JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - For the second time in less than two weeks, UNF men's basketball goes up against long-time rival Kennesaw State, with the Ospreys playing on the road this time as North Florida goes for the season sweep against the Owls Saturday, Jan. 14 from the KSU Convocation Center.

Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. as UNF finishes off its current three-game road trip.

GAME DETAILS

• Date: Saturday, Jan. 14
• Time: 2 p.m.
• Location: Kennesaw, Ga.
• Opponent: Kennesaw State
• Watch: ESPN+
• Live Stats: statbroadcast.com

 
All-Time Series: UNF leads, 30-21

• North Florida is coming off an 89-86 win against KSU Jan. 5
• Jose Placer scored 32 on 10 three-pointers in the win
• UNF won the last meeting at KSU, 74-72, Feb. 12, 2022
• The last three meetings have been decided by one possession

An Osprey Win Would....

• Make UNF 31-21 all-time against the Owls
• Bring the Ospreys to 12-13 at Kennesaw State
• Give UNF three-straight wins at KSU and three-straight wins against Kennesaw State
• Bring UNF to its first road win in league play this year

PROJECTED UNF STARTING FIVE
G - Oscar Berry (4.7 PPG | 1.9 RPG | 0.7 APG)
G - Jarius Hicklen (13.1 PPG | 3.7 RPG | 3.1 APG)
G - Jose Placer (12.2 PPG | 2.4 RPG | 2.4 APG)
F - Carter Hendricksen (14.2 PPG | 6.4 RPG | 2.1 APG)
F - Jadyn Parker (6.7 PPG | 5.5 RPG | 0.8 APG)

LAST TIME OUT
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - After UNF and Jacksonville State traded runs and the lead for the majority of the game, North Florida men's basketball came up on the short end of the ledger in a 72-63 loss at Jacksonville State Thursday, Jan. 12.

LAST TIME VS. KENNESAW STATE
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - With less than two seconds on the clock, Jose Placer pulled up from over 30 feet to drain the game-winning three-pointer and his 10th trey of the night in UNF men's basketball's (7-8, 2-1 ASUN) dramatic 89-86 win against Kennesaw State (10-6, 2-1 ASUN) Thursday, Jan. 5.

COACH DRISCOLL ON TOMORROW'S GAME
"As we finish up our first Thursday to Saturday road swing, the ability to decompress and re-engage with a completely different set of personnel and schemes is dually important and challenging, especially on the road. We have been able to wash things out and reload effectively this season and Saturday is another opportunity to do that in this competitive league. KSU is entering this game as one of the top teams in the league and is riding a long home-winning streak. Like many of the teams in the ASUN, Kennesaw State works at limiting you with defense while being extremely efficient on offensive, presenting another high-level matchup." -- Head Coach Matthew Driscoll
 

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NORTH FLORIDA NOTES

PROTECT THE ROCK
UNF committed only three turnovers Thursday at Jacksonville State, the fewest turnovers the Ospreys have allowed since Jan. 14, 2014 against Jacksonville. 

AT HOME IN JAX
Carter Hendricksen loves to play in Jacksonville, something that rings true regardless of what state he is in. The fifth-year forward has scored 47 points over two games at Jacksonville State, including a 20-point performance on five three-pointers Thursday. He reeled in a team-best eight boards while notching his team-best ninth-straight double-digit scoring game.

ON THE ROAD
The last few weeks have been very busy for the Ospreys, with UNF already having played four games in the new year and six since Dec. 29. Despite having traveled all the way to Seattle, up to Pittsburgh and over to Houston, UNF's current three-game road stint is tied for the longest stretch of away games North Florida plays this year. The Ospreys have one more such stretch set for Jan. 26 to Feb. 2.
 

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SCOUTING KENNESAW STATE

• Kennesaw State brings in a 12-6 overall mark and 4-1 league record, standing tied for second in the league
• The Owls dispatched Jacksonville Thursday, leading wire-to-wire as KSU got a game-best 20 points from guard Terrell Burden
• KSU is on a nine-game home winning streak, tied for the 30th-longest active streak in the nation
• The Owls' 12-win tally is the earliest the team has reached that mark as a Division I program. 
• KSU's lone loss in league play came at the hands of the Ospreys Jan. 5.
• KSU uses its offense to try and create separation in games, leading the ASUN in league games in scoring (80.8 ppg) and field goal percentage (50.3%).
• Chris Youngblood took home preseason all-conference laurels. The sharpshooter is hitting 46.5 percent of his treys this season
• Demond Robinson and Brandon Stroud carry the load down low for the Owls, combining for 1.0 BPG, 11.9 RPG and 18.1 PPG

 

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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 182-16 when leading with five minutes to go on the clock.

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, 182-16 when leading with five minutes left, 86-8 when holding foes under 40 percent from the floor and 175-34 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
The Ospreys have played one of the toughest schedules in the nation, having 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 nine games being within three points with five minutes remaining. North Florida has seen such contests at Washington, Duquesne, High Point, SC State, Bethune-Cookman, Austin Peay, Stetson and Kennesaw 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 30 regular season games including 13 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, Bank of England Suite and John and Gerri Hayt Osprey Outlook as well as other aesthetic touch ups. 

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.