Men's Basketball Closes 2018 Against Second Straight Ranked Opponent

OPENING TIP – North Florida men's basketball returns to the hardwood Saturday on the road at No. 12 Auburn. The game marks the final non-conference road clash for UNF and is also the second straight game against a nationally-ranked opponent.

GAME DAY CENTRAL
WHAT: North Florida at #12 Auburn
WHERE: Auburn Arena (9,121)
WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 29 - 5:00 PM (ET)
THE SERIES: UNF trails 2-0
LAST MEETING: Nov. 11, 2016 | Auburn posted the 83-66 victory in the season opener of the 2016-17 campaign for both squads | Former UNF standout Romelo Banks tallied a double-double (16 pts/10 rebs) while Garrett Sams finished with 11 points and 6 rebounds in his collegiate debut | The Tigers saw four of five starters reach double digits paced by 19 from Bryce Brown | AU scorched the nets from long distance in the first half connecting on 10 treys

FOLLOWING THE ACTION
TV/WEB: SEC Network+ | WatchESPN app
LIVESTATS: AuburnTigers.com
TWITTER: @OspreyMBB

ABOUT NORTH FLORIDA (5-8 / 0-0 ASUN)
Roster | Schedule | Statistics | Game Notes

ABOUT AUBURN (10-2 / 0-0 SEC)
Roster | Schedule | Statistics

NOTEWORTHY
- North Florida and Auburn will meet for the 3rd time in program history with both previous match-ups also occuring in Auburn
- The Ospreys return to action after a 10-day layoff following their 95-81 loss at No. 11 Florida State on Dec. 19 | Auburn handed Murray State a 93-88 loss on Dec. 22 in their last outing
- The Tigers are undefeated (7-0) at home this year | UNF is searching for its second road "W" of the season (1-7)
- Against teams from the SEC, North Florida is 0-23 having met eight current members of the league including Florida earlier this season
- UNF is facing its second ranked opponent of the season and is 0-22 all-time versus AP Top 25 teams
- Against FSU, junior JT Escobar, a native of Tallahassee, finished with a near career high 27 points highlighted by a 6-for-6 performance from the 3pt arc
- UNF's next victory marks the 325th in the program's 27-year history

UP NEXT
North Florida closes out its non-conference slate on Wed., Jan. 2 by hosting Florida National in UNF Arena at 7 p.m. The Ospreys tip-off ASUN play next Saturday (Jan. 5) against league newcomer North Alabama in Jacksonville at 5 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Romelo Banks

Garrett Sams