St. John’s basketball fans might know about the Omaha Mavericks from its viral postgame celebrations when they destroy trash cans after victories, but its players aren’t too shabby on the court either.
Omaha won the Summit League Tournament on March 9 with a victory over St. Thomas-Minnesota, but the Mavericks would have been in the Big Dance regardless of the outcome.
The Tommies are still in the transition period to a Division I program and are ineligible for the NCAA Tournament, as soon as Omaha won its semifinal game and knew it would be playing St. Thomas, it punched its ticket.
Still, the Mavericks pulled away in the second half behind 29 points from JJ White on 10-of-14 shooting and 3-of-5 from 3-point range. The 6-foot-2 electric guard has scored in double figures in all but one game since January 2 and has shattered his previous career high in 3-point percentage at 43.9-percent.
Smith was named to the All-Summit League First Team, but Omaha’s real star is the conference’s Player of the Year in Marquel Sutton.
Sutton has overwhelmed his opponents this season with his 6-foot-8 frame, becoming one of seven players in the country to average at least 19.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.
He scored a season-high 36 points against South Dakota, however, earlier in the non-conference schedule he was held to only three points on 1-of-7 shooting against Iowa State, the toughest game on the schedule for the Mavericks.
Tony Osburn, the backcourt running mate with White, is another lethal threat from 3-point range after connecting on 40.4-percent of his attempts this season and made 8-of-9 from beyond the arc in the conference tournament semifinals to finish with 30 points.
Ja’Sean Glover is the only player on the Omaha roster that landed recognition for his defense in the Summit League honors on the All-Defensive Team.
Size is not a strength of the Mavericks, not having a player taller than 6-foot-9 with its backup center Joshua Streit but its starting center, Isaac Ondekane, is listed at 6-foot-8, 275 pounds.
While Omaha is lacking a household name, its continuity could be viewed as its biggest strength with its top three scorers all spending three years with the program. Its offense can get rolling at times, averring 78.1 points per contest on 46.6-percent shooting from the field and 36.7-percent from 3-point range but it will be facing its toughest test yet with St. John’s top-ranked defense, according to KenPom.
Tipoff will be no earlier than 9:45 p.m. ET (CBS) from Providence, Rhode Island.