Sioux Falls, S.D. — Omaha men’s basketball opened the 2025-26 campaign with a neutral-site 85-77 loss against Murray State in the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon.
The Mavericks led 11-4 early and 31-29 with 1:12 left in the first half, their last lead of the game.
Murray State led 34-31 at the half and used a 10-2 run in the first four minutes of the second half to build an advantage they would not relinquish.
It was a homecoming of sorts for first-year Murray State head coach Ryan Miller.
Miller, a Mitchell, South Dakota, native and former Creighton assistant coach for the previous four seasons, felt gratitude after the win.
“Being able to come back in front of friends and family in a career that has been long invested, whether as a player or coach and all the people that has helped me along the way,” Miller said. “All the people that have helped me along the way, the many coaches I’ve worked for, the people, friends, and family that helped me get to the point today, them being in the gym is pretty special.”
Murray State Coach Ryan Miller coaches in his first game as head coach of the Racers in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Nov. 3, 2025
Photo Credit: Mike Sautter
The Miller family is synonymous with basketball in South Dakota. Mason, now a starter for the Racers, chipped in 12 points, all coming from behind the three-point line (4-of-9).
“Things come full circle a little bit,” Ryan Miller Said. “Growing up in Mitchell, South Dakota, where for us basketball is life, my parents threw a basketball in our hands when I was an infant, so it’s been a huge part of our life.
“The places it’s taken us have been phenomenal. Obviously, from a town of 13,000 and being able to have the opportunities that people have allowed us to have and the doors that have opened through that, the people that we’ve been able to work with and learn from in the game of basketball are pretty extraordinary.”
The slow offensive and hot shooting start didn’t help the Mavs stay within striking distance. Omaha had just six points on 2-of-11 from the field in the first 7:06 of the second half.
“That 9-0 run right before the media (timeout), they almost blasted us in four minutes with nine points and I think we only had two. It was a 10-point swing right there,” Omaha head coach Chris Crutchfield said. “We have to be a lot more disciplined. We have to understand shot selection, and we have to make sure we don’t turn the ball over. We shot a good percentage tonight.”
Turnovers were also a bugaboo for Crutchfield, particularly in the second half.
“I was really unpleased with the turnovers at halftime,” Crutchfield said. “We had 11 at halftime and were only down three. I really felt like we played a good ball game. We shot the ball well. We didn’t get enough 3s up tonight. We only shot 12; we should’ve got up 20 to 30. I thought we lost our way for about 5-7 minutes on both ends of the floor. Offensively and defensively, it wasn’t very disciplined. We can’t turn it over 17 times. I like our fight, I like the way we competed down the stretch. There are some positive things we can get out of this game.”
One of the positives was learning how Omaha senior and preseason Summit League first-team selection Tony Osburn would handle being the primary ball handler and focus of the opponent’s defense. The Racers’ defense hounded Osburn all game.
“We will get him off the ball. They faceguarded, locked him,” Crutchfield said of Osburn. “They locked him the whole game, so we have to do a better job of trying to figure out how to move him without the ball and maybe become a screener or ghost screener.”
Osburn joined Lance Waddles and Khamani Cooper with a 13 points to lead the way. Waddles also recorded his second career double-double with 10 rebounds. Brock Scholl, a true freshman from Skutt Catholic, made a major contribution off the bench, scoring 11 points and grabbing seven rebounds in 25 minutes.
The Mavs will return to the court on Thursday at Abilene Christian.
