One has to give credit to Omaha for their ability to schedule top-ranked opponents throughout their non-conference stretch. Three out of their first five games were against teams that were or are currently ranked in the top-25. Needless to say, all of those resulted in losses for the Mavericks, although they did give then No. 18-ranked Louisville a fight on Nov. 17.
Last week, they were met with their biggest challenge as they took on Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse. As was expected, they lost in convincing fashion to the Jayhawks. However, they were able to regroup with a double-figure win over Montana State later on in the week. Zach Jackson led the way with 25 points (on 9-for-11 shooting), nine rebounds, and four steals in that win.
It is Jackson, Omaha’s star, that pushes them above a team like Oral Roberts in these rankings right now. Currently, the Mavericks have their go-to player in Jackson whereas Oral Roberts does not. Look for Jackson to have a nice outing come Saturday’s game too.