GAME 7 PREVIEW: Men’s Basketball Heads to High Point

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida men's basketball begins the December slate with a road game against a tough non-conference foe in High Point Saturday, Dec. 3. Tomorrow's game marks the third meeting in four seasons between the two teams.

GAME DETAILS

Date: Saturday, Dec. 3
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: High Point, N.C. | Quebin Center
Opponent: High Point
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: highpointpanthers.com/sidearmstats/mbball

All-Time Series: Tied, 1-1

An Osprey Win Saturday Would....

Make UNF 2-1 in the series history
Give UNF its first road win of the season
Give UNF its first road win against High Point
Make UNF 1-0 in December on the season

PROJECTED UNF STARTING FIVE
G - Chaz Lanier (4.5 PPG | 3.0 RPG | 0.5 SPG)
G - Jarius Hicklen (14.3 PPG | 38.6 3PT FG | 3.5 APG)
G - Jose Placer (10.8 PPG | 2.3 RPG | 2.2 APG)
F - Carter Hendricksen (13.3 PPG | 6.0 RPG | 1.3 APG)
F - Jadyn Parker (6.7 PPG | 5.3 RPG | 1.2 BPG)

LAST TIME OUT
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida men's basketball had 10 student-athletes in the scoring column while shooting over 54 percent as a team in a rout of Trinity Baptist, 90-49, Tuesday, Nov. 29 from the UNF Arena. Also of note in the win was another statistical milestone for North Florida (2-4) guard, Jarius Hicklen, who surpassed 1,000-career points after registering eight points, six rebounds and six assists.

COACH DRISCOLL ON TOMORROW'S GAME
"We have another early season challenge on the road as we take on High Point, a team that would likely be an upper echelon opponent in the ASUN. High Point is playing really well on both sides of the ball through seven games this season and it'll be a good test for us as we have continued to elevate our game each day. High Point will force us to compete at the rim and beyond the arc on the defensive end, while testing our offensive efficiency with their pressure and length." -- Head Coach Matthew Driscoll

NORTH FLORIDA NOTES

TELL TALE STAT
UNF is 2-0 this season when holding foes below 40 percent shooting from the floor. Even more telling is the dominant mark during head coach Matthew Driscoll's tenure at North Florida. The Ospreys are 84-8 during Coach Driscoll's time at North Florida when holding opponents under 40 percent from the field.

NEW MINUTES
Jah Nze, Trent Coleman, Mark Flakus and Max Hrdlicka all played a season and career high for minutes in Tuesday's win. Nze posted 12 points, a career high, while Hrdlicka tallied eight points, a season and career best for him as well.

DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORERS
Carter Hendricksen, Jose Placer and Jarius Hicklen have all had steady starts to their seasons through six games. Each member of the trio is averaging double-digit points, with the three combining for 11 double-digit scoring performances this season.

1,000 CLUB
Not only did Hicklen and Placer reach 100 three-pointers for their UNF career, but they're both primed to join the 1,000-point club. Hicklen did so Tuesday against Trinity Baptist, while Jose Placer is less than 80 points from reaching the milestone.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
UNF ranks first in the nation for strength of schedule per the latest ESPN Basketball Power Index poll. The Ospreys have already played No. 2 Gonzaga, Washington, Duquesne and No. 15 Kentucky on the road this season. UNF is slated to play at No. 1 Houston Tuesday, Dec. 6.

SCOUTING HIGH POINT

High Point is having a strong start to its season, beginning the year 6-1
Most recently, the Panthers won by 14 against in-state foe Elon Wednesday
HPU is 4-0 at home and 2-0 in neutral site games after defeating Tennessee State and Central Michigan in the SoCal Challenge
High Point's lone loss came to UNLV in Las Vegas, Nev., Nov. 18. The Panthers dropped that game to the Rebels by 10
Jaden House has the hot hand so far, posting 21 points on 49.5 shooting through seven contests
Abdoulaye and Zack Austin are the two top shooters from deep, having posted 19 three-pointers and 16 three-pointers respectively
Bryant Randleman has done the distributing, leading the team in assists at 3.7 per game
High Point has went with the same starting five in six of seven games
Head Coach G.G. Smith is in his first full season at the helm for the Panthers. He took over midyear last season. He was the head coach at Loyola Maryland for five seasons
High Point paces the Big South in turnovers/game, three-pointers per game and three-point percentage
High Point went 14-18 a year ago 7-9

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.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jonathan Aybar

Trent Coleman

Mark Flakus

Carter Hendricksen

Jarius Hicklen

Max Hrdlicka

Dorian James

Chaz Lanier

Jah Nze

Jadyn Parker

Jose Placer

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