Game 19 Preview: Men’s Basketball Hosts Queens, ASUN Newcomer

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida men's basketball returns from a three-game road stint to host ASUN newcomer Queens at 7 p.m. from the UNF Arena. The Ospreys and Royals are meeting for the first time since the 90s and the first time as ASUN foes.

GAME DETAILS

Date: Thursday, Jan. 19
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: UNF Arena
Opponent: Queens
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: www.unfospreys.com/sidearmstats/mbball

All-Time Series: Series tied, 1-1

UNF and Queens are meeting for the first time as Division I foes and ASUN foes
The last meeting between UNF and Queens was Jan. 8, 1996
UNF is 1-0 against Queens at home, posting a 26-point win Nov. 27, 1993 against the Royals

An Osprey Win Would....

Bring UNF to a nine-game home winning streak dating back to last season
Keep UNF undefeated at home this season
Make UNF 2-1 against Queens

PROJECTED UNF STARTING FIVE
G - Oscar Berry (4.9 PPG | 1.9 RPG | 0.7 APG)
G - Jarius Hicklen (12.7 | 3.5 RPG | 3.1 APG)
G - Jose Placer (12.2 PPG | 2.4 RPG | 2.3 APG)
F - Carter Hendricksen (14.5 PPG | 6.2 RPG | 2.1 APG)
F - Jadyn Parker (6.4 PPG | 5.2 RPG | 1.5 BPG)

LAST TIME OUT
KENNESAW, Ga. - North Florida men's basketball held an eight-point lead at the intermission, but a high octane Kennesaw State team managed to take the lead in the second half as the Ospreys (7-11, 2-4 ASUN) split the season series with the Owls (13-6, 5-1 ASUN) following an 86-72 loss at KSU Saturday, Jan. 14.

LAST TIME VS. QUEENS
The last meeting between UNF and Queens was Jan. 8, 1996 at a neutral site. The Royals evened up the all-time series at one after earning the win.

COACH DRISCOLL ON TOMORROW'S GAME
"Welcome home never sounded so good! We're back in The Nest on the CSI Companies Court for an amazing weekend series sandwiched in between the induction of Hall of Famer Demarcus Daniels on Friday. We have played a lot of really good basketball during these last three road games, but never had the ability to put a complete 40 minutes together, which is essential. Queens is another high-level scoring team that shoots a lot of three-pointers, attacks the rim and gets to the foul line as much as anyone else in the ASUN." -- head coach Matthew Driscoll

NORTH FLORIDA NOTES

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

IN RHYTHM
Carter Hendricksen is coming off consecutive 20-point games, bringing him to three games with at least 20 points on the year. He's reached double figures in 10-straight games and in 16 of 18 games played this season.

AT HOME IN JAX
UNF is 6-0 at home on the season and currently riding an eight-game home winning streak dating back to Feb. 15 of 2022. North Florida is averaging 89 points per game at home while converting an average of 11.8 three-pointers per contest.

FIND YOUR GUY
6-9 forward Jonathan Aybar dished out four assists Saturday at Kennesaw State, tied for the team high and also good for a career best mark for Aybar.

HISTORIC GROUP
After last weekend, Hendricksen surpassed 200-career assists, becoming just the fourth Osprey to ever reach the 1,000-point, 500-rebound and 200-assist club. The forward joins Chris Davenport, Garrett Sams and Jamaal Williams.

SCOUTING QUEENS

Queens is off to a strong start in its first year at the Division I level, posting a 13-6 record and 3-3 mark in league play.
Grant Leonard is in his first season as the head coach at Queens after 16 seasons as an assistant or associate head at the Division III and Division II level.
Queens was a dominant force in the Division II ranks before transitioning to the ASUN. The program is coming off a 30-4 record last year, its fourth 30-plus win season during Leonard's tenure on staff.
The Royals are good at closing out games in which they're leading, touting an 11-0 mark in contests in which they're leading with less than five minutes to go in the game
Guard Kenny Dye is the straw that stirs the drink for Queens, averaging 17 points per game, 5.0 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 33.7 minutes
Gavin Rains does the brunt of the work down low, averaging over ten rebounds per game
Queens is coming off an offensive eruption in a 107-78 win against North Alabama last Saturday
Queens' other two league wins have come against Austin Peay and Bellarmine
The Royals dropped league games to EKU, UCA and Kennesaw State

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, 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 19 Preview: Men’s Basketball Hosts Queens, ASUN Newcomer

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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 19 Preview: Men’s Basketball Hosts Queens, ASUN Newcomer

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jonathan Aybar

Oscar Berry

Carter Hendricksen

Jarius Hicklen

Dorian James

Jadyn Parker

Jose Placer

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