allows 75.7 points per home game, one of the worst teams this season (ranked 232nd).
Ranked 87th, the Omaha Mavericks have an offensive rating of 109.7. The IPFW Mastodons rank 276th with a defensive rating of just 108.0.
IPFW has an average field goal percentage of 46.9%. Omaha is an even 7-7 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The IPFW Mastodons rank lower for their field goal percentage (49th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (15th), but the Omaha Mavericks have a better FG% ranking (47th) than eFG% ranking (113th).
IPFW ranks 60th in assists, registering 15.5 per game. Omaha performs worse at 121st with 14.2 assists per game.
The Omaha Mavericks rank seventh in steals this season, with an average of 9.4 per game. When the IPFW Mastodons give up at least 9 steals, they have a winning 2-1 record.
