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Complete NDSU Basketball Game Notes
Jan. 7 vs. Omaha:  Watch  |  Listen  |  Live Stats
Jan. 9 at Oral Roberts:  Watch  |  Listen  |  Live Stats

The Games: The North Dakota State men's basketball team (11-4 overall, 1-0 Summit League) will take on the Omaha Mavericks (10-6, 2-0) at Scheels Arena on Thursday, Jan. 7, at 7 p.m. The Bison will travel to Tulsa, Okla., for a 7 p.m. game on Saturday, Jan. 9, against Oral Roberts (8-8, 0-2).
 
Where to Watch: Thursday's game vs. Omaha will be broadcast live on MeTV throughout North Dakota and western Minnesota. A live video stream will also be available to subscribers at GoBison.com/allaccess. Saturday's game at Oral Roberts will be streamed live on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.
 
Radio: KFGO-AM 790 of Fargo will broadcast both games with Gary Rogers calling the play-by-play. Coverage includes 20-minute pregame and postgame shows. Free audio streaming will be available at GoBison.com/allaccess.
 
About Omaha: The Mavericks will bring a record of 10-6 overall and 2-0 in The Summit League into Scheels Arena on Thursday evening. Omaha posted an 82-80 win over Western Illinois in the league opener on Jan. 1, then followed up with a 76-71 victory over IUPUI on Jan. 3. Both games were played at Omaha's brand new Baxter Arena.
                Senior guard Devin Patterson leads Omaha in scoring with 16.9 points per game this season. Junior Tra-Deon Hollins leads the NCAA with an average of 4.0 steals per game, and he also leads Omaha with 5.6 assists per contest.
                As a team, Omaha ranks second in the nation in total free throws made this season, seventh in the country in steals per game, and 14th nationally in scoring offense.
 
The Series vs. Omaha: Thursday will be the 74th meeting between North Dakota State and Omaha dating back to 1935-36. NDSU has a 45-28 lead in the series, including a sweep of both games last season – 75-72 in Omaha and 64-57 in Fargo. NDSU has won seven in a row over the Mavericks, claiming every Division I meeting between the schools. Omaha's last victory in the series was an 81-74 overtime game in the NCC Tournament on March 5, 2004.
 
Last Time vs. Omaha: The Bison erased a seven-point deficit in the second half to earn their 22nd straight home victory, topping Omaha 64-57 on Feb. 5 last season at Scheels Arena.
                Senior guard Lawrence Alexander led the Bison with 18 points. Omaha led 33-28 at halftime and 35-28 with 18 minutes remaining in the game. A three-pointer by A.J. Jacobson with 12:19 left put the Bison on top for good at 44-42. NDSU shot 50 percent in the second half and connected on 4-of-9 attempts from beyond the arc to outscore Omaha 36-24 after halftime.
 
About Oral Roberts: Oral Roberts enters this week with a record of 8-8 overall and 0-2 in The Summit League. The Golden Eagles will play at Denver on Jan. 6 before hosting the Bison on Jan. 9. ORU dropped its first two league games last week – 90-84 at Fort Wayne and 94-84 at home against South Dakota.
                Senior guard Obi Emegano leads Oral Roberts in scoring with 23.5 points per game this season. Emegano ranks second among all active Division I players with his career scoring average of 19.8 points per game. Forward Brandon Conley leads the Golden Eagles on the glass with 7.1 rebounds per contest.
                As a team, Oral Roberts ranks 317th in the country in scoring defense, allowing 79.8 points per game.
 
The Series vs. Oral Roberts: Saturday will be the 18th meeting between North Dakota State and Oral Roberts dating back to 1967-68. ORU leads the series 10-7, and the Golden Eagles have won five of the last seven games between the two schools. Each team won on its home court last season, and NDSU earned a 60-56 victory in the semifinals of the Summit League Tournament.
 
Against The Summit League: NDSU is 30-6 in its last 36 games against Summit League opponents and 44-11 over the last three-plus seasons.
 
Strong Defense: The Bison are 31st in the nation in scoring defense (63.7 points per game) in the latest NCAA rankings. NDSU is allowing only 55 points per game over the last four games.
 
Balanced Attack: In the last month, seven different Bison have scored 15 or more points in a game: Paul Miller, Carlin Dupree, Malik Clements, Khy Kabellis, A.J. Jacobson, Dexter Werner and Dylan Miller.
 
Career Day: Carlin Dupree tied his career-high with 16 points in NDSU's win over Denver on Jan. 3. Dupree also scored 16 points at Southern Miss on Dec. 3 of last season.
 
High Rate: Senior Chris "Big Velvet" Kading has made 19-of-26 shots this season for 73-percent shooting.
 
Hot Streak: Paul Miller is shooting 52 percent from three-point range over the last six games.
 
Before and After: The Bison have seen a disparity in shooting percentages between the first and second halves this season. NDSU is shooting 42 percent in the first half and 48 percent in the second half. Bison opponents are shooting 48 percent before halftime and 40 percent after.
 
Finish Strong: The Bison are shooting 51 percent in the final 10 minutes of games.
 
Take Care: The Bison rank fifth in the nation for fewest turnovers per game with 9.8 this season.
 
Turnover Advantage: The Bison have had a significant advantage in the turnover department this season, ranking 16th in Division I with a plus-4.2 turnover margin. NDSU is averaging just 9.8 turnovers per game while creating 14.0 for its opponents.
 
Home Court:  With 31 straight home wins, the Bison own the sixth-longest active home court winning streak in the nation. NDSU is 44-2 at home since the start of the 2012-13 season, with the only two losses being to Southern Miss (70-69) on Nov. 18, 2013, and Western Illinois (49-36) on Feb. 14, 2013.
 
Summit League Record: The Bison set an all-time Summit League record with their 31st consecutive home victory on Jan. 3, breaking South Dakota State's previous record of 30.
 
Never Give Up: In six of their first eight victories this season, the Bison overcame deficits of at least nine points.
Nov. 13       at UC Davis                             Trailed by 9 with 2:00 left in 2nd half              W, 79-71 (OT)
Nov. 25       vs. Montana                           Trailed by 12 with 9:00 left in 1st half             W, 73-53
Nov. 28       vs. North Carolina A&T      Trailed by 15 with 10:00 left in 1st half           W, 77-56
Dec. 4          at Arkansas State                 Trailed by 13 with 11:00 left in 2nd half         W, 74-73
Dec. 11       at North Dakota                    Trailed by 15 with 18:00 left in 2nd half         W, 69-67
Dec. 21       vs. Idaho State                      Trailed by 10 with 3:00 left in 1st half             W, 67-62

Dylan Miller's Big Game: Freshman forward Dylan Miller posted new season-highs in points (19) and rebounds (9) in NDSU's 105-47 win over Northland College on Dec. 30. In fact, he had achieved new season-highs in both categories before halftime.
 
In a While: NDSU's victory over Northland was its first game with 100-plus points since scoring 103 in a win over Mayville State on Nov. 20, 2010. NDSU's 24 offensive rebounds were the most since grabbing 25 in a win at South Dakota State on Dec. 4, 2010.
 
Steady Freshman: Freshman point guard Khy Kabellis has a 38-to-14 assist-to-turnover ratio through his first 15 collegiate games. Kabellis is averaging 14 points per game over the last three contests.