Joe Franco
SPORTS EDITOR
The boys in red and black have been on a hot streak as of late, and are rolling through the Summit League.
After getting off to a rocky start in division play and losing the first three games in the Summit League, the UNO men’s basketball team has won four of its last five. The team is now 4-4 in the conference, and is just two and a half games out from first place. The team lost to an underrated Oral Roberts squad this past weekend, but has shown that they are playing with a little more urgency.
Not only is their recent winning streak impressive, but it’s also the manner in which they are winning. UNO is putting up points in an impressive fashion, and are averaging over 82 points per game.
In their most recent win at home, fans were more excited about the result than the one dollar beers and hot dogs. How can this be? The Mavs beat a solid Denver squad and put up 97 points in the process. Still not impressed? Take a second and digest the fact that Marcus Tyus and Tra-Deon Hollins combined for 54 points, more than half of the team’s points.
Tyus’ play as of late has been the catalyst to their winning streak. The senior is not only their scoring leader, but their leader on the court as well. He noted that he’s all in with his team, and has the competitive mentality every player needs to have.
“I’m helping my team and leading them to do whatever it takes to win,” Tyus said.
His teammate Tra-Deon Hollins is outperforming himself from just a year ago, and just recently became UNO’s all-time leader in steals in their win against Denver. Hollins finished with two steals on the night and now has a total of 195 career steals. He also finished with a modest 24 points, and has been a nice compliment to the Mavs’ offense.
Sophomore forward Mitchell Hahn has been a quiet scorer as of late, but has been their go-to guy off the bench. The Freemont native racked up a season-high 24 points in their win against Western Illinois, and is averaging 11 points per game.
Where has all this success come from? Tyus noted that the team is taking practices a little more seriously, which has directly affected their style of play since their loss on Jan. 4 to Fort Wayne.
“Our mentality and mindset has changed going into every game,” Tyus said. “It starts with practice, we need to have a good practice each time.”
A new mentality has certainly aided the Mavs in their current hot streak. The team’s success isn’t just a fad that will die out soon; these guys are going to keep competing and will keep winning. Tyus said no matter whom the opponent is, UNO will be ready to battle.
“I feel every game we are motivated to play,” Tyus said. “No matter who we play, we are going to come out and compete each and every game.”
