JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - UNF men's basketball aims to stay undefeated against Liberty at home when the two teams clash Saturday, Jan. 21 from the UNF Arena. North Florida enters riding a nine-game home winning streak dating back to last year's 72-69 against the Flames.

Tomorrow's game is sponsored by Performance Orthopedics and Spine Speciality Hospital at Ascension St. Vincent's.

GAME DETAILS
Date: Saturday, Jan. 21
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: UNF Arena
Opponent: Liberty
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: www.unfospreys.com/sidearmstats/mbball
 
All-Time Series: Liberty leads, 5-4

• UNF and Liberty are playing their 10th game against one another
• This is the ninth and final regular season game between the two teams as ASUN foes
• North Florida is 3-0 against Liberty at home

An Osprey Win Would....

• Make UNF 8-0 on the year at home
• Bring UNF to 10-straight home wins
• Even up the all-time series between the two teams

PROJECTED UNF STARTING FIVE
G - Oscar Berry (4.7 PPG | 1.9 RPG | 0.7 APG)
G - Jarius Hicklen (12.8 | 3.6 RPG | 3.0 APG)
G - Jose Placer (12.7 PPG | 2.4 RPG | 2.5 APG)
F - Carter Hendricksen (15.6 | 6.4 RPG | 2.1 APG)
F - Jadyn Parker (6.4 PPG | 5.1 RPG | 1.6 BPG)

LAST TIME OUT
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Carter Hendricksen erupted for a career-high 35 points, UNF shot 50.7 from the floor and North Florida men's basketball (8-11, 3-4 ASUN) outlasted Queens, 95-90, in a display of offense at the UNF Arena Thursday, Jan. 19. With the win, UNF is on a nine-game winning streak at home dating back to Feb. 9 of last year.

LAST TIME VS. LIBERTY
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - In a series between two teams in which the host is undefeated, that trend remained true Tuesday, Feb. 15 when North Florida men's basketball (9-18, 5-8 ASUN) got 31 points from a sizzling hot Jarius Hicklen, 16 from Jordan Preaster and nearly a triple-double from Dorian James in a 72-69 win against ASUN East Division frontrunner Liberty (18-9, 9-3 ASUN).

COACH DRISCOLL ON TOMORROW'S GAME
"Wow, how electric was the UNF Arena Thursday?! The crowd disrupted the opponent and we are looking forward to another riveting game and atmosphere against Liberty. Ending the game with eight defensive stops in 11 opportunities, while going on a subsequent 15-5 run, gives us hope that we have started to get our minds reset. Liberty, like it has been every year in the ASUN, comes in as the leader and picked to win the league. So, we have yet another challenge against the most efficient team in the ASUN offensively and defensively, pushing us to continue to bring our competitive fight for 40 minutes." -- Head Coach Matthew Driscoll
 

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NORTH FLORIDA NOTES

35 PIECE DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Carter Hendricksen posted one of the best games to date by a UNF player, going off for a career-best 35 points and 10 rebounds in the 95-90 win against Queens Thursday. The forward posted the most points by an Osprey since teammate Jose Placer had 35 in a win against Austin Peay Dec. 11, 2021.

DRISCOLL CLIMBS THE RANKS
Head Coach Matthew Driscoll earned his 211th win as an ASUN head coach with the win Thursday, passing former head coach at Georgia Southern, Frank Kerns, good for second in league history.

FAMILIAR FRIENDS AND FOES
Carter Hendricksen and Kyle Rode are meeting for yet another game as opponents, but it wasn't always that way. The duo played on the same team in high school at Lexington Christian Academy in Kentucky.

COOL UNDER PRESSURE
North Florida has played six games determined by five points or less this year, going 4-2 in such contests. The Ospreys are 58-45 under head coach Matthew Driscoll in such games, and 3-0 in such home games this season.

PERSEVERE
UNF came back from an 11-point deficit early on in the first half against Queens Thursday. That deficit marked UNF's largest deficit in a win this season.

ALL OVER THE RECORD BOOK
Carter Hendricksen was already over the UNF record book quite a bit heading into the season, although the last few weeks have really sent him all throughout the ledger. Hendricksen ranks in the top ten in: points (5th - 1,436), field goals made (9th - 466), field goals attempted (3rd - 1,190), three-pointers made (6th - 240), three-pointers attempted (3rd - 710), free throws made (8th - 264), free throw percentage (7th - .822), rebounds (5th - 671), rebounding average (5.5 - 10th), defensive rebounds (2nd - 543rd), defensive rebound average (5th - 4.4), games played (T-10th - 123) and minutes (6th - 3,277)

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. 

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

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.

AT HOME IN JAX
UNF is 7-0 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 89.9 points per game at home while converting an average of 11.89 three-pointers per contest.
 

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SCOUTING LIBERTY

• Liberty comes into play tied for first in the league and 15-5 overall
• The Flames snapped JU's 21-game home winning streak with a comfortable win against the Dolphins Thursday
• Ritchie McKay is in his 10th season leading the Flames, entering play with a 214-109 record at Liberty
• Liberty was the only team besides North Florida to have two ASUN Preseason All-Conference honorees. Darius McGhee and Kyle Rode were tabbed, with McGhee being named the league's top player in the preseason poll
• Liberty goes as its three-point shooting does. The Flames pace the nation in three-pointers with 235, while shooting the third-best clip from the field at 57.7 percent
• McGhee has 462 career three-pointers, the fourth-most in NCAA DI history. The 5-9 guard likes to get space and hoist them up, averaging 4.8 three-pointers per game
• The Flames are balanced once getting past McGhee's numbers. Brody Peebles is the only other Flames player averaging double-digit points. 
• Nine different Liberty players are bringing in at least two boards per game. All nine of those players are playing at least 15 minutes per game.

 

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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 167-37 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 176-34 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.

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 10 games being within three points with five minutes remaining.

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.