JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Just over 48 hours since taking on Pittsburgh on the road, North Florida men's basketball continues a busy second half of December by hosting Davis & Elkins Monday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. from the UNF Arena.

Details on the game day experience and other UNF Arena upgrades can be found by clicking the link here or referring to the series of links at the start of this article.

GAME DETAILS
Date: Monday, Dec. 19 at 1 p.m.
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Jacksonville, Fla. | UNF Arena
Opponent: Davis & Elkins
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: www.unfospreys.com/sidearmstats/mbball
 
All-Time Series: First-ever meeting

An Osprey Win Saturday Would....

• Make UNF 4-0 at home this season
• Make UNF 121-50 at home under head coach Matthew Driscoll
• Give UNF its first win on a Monday night this year

PROJECTED UNF STARTING FIVE
G - Oscar Berry (3.8 PPG | 2.1 RPG | 0.7 APG)
G - Jarius Hicklen (14.5 PPG | 3.6 RPG | 3.4 APG)
G - Jose Placer (10.8 PPG | 2.1 RPG | 2.4 APG)
F - Carter Hendricksen (13.6 PPG | 6.0 RPG | 1.3 APG)
F - Jonathan Aybar (7.2 PPG | 2.9 RPG | 1.0 APG)

LAST TIME OUT
PITTSBURGH - North Florida men's basketball wrapped up its second trip to the Steel City on the season, dropping a road affair against the Panthers of the ACC. Jarius Hicklen, Carter Hendricksen and Jose Placer all tallied double-digit scoring efforts Saturday.

COACH DRISCOLL ON TOMORROW'S GAME
"It's great to return to the warmth of the UNF Arena! After a week of finals and travel we are extremely grateful to finish out the non-conference slate in the state of Florida, preparing us for what looks like the most balanced and competitive ASUN schedule since arriving at UNF in 2009-10. We need to seize these next opportunities to have momentum leading into ASUN regular season play. Davis & Elkins has a very explosive and aggressive team that is looking to capitalize from three-point range and attack the rim off the bounce, averaging around 20 free throws attempted per game." -- Head Coach Matthew Driscoll
 

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NORTH FLORIDA NOTES

CARTER 3,000
Carter Hendricksen became just the 10th Osprey in UNF history to surpass 3,000 minutes played after logging 29 minutes of action at Pittsburgh Saturday afternoon.

HOME  COOKING
North Florida plays game three of four home games during the month of December. The Ospreys are 3-0 at home this season, having outscored opponents 250-163 in those wins. North Florida has scored at least 88 points on two occasions and has won by at least 40 twice. North Florida is 120-50 at home under head coach Matthew Driscoll.

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.

WON'T BACK DOWN
Jarius Hicklen hasn't backed down against some of the nation's best opponents on the season. Hicklen has averaged 15.7 points per game against the likes of Gonzaga, Washington, Duquesne, Kentucky, Houston and Pitt.

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 1,276 points, 17 ahead of Gandia-Rosa. He is now 61 points behind another former teammate Wajid Aminu. Hendricksen also moved into sixth in three-pointers made, reaching 216, just four ahead of Gandia-Rosa.

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

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.
 

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SCOUTING DAVIS & ELKINS

• Davis & Elkins plays in the Mountain East Conference at the NCAA Division II level
• The Senators are 9-4 overall and 3-4 in conference play
• D&E is coming off of back-to-back wins at the Embry-Riddle Holiday Classic in Daytona Beach, Fla.
• The Senators knocked off a streaking Thomas Nighthawks squad Dec. 17, winning 95-84 behind 11-for-19 shooting from beyond the arc and 27 points from Sam Rolle IV
• Daniel Mondragon is in his fourth season as the head coach at Davis & Elkins. Mondragon is a graduate of Embry-Riddle in Daytona Beach
• Davis & Elkins went 8-21 a year ago
• The Senators are paced by Rolle IV's 18 points per game and 34.1 minutes per game effort
• Opponents are tallying similar team numbers to what D&E is posting each game, with the margins in rebounds per game, turnovers per game, assists per game and three-pointers per game not varying more than a few points in either direction
• Claren Pierre is their team's rim protector, having posted 23 of the team's 41 blocks

 

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OTHER NOTES

FROM THE JUMP
UNF has won the tip-off in all 10 games this season. The Ospreys have done so 232 times in head coach Matthew Driscoll's career, bringing the Ospreys to a 118-114 mark in such games. North Florida has scored in its first possession on five of 10 occasions this year. 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.

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 35 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.