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Rachael Keating

Men's Basketball Welcomes Omaha and Denver

| By: WIU Athletic Communications

The final weekend of regular season play is set to take place at Western Hall.

The Opponents | Omaha / Denver
When | Thursday (Feb. 24), 6 p.m. CT / Saturday (Feb. 26), 2 p.m. CT
Where | Western Hall - Macomb, Ill.
Social media | Instagram + Twitter + Facebook + #TRADITIONofTOUGH

Matchup History: Thursday's game marks the 28th time that Western Illinois and Omaha have matched up in program history, with the Leathernecks holding a 12-15 record. These two teams faced one another back on Dec. 22 in Omaha with the Mavericks earning their first Summit League victory of the season, despite a combined 46 points from Trenton Massner and Will Carius. Tamell Pearson used his 6-10 frame to grab a season-high 14 rebounds as Western Illinois lost by just six points despite struggling to make shots and finishing with a field goal percentage below 35%.
 
Against the Denver Pioneers, Western holds a 7-12 all-time record – though the Leathernecks have won five of the last seven and are undefeated during the Rob Jeter era. The Leathernecks and Pioneers last played on Dec. 20, 2021, an 84-80 overtime road victory. Trenton Massner had a standout performance and finished with 31 points, nine rebounds, four assists, one block, and three steals, and would earn Summit League Player of the Week honors for his performance. Tamell Pearson finished with 11 points and eight rebounds, while George Dixon had seven points, five rebounds and four steals.

Scouting the Opponent: The Mavericks are currently 5-22 overall and 4-12 in league play, most recently defeating Denver on Feb. 17. Omaha has struggled away from home this season, going winless in 13 road games with each of the team's five victories coming at Baxter Arena in Omaha. Three players are averaging ten or more points per game, with Frankie Fidler (11.9) leading the charge followed by Felix Lemetti (10.5) and Nick Ferrarini (10.3).
 
Denver is 9-20 this season, holding a 5-11 record against Summit League opponents but struggling on the road at 2-12. The Pioneers most recently fell on the road to Omaha, 69-72, a game in which Omaha won at the final buzzer. KJ Hunt has been Denver's go-to guy this season, leading the team with 15.5 points per game while also averaging 4.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Hunt finished with 22 points, eight rebounds and two steals in the Dec. 20 matchup against Western Illinois.

Players to Watch: Western Illinois has three players in their final year of eligibility in Will Carius, Luka Barisic and George Dixon.
 
Currently sitting at 1,990 career points across nearly six seasons of collegiate basketball, Will Carius has been a key contributor for the Leathernecks since joining the program. A Second Team All-Summit League selection last season, Carius has twice tied the program record for consecutive three-pointers made (six) and has scored 20+ on 12 different occasions – including a 34-point outburst against North Dakota last season. This year, Carius is averaging 14.4 points per game and leads the team in three-point percentage (36%) while ranking second on the team in free-throw percentage (min. 40 attempts – 77.5%).
 
Luka Barisic has been a steady presence in the paint this season, playing and starting every single game and averaging 14.5 points and 5.8 rebounds. A former member of associate head coach Chad Boudreau's Highland Community College teams, Barisic played two seasons at UTSA before coming to Macomb. Among his numerous highlights from this season was hitting the game-winner on the road at Nebraska in the season opener, taking a pass from KJ Lee and nailing a shot from deep with six seconds left to bury the Cornhuskers. Barisic scored 16 points in Western's last game and will look to keep the momentum going this weekend.
 
The Leathernecks' go-to man off the bench this season, George Dixon has made 27 appearances and averages 16.4 minutes per appearance. A transfer from Eastern Illinois, Dixon is averaging 4.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting a team-best 56.9% from the field. He finished with eight points and nine rebounds in the aforementioned Nebraska game and had arguably his best performance of the season against South Dakota State on Jan. 22, when he finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds and two steals.

What's Next: After this weekend's games, Western Illinois men's basketball will travel to Sioux Falls, S.D. to participate in the Summit League Tournament, scheduled for March 5-8. Specific game information will be made available at a later date.
 
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