JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The North Florida men's basketball team has played 12 of its first 16 games on the road but will have a pair of big Atlantic Sun Conference home games this week as Belmont visits on Thursday, Jan. 14, and Lipscomb on Saturday, Jan. 16.
Both games are double-headers with the UNF women's team. The Belmont games tip off with the women at 5:30 p.m. and the men at 7:45 p.m., while the Lipscomb games start with the women at 4:30 p.m. and the men at 7 p.m.
Belmont enters the game at 9-7 overall and 4-2 in A-Sun play, while Lipscomb is 8-7 and 5-1 in league play. Lipscomb plays at Jacksonville on Thursday, Jan. 14.
Both men's games can be heard on AM 1320 WBOB and 103.7 FM in Jacksonville or on-line at 1320WBOB.com. The Lipscomb game will be on taped-delay and can be heard in its entirety starting at 9:30 p.m. All four games can also be seen live on www.ASun.TV.
The Ospreys are coming off two A-Sun road wins this past weekend that evened their overall record to 8-8 on the year and 3-3 in conference play. North Florida defeated Florida Gulf Coast 62-56 on Friday, Jan. 8, and Stetson 54-44 on Sunday, Jan. 10. UNF has now won seven out of its last eight games, a feat that has only been accomplished three times previously in the past 17 years of the program.
It was the first time since UNF moved to Division I in the 2005-06 season (four-plus years) that the Ospreys have won two A-Sun games on the road in a single season. Entering this season North Florida was 1-36 in conference road games, while the wins at FGCU and Stetson moved UNF to 2-2 in A-Sun road games this year. The two road wins this past weekend also equaled the Ospreys' total amount of road wins from the previous four years (2-58 entering this season).
“We are really excited to be home after our back to back road wins,” said North Florida head coach Matthew Driscoll. “We have large challenges ahead of us in Belmont and Lipscomb – two of the perennial top teams in the A-Sun. Our guys have approached every game with the same attitude of competing, executing, and being disciplined, which is how we will go into the Belmont game Thursday night. We are praying for a great crowd from the student body and community as well.”
Single-game pricing is $10 for adults and $8 for youth 17-and-under and senior citizens 55-and-older. Children 2-and-under and any current UNF student with a valid Osprey1 Card are admitted free. Student guest passes are $5 and limited to one per student. For more information or to purchase basketball season tickets call 904-620-BIRD (2473) or email ospreytickets@unf.edu.
