University of Nebraska at Omaha Men’s Basketball won the Summit League Championship Sunday Night, defeating Saint Thomas 85-75. Omaha officially clinched an NCAA Tournament berth Saturday following St. Thomas’ defeat of North Dakota. After making the jump directly from Division III to Division I in 2020, Saint Thomas will be ineligible for postseason play until July 2025 when their five-year transition period is over. The Mavericks still had a lot to play for – and brought home the program’s first conference tournament title since moving to D-I in 2011.
Sunday night added another line to the laundry list of historic “firsts” for this team. UNO went 22-12 overall and 13-3 in conference play this year, which was good enough to win their first regular season conference title since moving to Division I. That record included a nine-game win streak, also the longest for the program since their jump to D-I.
They then dominated the Summit League Tournament, winning their three games by an average margin of 15 points per game. By winning the Summit League Tournament, the Mavericks were awarded an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and will make the program’s first-ever appearance in the big dance. They will be the Summit League’s lone representative this March.
Special seasons require special people around the program. Coach Chris Crutchfield saw his career come full circle this season, his third at the helm for Omaha. Crutchfield was a two-sport athlete at UNO from 1989 to 1992, where he was a member of the football and basketball teams. He then later began his coaching career as an assistant for the Mavericks basketball team during the 1995-96 season.
Now, he’s led his alma mater to its first regular season and conference tournament championships since moving to D-I, and the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance. That’s not it though, Crutchfield became the program’s first Conference Coach of the Year and delivered the first Conference Player of the Year since the program transitioned to D-I. Marquel Sutton, who entered the program in Crutchfield’s first recruiting class, started every game of his career and averaged 18.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game this season on his way to that honor.
Associate Head Coach Kyan Brown also played a unique role in UNO Basketball’s success – and fame – this season. Sensing low energy amongst the team following a 2-game skid early in the year, Brown kicked a trashcan in the locker room prior to a game against Cal Poly. It wasn’t planned, just a moment of pure passion and frustration that sparked motivation – and wins. The team beat Cal Poly that night, went on to win their next eight games and gained national notoriety for the outburst-turned-tradition.
SportsCenter, USA Today, and just about every national sports outlet spotlighted the bizarre postgame celebration, and AEW team “The Outrunners” gave the team a pep talk prior to a game against South Dakota. UNO Chancellor Dr. Joanne Li even got in on the fun, jumping out of a trashcan with the AEW Championship belt after the team locked up the regular season title at Baxter Arena. It’s safe to say Coach Brown played a large, and unconventional, role in the Mavericks historic run this season.
Omaha is projected as a 16-seed, matching up with 1-seed Houston in Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology for ESPN. With Selection Sunday on March 16th, the situation is fluid. But, expect UNO to be on the 15 or 16 line for March Madness and trashcans to be on watch for the next couple of weeks.
