Omaha basketball will be headed to their first-ever Division 1 NCAA Tournament after knocking off Saint Thomas in the Summit Tournament final.
General Information:
Team: Omaha
Location: Omaha, Nebraska
Record: 21-12 (13-3)
Head Coach: Chris Crutchfield (3rd season, all at Omaha*)
What to know about Omaha basketball:
After a 15-18 season last year, Omaha was picked to finish 8th of nine teams in the preseason poll. They completely flipped the script, going 21-12 and 13-3 in conference play. They were led by Summit League player of the year, Marquel Sutton, who averaged 19.1 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game. In the final against Saint Thomas, he scored 22 points and grabbed an eye-popping 18 boards.
This team scores at a high level, especially from deep, which makes this team dangerous. They shot 36.7% from three, 45th in the country. This team also draws fouls, shooting an average of 21 free throws a game.
They do struggle with forcing turnovers, 311th least in the country. Luckily, they don’t turn the ball over much themselves.
Most importantly, they have the best tradition in college basketball, beating up a trash can after every win. It’s quickly gained a ton of social media love, and for good reason. There’s no doubt they’ll make an appearance on one shining moment, especially if they pull up the upset.
https://x.com/OmahaMBB/status/1898579203479785934
NCAA Tournament prediction for Omaha basketball: Round of 64 Exit
Actual seed: 15
Omaha got a 15 seed but got one of the hottest teams and best stories in college basketball in St. John’s. You could argue that might be the worst draw for any 15 seed given how the Red Storm have been playing and Rick Pitino’s coaching.
They would need everyone to hit threes and Sutton to have a game like he did against Saint Thomas. It’s doable, but the two seeds are really strong this season. Omaha played one tournament team this season, Iowa State, and lost 51-83. Still, this is one of the better stories in college basketball, and a team to root for first weekend.