JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida men's basketball continues its always challenging non-conference slate at No. 15/13 Kentucky in Rupp Arena as Carter Hendricksen makes the return to his home state Wednesday at 4 p.m.

GAME DETAILS

• Date: Wednesday, Nov. 23
• Time: 4 p.m.
• Location: Rupp Arena | Lexington, Ky.
• Opponent: #15/13 Kentucky
• Watch: SECN+ // ESPN+
• Live Stats: statbroadcast.com
• Listen: UK Sports Network Radio (TuneIn)

 
All-Time Series: Kentucky leads, 1-0

An Osprey Win Would....

• Be UNF's first win against an SEC opponent
• Be UNF's first win against a ranked foe
• Give UNF its first road win this season

PROJECTED UNF STARTING FIVE
G - Chaz Lanier (4.0 PPG | 3.5 RPG | 0.5 SPG)
G - Jarius Hicklen (15.3 PPG | 35.5 3PT FG | 3.5 APG)
G - Jose Placer (12.0 PPG | 2.5 RPG | 2.5 APG)
F - Carter Hendricksen (14.5 PPG | 6.3 RPG | 1.5 APG)
F - Jadyn Parker (8.0 PPG | 5.5 RPG | 0.8 BPG)

LAST TIME OUT
PITTSBURGH - Jarius Hicklen poured in 24 points and gave UNF the lead with 13 seconds to go, but Duquesne's Tevin Brewer sunk a floater with one second on the clock as North Florida men's basketball (1-3) was clipped in a back-and-forth heartbreaker, 83-82, by the Dukes (4-1) Monday, Nov. 21.

COACH DRISCOLL ON TOMORROW'S GAME
"As Jay-Z says, 'it's on to the next one', and in this case it's No. 15 Kentucky tomorrow. We'll wash up quickly from Monday's game, prepare today and play tomorrow, a sequence our guys are very accustomed to. Ironically, we played the Wildcats almost one year ago to the day. Our growth and resilience will once again be at the forefront of our minds leading into this early 4 p.m. tip-off." -- Head Coach Matthew Driscoll
 

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NORTH FLORIDA NOTES

KENTUCKY REPRISE
North Florida and Kentucky are meeting for the second time in the series history between the two teams … the first meeting came almost a year ago to the day as UNF took on the Wildcats in Rupp Arena Friday, Nov. 26, 2021, one day after Thanksgiving … Kentucky was ranked No. 10 in the country at the time as Jadyn Parker paced the Ospreys with 10 points.

100 THREE-POINTER CLUB
Jose Placer made a pair of three-pointers just seconds apart from each other Monday night at Duquesne, moving the prolific scorer into the one-hundred three-pointers made club for his UNF career ... Teammate Jarius Hicklen is just two treys away from adding his name to that list, doing so in less than 1,000 minutes played in the Navy and Gray ... Hendricksen is another current Osprey to have reached that milestone, earning his 200th three-pointer at Gonzaga to open the season.

PRESEASON STALWARTS
North Florida's 2022-23 schedule is filled with national powers, as it has been throughout head coach Matthew Driscoll's tenure at UNF … UNF is slated to play Houston in early December, pitting UNF against the No. 2 (Gonzaga), No. 3 (Houston) and No. 4 (Kentucky) teams in the country per the NCAA Division I Mens' Basketball AP Top 25 Preseason Poll … UNF already faced No. 2 Gonzaga in Spokane to open the season.

AGAINST THE SEC
North Florida is playing its 27th game against an SEC team tomorrow night … the Ospreys are facing Kentucky for the second time as UNF has gone up against nine different Southeastern Conference teams … UNF has faced Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Missouri, South Carolina and Texas A&M … Florida, Alabama and Auburn are the only SEC teams UNF has played more than twice.

HICKLEN WITH THE HOT HAND
Hicklen was on point Monday at Duquesne, scoring a season-high 24 points on 7-for-13 shooting, the most points by a UNF student-athlete this season … it was Hicklen's first 20-plus point effort on the season and his fifth in just over one season wearing the Navy and Gray … the sharpshooter is only 23 points short of 1,000 for his collegiate career.

HOMETOWN NAME
Fifth-year senior Carter Hendricksen is making his homecoming trip to Kentucky Wednesday ... The Mt. Sterling, Ky., native attended Lexington Christian Academy before heading down to UNF ... Hendricksen played last year in UNF's only game against Kentucky Nov. 26, scoring eight points in 29 minutes … Hendricksen's hometown is located only 35 miles drive from Lexington.

FULLY BOOKED
UNF is playing its third game in five days after having played against South Carolina State Saturday, Nov. 19 and at Duquesne Monday … the Ospreys are playing their first of two such stretches this season, with Dec. 31 to Jan. 5 serving as the other occasion … UNF is set to host Florida National and Austin Peay Dec. 29 and 31 respectively before going to Stetson Jan. 2.

CLIMBING THE RANKS
Hendricksen moved himself into tenth place in UNF's all-time points record book … he sits at 1,198 after passing Travis Wallace (1,196) … the versatile 6-7 Hendricksen also ranks ninth in rebounds (574), seventh in three-pointers (206) and seventh in free throw percentage (81.9).

