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Rachael Keating

Men's Basketball Heads to Omaha

| By: WIU Athletic Communications

Two days after defeating Denver in overtime, WIU will play their second-straight road game to start league play.

Who | Western Illinois (10-2, 1-0) at Omaha (1-11, 0-1)
When | Wednesday (Dec. 22), 7 p.m.
Where | Baxter Arena – Omaha, Neb.
Social media | Instagram + Twitter + Facebook + #TRADITIONofTOUGH

Matchup history: WIU and Omaha have played 26 times in program history, a series that dates back to Dec. 28, 1955, which the Leathernecks won 89-65 on the road. The Leathernecks swept last season's series, winning 85-77 and 75-73 in back-to-back road games. Will Carius averaged 21.5 points per game in those two games, shooting 15-16 from the line as Western ended an eight-game losing streak that dated back to the 2017 season.

Scouting the opponent: The Mavericks are currently 1-11 and in the midst of an 11-game losing streak. The team's only victory was in Omaha on Nov. 9, winning 67-57 over Hastings, though some of the losses have come against successful Power Five teams such as Kansas State, Texas Tech and no. 3 Purdue. Nick Ferrarini leads Omaha in scoring at 10.1 per game, and Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler is leading the rebounding effort at 4.8 per game.

Players to watch: In year two as a Leatherneck, Will Carius has built off the success of his first season and is currently the team's scoring leader at 17.6 points per game. A graduate student from Bettendorf, Iowa, Carius is shooting 46% from the field and 47.3% from deep. Carius has scored 20 or more points in three of his last four games and averaged 21.5 points per game last season in two victories over the Mavericks.  
 
Trenton Massner is coming off arguably his best game as a collegiate basketball player. In 45 minutes of action, he scored 31 points (10-20 shooting) to go with nine rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block. In his first season as a Leatherneck, Massner currently ranks second on the team in scoring at 15.1 per game and is tied with Will Carius for the team lead in minutes played (32.8). Against Denver on Monday, Massner surpassed 1,000 career points in his collegiate basketball career. Massner played one season at Southeastern Community College in Iowa, and two seasons at Northwestern State in Louisiana prior to joining the program.
 
George Dixon is also nearing a milestone achievement, grabbing his 999th career rebound against the Pioneers. Should the senior from Milwaukee, Wis., grab a single rebound against Omaha, he will have officially grabbed 1,000 rebounds across his collegiate career.

What's next: The Leathernecks will stay on the road for the next game, facing the Iowa Hawkeyes the team's final non-league matchup of the season. Tip-off in Iowa City is scheduled for 7:01 p.m. next Wednesday (Dec. 29). 
 
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