JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida men's basketball comes back home for the first of four home games during the month of December as the Ospreys host Bethune-Cookman Saturday, Dec. 10 at 2 p.m.

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: Saturday, Dec. 10
• Time: 2 p.m.
• Location: UNF Arena | Jacksonville, Fla.
• Opponent: Bethune-Cookman
• Watch: ESPN+
• Live Stats: unfospreys.com/sidearmstats/mbball
• Family Day

All-Time Series: UNF leads, 4-0

An Osprey Win Saturday Would....

• Make UNF 5-0 against Bethune-Cookman and 3-0 against the Wildcats at home
• Bring UNF to 3-0 at home on the season
• Make UNF 120-50 at home under head coach Matthew Driscoll

PROJECTED UNF STARTING FIVE
G - Oscar Berry (3.4 PPG | 1.8 RPG | 0.5 APG)
G - Jarius Hicklen (14.4 PPG | 3.3 RPG | 3.4 APG)
G - Jose Placer (10.1 PPG | 2.0 RPG | 2.3 APG)
F - Carter Hendricksen (13.6 PPG | 6.3 RPG | 1.1 APG)
F - Jadyn Parker (7.3 PPG | 5.3 RPG | 62.8 FG%)

LAST TIME OUT
HOUSTON - North Florida men's basketball continued its stretch of non-conference tests, doing so in one of the biggest ways as the Ospreys dropped a road game at No. 1 Houston (9-0) Tuesday, Dec. 6. It was UNF's third game against a ranked team on the year and its first game against the nation's top-ranked team since playing at No. 1 Florida in November of 2006.

UNF (2-6) has now played No. 2 Gonzaga, No. 15 Kentucky and No. 3 Houston in less than a month. Gonzaga, Houston and Kentucky were ranked second, third and fourth respectively in the preseason AP and USA Today Coaches Poll.

COACH DRISCOLL ON TOMORROW'S GAME
"We're very excited to be back at the UNF Arena to play in front of our loyal student section and supporters. Combined with our new bells and whistles at the arena, the game day experience has really been enhanced at the Nest. We have been through a lot of ebbs and flows over non-conference play. However, when we have been at our best is when we have been clicking on both sides of the ball. Bethune-Cookman will present our next challenge tomorrow, bringing plenty of length, athleticism and shooting." -- Head Coach Matthew Driscoll
 

---

NORTH FLORIDA NOTES

MILESTONE MARKS
UNF played its 400th game in the UNF Arena Nov. 29 at Trinity Baptist. The Ospreys just played their 900th game as a men's basketball program at Houston Tuesday, Dec. 6. UNF is 233-167 all-time at the UNF Arena, with 119 of those wins coming under head coach Matthew Driscoll.

BACK-AND-FORTH WITH BETHUNE-COOKMAN
UNF is 4-0 all-time against Bethune-Cookman, although each game has finished with a single-digit margin in score. North Florida took on Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach back in 2014, the last meeting between these two teams.

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 178-16 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 25 consecutive games dating back to last season. Jarius Hicklen has his own streak going, having hit at least one three-pointer in 25-straight games.

FAMILIAR NAME IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Carter Hendricksen continues to climb the UNF career record books this season. In the process, Hendricksen is nearing former teammate, Ivan Gandia-Rosa, on a few of those lists. Hendricksen currently ranks just 10 points shy of Gandia-Rosa's 1,259 points mark. He is also just one three-pointer made from tying Gandia-Rosa for sixth in UNF's history with 212.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
UNF ranks second 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. The Ospreys are still slated to take on another Power Five team in Pittsburgh on the road Saturday, Dec. 17.

BOARD BY BOARD
Carter Hendricksen posted his eighth-career double-double with 22 points and 11 boards at High Point last Saturday. Hendricksen is just one rebound shy of reaching 600 for his career as he aims to become just the sixth Osprey to reach that milestone.

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.

FROM THE JUMP
UNF has won the tip-off in all eight games this season. The Ospreys have done so 230 times in head coach Matthew Driscoll's career, bringing the Ospreys to a 117-113 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.
 

---

SCOUTING BETHUNE-COOKMAN

• Bethune-Cookman enters play Saturday with a 4-4 record
• The Wildcats last took the court Dec. 1, posting a 13-point win against Chicago State
• Bethune-Cookman is 3-0 at home and 0-3 on the road this year, having suffered road losses at Iowa, Indiana and Charleston Southern
• B-CU went 9-21 and 7-11 in league play a year ago during its second season in the SWAC
• The Wildcats like to play a physical game, having committed 14.4 fouls per game, the 35th most in the nation
• Bethune-Cookman doesn't take a lot of three-pointers, but when the Wildcats do, they have done well. As a team, Bethune-Cookman is shooting 38.5 percent from beyond the arc.
• Marcus Garrett already tallied a triple-double this season, doing so with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Trinity Baptist
• Damani McEntire is a defensive asset for B-CU, leading the SWAC in steals and steals/game
• Kevin Davis, Zion Harmon and Garrett are all averaging double-digit points this season
• Harmon enters as one of the most well-known names on the squad, having transferred in from Western Kentucky after having a highly-lauded high school career
• Another very notable name is head coach Reggie Theus. Theus is in his second season in Daytona Beach and ninth as a Division I head coach. He is most notably known for his hall of fame career at UNLV that preceded a 13-year career in the NBA.

---

OTHER NOTES

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 68 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.