SCOUTING #15/13 KENTUCKY

• Kentucky enters Wednesday ranked No. 15 in the AP poll and No. 13 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Wildcats dropped nine spots in the USA Today Coaches Poll and 11 in the Associated Press poll.
• The Wildcats came into the season ranked fourth in the AP poll and 13th in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
• Head coach John Calipari is in his 14th season leading the Wildcats, touting a 368-103 record. He is in his 31st season as a Division I head coach, having stops at UMass and Memphis prior to coming to Lexington.
• The Cats are coming off a 16-point loss to No. 2 Gonzaga up in Spokane Sunday evening. 
• Kentucky is riding a 22-game home winning streak into Wednesday's contest.
• Oscar Tshiebwe was business as usual in Sunday's loss, going for 20 points and 15 boards, the second such performance of his season and ninth during his Kentucky tenure.
• The Wildcats are 3-2 this season, having earned wins against Howard, South Carolina, Duquesne and Duquesne. 
• Kentucky came up just short against Michigan State in double-overtime during a neutral site meeting in Indianapolis Nov. 15.
• UK and UNF are playing the final game of the Kentucky Tribute Classic MTE, presented by Kentucky Tourism.
• Kentucky enters averaging 85.4 points per game, while surrendering 70.4. The Cats have converted nine three-pointers per 40 minutes, while permitting 6.6.
• UK has six players averaging double-digit points this season, including Tshiebwe (16), Antonio Reeves (13.2), Cason Wallace (12.6), CJ Fredrick (11.8), Jacob Toppin (11.4), Sahvir Wheeler (10.0).
• Tshiebwe is the reigning unanimous National Player of the Year and 2022 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year finalist. He joins Wheeler on the SEC's preseason first team all-league squad.

 

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OTHER NOTES

PRESEASON ALL-ASUN 

• Jose Placer and Carter Hendricksen were both tabbed to the All-ASUN Preseason team. 
• UNF joined Liberty as the only two teams in the ASUN Conference to have two honorees on the preseason squad.

RETURNING MINUTES AND POINTS

• After having one of the youngest teams in the nation last year, North Florida returns as a veteran team. 
• The Ospreys bring back 81 percent of their scoring and 74 percent of minutes played from last season. 
• All told, UNF has nine returners and four newcomers, with five of the nine returners being regular starters last season.

AWARDS AND HONORS IN 2021-22

• Jose Placer and Carter Hendricksen both took home ASUN All-Academic honors to close the 2022 season. For Hendricksen, it was his third-career honor. 
• Hendricksen also joined former teammate, Wajid Aminu, as a CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree a year ago. Despite battling injury during the 2021-22 season, Hendricksen still managed to average 12.2 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per contest, bringing him past 1,000-career points and 500-career rebounds.
• Shooting guard Jarius Hicklen put the ASUN on notice last year, averaging 12 points per game over 30 games and 15 starts. Initially not starting at the beginning of the 2021-22 season, Hicklen's consistency, combined with some injuries on the UNF roster, brought him into a starting role that he did not let go of. The Dallas, Texas native was named ASUN Newcomer of the Week and ASUN Player of the Week one time apiece last year. He started his collegiate career with two seasons of basketball at Division II Oklahoma Baptist before transferring to North Florida. 

LOOKING AT THE 2022-23 SEASON

• UNF is set to play 31 games including 14 at home. The Ospreys play a 13-game non-conference ledger, with 18 league games lined up as the ASUN expanded to 14 teams.
• The Ospreys will play six first-time opponents in Gonzaga, Washington, South Carolina State, Houston, Duquesne and Davis & Elkins. 
• UNF also has Pittsburgh and Kentucky on the schedule for this year, marking the second-straight year UNF has taken on Kentucky.

CSI COMPANIES COURT

• North Florida men's basketball practiced away from its home court for all of the summer and much of the preseason as the UNF Arena was undergoing renovations that included the construction of the new CSI Companies Court. UNF didn't practice in its home gym until Oct. 24 and instead practiced at the UNF Fieldhouse adjacent to the gym, or at the Florida State College of Jacksonville (community college) across the street from campus. 
• The CSI Companies Court features a gray and navy look, with the state of Florida and UNF banner logo donning the center of the floor. UNF's location in Jacksonville is emphasized with a star located on the floor, while Osprey talons mark the sidelines. 
• The UNF Arena was also renovated with brand new lighting and sound system, as well as other aesthetic touch ups. The Bank of England Hospitality Suite is also nearing completion, providing a premier experience for donors.

NOTABLE

• Head coach Matthew Driscoll picked up his 200th-career win last year. He is the winningest coach in program history. 
• UNF had arguably the best blocking trio in the league last year, with three student-athletes averaging at least 0.9 blocks/game. Jadyn Parker led the way with 1.6, Dorian James swatted 1.1 per game and Jonathan Aybar blocked 0.9 shots per contest. Parker set the UNF single game blocks record with nine last season at Stetson.
• No stranger to tough schedules, UNF opened the year last year with a stretch of games against Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Grand Canyon, Arizona State and UCLA before playing a home game. The Ospreys played one home game before going back on the road to take on Kentucky.