JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - For the second time this season, North Florida men's basketball plays a game in Pittsburgh as the Ospreys go up to the Steel City for a road test against the ACC's Pittsburgh Saturday, Dec. 17 at 1 p.m.

GAME DETAILS

• Date: Saturday, Dec. 17
• Time: 1 p.m.
• Location: Petersen Events Center | Pittsburgh, Pa.
• Opponent: Pittsburgh Panthers
• Watch: ACCN
• Live Stats: statbroadcast.com
• Radio: 93.7 The Fan

 
All-Time Series: Pitt leads, 2-0

An Osprey Win Saturday Would....

• Be UNF's first-ever win against an ACC opponent
• Be UNF's first win against a Power Five win since winning at Illinois Nov. 13, 2015
• Give UNF its third win against a Power Five team in program history
• Give UNF its first road win of the season

PROJECTED UNF STARTING FIVE
G - Oscar Berry (4.2 PPG | 2.2 RPG | 0.7 APG)
G - Jarius Hicklen (14.4 PPG | 3.4 RPG | 3.4 APG)
G - Jose Placer (10.7 PPG | 2.1 RPG | 2.4 APG)
F - Carter Hendricksen (13.8 PPG | 5.8 RPG | 1.4 APG)
F - Jadyn Parker (7.1 PPG | 5.4 RPG | 58.3 FG%)

LAST TIME OUT
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida men's basketball raced out to a 12-2 lead in less than three minutes and never looked back as the Ospreys cruised to a wire-to-wire win against Bethune-Cookman, 88-48, Saturday, Dec. 10.

UNF (3-6) never trailed, leading for over 39 minutes, using 15 three-pointers and suffocating defense to overturn B-CU (4-5). The Ospreys held Bethune-Cookman to an anemic 28.1 field goal percentage, while shooting 51.7 percent on their end.

COACH DRISCOLL ON TOMORROW'S GAME
"It was a great week of finals and practice leading into our last guarantee game of the 2022-23 season. This time of year is always full with the ebbs and flows from navigating papers, exams, projects all the while staying tuned in with your body, mind and spirit. Our experienced group has handled this period really well and is ready to go on the road to take on one of the hottest teams. Pitt has won six of its last seven games and has made almost 11 three-pointers per game during that stretch, providing us with another high-major challenge. Our ability to continue to compete, fight and believe will once again be on full display Saturday." -- Head Coach Matthew Driscoll

NORTH FLORIDA NOTES

BACK IN THE BURGH
UNF is playing its second road game in Pittsburgh this season after playing just miles from Pitt at Duquesne Nov. 21. Another connection to Pittsburgh for the Ospreys is head coach Matthew Driscoll, a Pittsburgh native who previously coached collegiately and at the high school level in Pittsburgh.

TELL-TALE STATS
UNF has established a few tell-tale stats that have given a hint of a positive outcome for the Ospreys during head coach Matthew Driscoll's tenure. UNF is 164-37 when leading at the half, 179-16 when leading with five minutes left, 85-8 when holding foes under 40 percent from the floor and 173-34 when shooting better than its opponent.

MARKSMAN
Jarius Hicklen carried over his scintillating shooting from last year into this season. The guard is 15th in the country for three-pointers made per game with 3.33. The Dallas, Texas, native has made at least four three-pointers on six occasions this season, while hitting a season-best five at High Point Dec. 3.

FAMILIAR NAME IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Carter Hendricksen continues to climb the UNF career record books this season. In the process, Hendricksen recently surpassed former teammate Ivan Gandia-Rosa in career points, moving into ninth all-time. Hendricksen has 1,264 points, five ahead of Gandia-Rosa. He is now 73 points behind another former teammate Wajid Aminu. Hendricksen also moved into sixth in three-pointers made, reaching 214, just two ahead of Gandia-Rosa.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
UNF ranks fifth in the nation for strength of schedule per ESPN. The Ospreys have already played No. 2 Gonzaga, Washington, Duquesne, No. 15 Kentucky, High Point and No. 1 Houston. 

DOWN TO THE WIRE
UNF has played its fair share of tight contests this season, with four games being within three points with five minutes remaining. North Florida has seen such contests at Washington, Duquesne, High Point and against South Carolina State.

SCOUTING PITTSBURGH

• Pitt comes into the game 7-4 and 1-0 in ACC play
• The Panthers are coming off a big win against Sacred Heart in which Pitt erupted in the second half
• Pitt has been tested against five Power Five opponents this season, going 2-3 against such teams. The Panthers have picked up wins against NC State and Northwestern, but have lost big against West Virginia and Michigan. Pittsburgh came up just one point short at Vanderbilt due to some late game free throws from the Commodores. 
• Pitt dropped a four-point decision to VCU at the Barclays Center Nov. 17. VCU would go on to lose to UNF's crosstown rival, JU, last week.
• Four players are averaging double-digit scoring this season. Blake Hinson has started all 11 games and is posting 16.4 per contest. Close behind him is Jamarius Burton at 15.1, Greg Elliott (11) and guard Nelly Cummings (10.9).
• Burton missed the game against Sacred Heart due to knee inflammation
• Pitt is out-rebounding teams, 39.9 to 34
• The Panthers went 11-21 and 6-14 in ACC play last year. The team returns six letterwinners and three starters from that team
• Head coach Jeff Capel is in his fourth season. He's a 1997 graduate of Duke and has logged 12 seasons as a head coach.
• Pitt was tabbed 14th of 15 teams in the ACC Preseason Poll, while not receiving any student-athletes on the preseason all-conference teams

OTHER NOTES

FROM THE JUMP
UNF has won the tip-off in all nine games this season. The Ospreys have done so 231 times in head coach Matthew Driscoll's career, bringing the Ospreys to a 118-113 mark in such games. North Florida has scored in its first possession on five of eight occasions this year, while taking the first field goal in all eight. The Ospreys scored in just five seconds at High Point last Saturday.

LEADING LATE
UNF has fared very well under head coach Matthew Driscoll when possessing a lead with under five minutes to go in the game. Under Driscoll, North Florida is 179-16 when leading with five minutes to go on the clock.

STREAKING
Jadyn Parker has the longest active games started streak on the North Florida roster, having started 26 consecutive games dating back to last season. Jarius Hicklen has his own streak going, having hit at least one three-pointer in 26-straight games.

KEEPING IT 100
Jarius Hicklen hit four three-pointers at No. 15/13 Kentucky Nov. 23, becoming the latest Osprey to surpass 100-career three-pointers at UNF. Hicklen reached that milestone in only 35 games at North Florida. Jose Placer also reached 100-career three-pointers at North Florida, doing so at Duquesne Nov. 21. 

1,000 CLUB 
Not only did Jarius Hicklen and Jose Placer reach 100 three-pointers for their UNF career this season, but they're both primed to join the 1,000-point club. Hicklen did so Nov. 29, while Jose Placer is 47 points from reaching 1,000 for his career. Carter Hendricksen broke the top 10 list in career points earlier this season. He reached 1,000-career points at FGCU last January.

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.