Game Preview: Men’s Basketball Hosts Atlantis in Non-Conference Finale

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida men's basketball plays in its final tune-up before ASUN play as the Ospreys welcome Atlantis to the UNF Arena Thursday, Dec. 29 in an exhibition game against the Atlanteans. Due to the NCAA's countable opponent requirements, tomorrow's game does not count towards UNF or Atlantis' record or statistical totals for the year.

GAME DETAILS
Date: Thursday, Dec. 29
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: UNF Arena
Opponent: Atlantis
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: www.unfospreys.com/sidearmstats/mbball

All-Time Series: First-ever meeting

An Osprey Win Would....

See UNF as the winner in every contest on the CSI Companies Court
Make UNF 1-0 in exhibitions this season

PROJECTED UNF STARTING FIVE
G - Oscar Berry (5.3 PPG | 2.4 RPG | 0.7 APG)
G - Jarius Hicklen (14.3 PPG | 3.7 RPG | 3.3 APG)
G - Jose Placer (11.2 PPG | 1.9 RPG | 2.8 APG)
F - Carter Hendricksen (14.1 PPG | 6.1 RPG | 1.7 APG)
F - Jadyn Parker (7.1 PPG | 5.9 RPG | 1.3 BPG)

LAST TIME OUT
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Thanks to a career-best 23 points from Oscar Berry, clutch free throws down the stretch and four total Ospreys with double-digit points, North Florida men's basketball fought off Bethune-Cookman, 87-85, in Daytona Beach Thursday, Dec. 22.

COACH DRISCOLL ON TOMORROW'S GAME
"It seems like yesterday that we left for our trip Northwest and now we are preparing for our last game in non-conference play. These games in particular can be tricky due to the timing of the holiday break and ASUN competition on the horizon. But, our team came back extremely focused and on point, which is a great sign from our experienced group." -- Head Coach Matthew Driscoll

NORTH FLORIDA NOTES

BERRY BREAKS OUT
Oscar Berry hit six three-pointers and poured in a career-best 23 points during the road win at Bethune-Cookman Dec. 22. It was UNF's first road win since winning at Stetson in the 2022 regular season finale. It was also UNF's first non-conference road win since defeating Southern Miss in Hattiesburg in 2019. Berry's six treys was the most by an Osprey in a single game this year.

FIND YOUR TEAMMATES
The Ospreys also set a season high for assists in the 39-point win against Davis & Elkins this past Monday. UNF dished out 25 dimes, tied for the seventh-most helpers in a single game in North Florida single game history.

HOME STREAK
UNF has won all four home games this season and is currently on a six-game home winning streak dating all the way back to Feb. 15 of 2022 against Bellarmine. UNF is averaging 88.8 points per game at the UNF Arena this year and shooting a scorching 51.8 percent from the floor. Opponents are being held to just 57.3 points per game in four games at home this year.

SCOUTING ATLANTIS

Atlantis is 10-5 and 2-2 in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association
Atlantis is a private for-profit university based out of Miami that focuses on the trades and tech careers
Atlantis is currently listed as one of the universities not countable per NCAA requirements
The Atlanteans last game was Dec. 20 against the Apprentice School, a 13-point loss
Atlantis has played a like opponent in Trinity Baptist, having defeated the Eagles by six back in November.
Handling the head coaching duties is Antwann Anderson, a collegiate letterwinner at Central Connecticut State
Kevin Hopkins Jr. and Jordan Burrow pace the Atlanteans as the two averaging double-digit points
Hopkins also paces the team with 6.1 rebounds per game
Atlantis is averaging 79.6 points per game, while permitting 71.5

OTHER NOTES

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 181-16 when leading with five minutes to go on the clock.

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 9 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.

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 166-37 when leading at the half, 181-16 when leading with five minutes left, 86-8 when holding foes under 40 percent from the floor and 174-34 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 surpassed 1,300 points and also ranks sixth in three-pointers made.

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.

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 seven first-time opponents in Gonzaga, Washington, South Carolina State, Houston, Duquesne, Davis & Elkins and Atlantis.
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.

Game Preview: Men’s Basketball Hosts Atlantis in Non-Conference Finale

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Players Mentioned

Jonathan Aybar

Oscar Berry

Carter Hendricksen

Jarius Hicklen

Dorian James

Jadyn Parker

Jose Placer

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Game Preview: Men’s Basketball Hosts Atlantis in Non-Conference Finale

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jonathan Aybar

Oscar Berry

Carter Hendricksen

Jarius Hicklen

Dorian James

Jadyn Parker

Jose Placer

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