PROBABLE OSPREY STARTERS
G -
Jose Placer (10.6 PPG | 1.9 RPG | 3.8 APG)
G -
Emmanuel Adedoyin (9.0 PPG | 2.7 RPG | 4.0 APG)
F -
Dorian James (8.3 PPG | 5.7 RPG | 2.0 APG)
F -
Josh Endicott (8.8 PPG | 6.8 RPG)
F -
Jonathan Aybar (6.7 PPG | 5.0 RPG | 0.9 BPG)
JACKSONVILLE - Following a span of seven on nine games played on the road, North Florida men's basketball returns home Saturday against in-state foe FIU at 5 p.m. Ospreys will close out 2020 with three of their final four contests in UNF Arena.
1. REWIND
North Florida and East Carolina battled back-and-forth to the final minute before the Pirates escaped with the 73-67 win in Greenville, N.C. Senior
Ryan Burkhardt scored a career high 15 points (5 3PM) to lead the offensive output with
Emmanuel Adedoyin chipping in 11. Jonathan Ayber narrowly missed a double-double tallying 9 points and 9 rebounds.
2. #BIRDSofTREY
With 391 3PM last season, UNF led the nation from beyond the arc for the second time in program history (2016 was the other season) | The Ospreys posted double digit 3PM in 13 games and averaged a nation's best 11.8 threes per game | This season, North Florida owns double digit 3PM outputs in 4 of 7 contests including a season high 15 versus FAU | All 12 players that have played this season have attempted a trey with 11 different players making one
3. ON EQUAL FOOTING
North Florida faces its fourth mid-major foe of the season having dropped games with Eastern Kentucky, High Point and FAU earlier this year | Ospreys are 42-25 (63.6%) versus non-conference D1 mid-majors during Coach
Matthew Driscoll's 12-year tenure
4. PRESEASON PICKING
The league's coach's poll and media poll both tabbed the Ospreys to finish 4th in the conference | North Florida junior
Carter Hendricksen was a unanimous choice for preseason All-Conference after finishing his sophomore campaign ranked amond the league leaders in scoring and rebounding
5. LOOKING BACK AT LAST TIME
The last time the Ospreys and Panthers met on the hardwood was Dec. 13, 2018 in Miami with FIU posting a 102-89 win | North Florida placed four starters in double figures led by a career high 28 points (5 3PM) effort from
JT Escobar and a double-double outing for
Noah Horchler (16 pts/10 rebs) |
Ivan Gandia-Rosa dished out 9 assists in the contest while
Wajid Aminu narrowly missed his own double-double performance finishing with 15 pts/9 rebs | FIU had five players reach double digits paced by a game high 29 for Brian Beard, Jr. | In a rare instance that season, FIU outshot the #BirdsofTrey from long distance making 9 treys compared to 6 for the Ospreys
SCOUTING FIU
- FIU brings a perfect 4-0 mark into the clash following a 74-70 win over Jacksonville State on Dec. 4
- Saturday's game marks the first road contest for the Panthers of the season
- Antonio Daye, Jr. tops the squad in scoring at 21.0 PPG and assists (6.0 APG) while Radshad Davis follows with 14.3 PPG and a team best 7.5 RPG
- FIU is led by third-year head coach Jeremy Ballard | Ballard has guided the Panthers to back-to-back winning seasons including 20 wins in his inaugural year | He owns a career record of 43-27 at FIU
UP NEXT
The Ospreys travel to Gainesville to meet the Florida Gators on Wednesday (Dec. 16) in the team's final non-conference road tilt. Following the game with UF, North Florida closes its non-conference ledger and the 2020 calendar with a pair of home games against Flagler (Dec. 19) and Edward Waters (Dec. 21).
FOLLOW THE ACTION: Stay connected with the Ospreys all season long by following
@OspreyMBB and
@UNFOspreys on Twitter for all of the latest UNF men's basketball updates. Be sure to use the hashtag #SWOOPLife and #BirdsofTrey
