Omaha vs. Kansas Basketball Preview
We get to see Kansas take the court in a game that counts for the first time since cutting down the nets as national champions. Now the Jayhawks kick off their title defense Monday inside Allen Fieldhouse against the Omaha Mavericks. Here’s a closer look at KU’s first opponent.
Opponent Overview
Team: Nebraska-Omaha
Record: 0-0
Line: KU -32.5
Team Form
Omaha is headed into the new year hoping to overhaul last year’s 5-25 performance. The Mavericks have a new coach at the helm in alum Chris Crutchfied who has the tough job of fixing what was one of the worst defenses (not hyperbole, the Mavericks were 353rd in defensive efficiency at KenPom a season ago) in the country. Omaha was picked to finish ninth in the Summit League preseason poll.
Players to Watch
You’re going to want to pay attention to Frankie Fidler, who—along with having a fantastic name—can light up opponents. As a freshman last year, he shot 48.6% from the field, 42.9% from 3, and 82.4% from the line. He averaged just 12.9 points per game but has the ability to go off on certain nights against good opponents. Fidler dropped 37 points on North Dakota State on the road and 35 against South Dakota State in the conference tournament.
Fidler is one of only five players back from last year’s squad. To supplement them, Crutchfield brought in five transfers and five freshmen. One of those freshmen is Omaha native Luke Jungers, who led the team in scoring in the Mavericks’ lone exhibition, scoring 22 points.
Matchups to Watch
Pitt State took plenty of shots from 3-point range and had lots of success early, ultimately hitting 13 of 32 from behind the arch. Omaha might try something similar. The Mavericks went 9-21 from 3 in their exhibition against Mid-American Christian and Jungers alone hit four triples.
This was one of Omaha’s biggest strengths a season ago, shooting 35.8% on the year. Kansas struggled to communicate on defense in the first half against the Gorillas, so that’s something the Jayhawks will want to clean up.
Prediction
The Jayhawks got some jitters and rust out in their lone exhibition as a handful of players made their Allen Fieldhouse debut. But it’s still going to take a while for all of these new pieces to get acclimated and gel. I also expect Norm Roberts (remember, no Bill Self because of the self-imposed sanctions) and the staff to continue to tinker with lineups and play a lot of guys.
I don’t expect this to be a close game when the second half ends, but 32 is a big number and it feels like Kansas cares more about seeing what it has and experimenting with lineups than it is blowing out an early opponent. The Jayhawks will begin its title defense with a solid home win where we’ll get to see more of what these new pieces will bring.
Kansas 89, Omaha 62
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