HOOP SCOOP: Ospreys Return Home for Saturday Clash with Austin Peay

JACKSONVILLE -- North Florida makes its home return Saturday when the Ospreys welcome future ASUN foe Austin Peay for a 2 p.m. tipoff. The game is only the third at UNF Arena this season. The game sponsor will be Pepsi.

PROBABLE STARTERS

G - Jose Placer (10.5 PPG | 3.3 RPG | 2.7 APG)
G - Emmanuel Adedoyin (7.1 PPG | 1.6 RPG | 2.5 APG)
F - Carter Hendricksen (10.9 PPG | 4.5 RPG | 2.3 3PM/g)
F - Dorian James (5.0 PPG | 3.7 RPG | 1.3 APG)
F - Jadyn Parker (8.2 PPG | 4.5 RPG | 1.3 BPG)

HARDWOOD DRIBBLINGS

- Following a pair of tough road losses, North Florida returns to the friendly confines of UNF Arena with hopes of getting back to their winning ways as the Ospreys are undefeated (2-0) in their limited home appearances this year
- North Florida has been explosive in its first two home games this year with the squad reaching triple figures in both contests while making 37 three-pointers
- UNF is currently in a stretch of 10 consecutive games playing within the borders of the "Sunshine State" | Starting with Saturday's game vs Austin Peay, North Florida will close its non-conference slate with three of four contests at home
- Newcomer Jarius Hicklen netted 16 points at Florida marking his personal best as an Osprey | Jadyn Parker nearly collected his second double-double of the year vs UF, finishing with 12 pts/9 rebs
- Turnovers have been costly as the Ospreys have committed 20+ miscues in four games including each of their last two outings
- Osprey roster features a pair of double-digit scorers led by Carter Hendricksen at 10.9 PPG followed closely by Jose Placer at 10.5 PPG | UNF has six other players averaging between 5-8 PPG
- Hendricksen and Parker share the team lead in rebounding at 4.5 RPG with Parker also listed 5th in the ASUN for blocked shots at 1.3 BPG
- North Florida has seen 11 different players earn playing time this year | 10 of the 11 have scored and grabbed a rebound | Four players (Hendricksen, Placer, Emmanuel Adedoyin, Dorian James) have started every game this season
- North Florida (AKA: "Birds of Trey") have connected on 105 three-pointers this year (17th in NCAA) | Ospreys led the nation for 3PM in 2020 and 2016, ranked 14th in the nation last season with 10.0 per game (229 3PM)
- Adedoyin is currently ranked 3rd in the ASUN with his three-point percentage of 55.0%
- Against Webber International in their home opener on Nov. 20, the Ospreys matched a program record with 21 three-pointers made (led by 8 for Emmanuel Adedoyin) and tied the program DI era mark with 30 assists
- The Texas Tech & Texas A&M games to tipoff the year marked the third time in program history that the Ospreys have started a season with back-to-back games on consecutive nights in different locations | 2017-18 opened with games at Michigan State & Michigan | 2010-11 began with games at Florida State & Pittsburgh
- North Florida amassed 5,854 miles of air travel in their season-opening trek and played games in three different time zones (Central, Mountain, Pacific)

2020 REWIND
- UNF finished 8-15 last season (6-6 ASUN)
- Ospreys were picked to finish 7th of 12 teams in the ASUN preseason coaches poll | UNF has finished in Top 4 of the ASUN in each of the past eight seasons
- Nine players return for the Ospreys this season including four starters
- Five of UNF's top six scorers from last year return led by the duo of junior Carter Hendricksen (14.9 PPG) and redshirt-sophomore Jose Placer (14.5 PPG)
- Hendricksen, a preseason All-ASUN selection, was named All-ASUN (1st team) last year while Placer garnered All-ASUN (2nd team)
- Jonathan Aybar, who ranked second in the ASUN for blocked shots, earned ASUN All-Freshman accolades in 2020-21

MILESTONE WATCH
- Hendricksen needs 9 points to become the 18th player in program history with 1,000 points and is 10 rebounds shy of 500 (Would be only 10th player in program history with both)
- With 194 wins at UNF, Driscoll is just 6 victories shy of 200 and needs just one victory to move into a share of 3rd all-time in ASUN coaching history

SCOUTING REPORT | Austin Peay
- Austin Peay brings a 4-3 overall record into Saturday's tilt | Govs posted a 98-55 win over Milligan last Saturday but have been off for a week for fall semester exams
- Govs are 2-3 on the road this season
- APSU lineup features four players scoring in double figures led by Tariq Silver at 14.3 PPG | Caleb Stone-Carrawell averages 14.1 PPG and Elijah Hutchins-Everett boasts a near double-double at 13.0 PPG and 8.1 RPG
- Cameron Copeland, who averages 10.0 PPG, began his collegiate playing career at North Florida before playing at North Texas Junior College and College of Charleston
- Nate James, a former standout player at Duke, is in his first season at the helm of the Governors program | This is also James' first career season as a head coach
- SERIES NOTES: Saturday's clash marks the fourth all-time meeting between the Ospreys and Govs with Austin Peay owning a 2-1 advantage | The home team has been victorious in each of the previous match-ups | APSU claimed the last meeting 90-83 on Dec. 7, 2019 in Clarksville, Tenn.

DRISCOLL CONFIDENTIAL
"We are so excited to be back at UNF Arena with the opportunity of competing against Austin Peay, a team that will be joining the ASUN next year. We have endured a tremendous amount during this non-conference schedule and it has provided us with amazing strength and perseverance. Our guys continue to play with the confidence needed to compete in every game."
- Head coach Matthew Driscoll

UP NEXT
The Ospreys will have a week off from competition for fall semester exams before welcoming Trinity Baptist to UNF Arena next Saturday (Dec. 18) at 2 p.m.

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