Game 3 Preview: Return to South Carolina

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida men's basketball looks to start the season 3-0 as the Ospreys take on South Carolina State on the road Monday, Nov. 13 to complete a stretch of back-to-back games in the Palmetto State.

UNF downed Charleston Southern with stifling defense late as well as a career performance by Chaz Lanier.

Tomorrow's game also marks the non-conference mid-major road finale, with the only other road games in non-conference play coming against Power Five teams.

Follow along @OspreyMBB on Twitter and @ospreysmbb on Instagram from in-game updates. An update on the availability of a live stream and live stats will be announced.

GAME DETAILS

Date: Monday, Nov. 13
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Orangeburg, S.C.
Opponent: SC State

All-Time Series

UNF leads, 1-0
The only other meeting came in UNF's home opener last year
The Ospreys won, 72-66
North Florida hosted SC State in the first-ever game on the CSI Companies Court
Chaz Lanier, Dorian James and Oscar Berry all scored in that win

An Osprey Win Would....

Make UNF 3-0
Give UNF a 3-0 start for the first time since 2015-16
Give UNF a tie for its best start in the entire DI history of the program
Be the third time in UNF DI history that UNF has started the season, 3-0
Make UNF 2-0 on the road this season

PROJECTED UNF STARTING FIVE
G - Oscar Berry
G - Chaz Lanier
G - Ametri Moss
F - Dorian James
F - Nate Lliteras

COACH DRISCOLL ON TOMORROW'S GAME
"It's almost 'wash, rinse and repeat' in terms of the similarities with travel distance and itinerary from last Thursday's road trip to this one at South Carolina State. We are starting to build more and more comfort with one another, which is essential as the players on the floor are accountable for this to team gel. Our esprit de corps is really flowing well right now, which happens when you have traveled as much as we have in the last week. South Carolina State brings in a combination of size, athleticism and skills, all of which challenge our habits as a team for another 40 minutes." -- Head Coach Matthew Driscoll

SCOUTING SC STATE

South Carolina State enters with a 1-1 record
The Bulldogs defeated Voorhees College by eight points
SC State lost to South Florida by 44 in the road opener in Tampa Thursday
South Carolina State also picked up an exhibition win against St. Augustine University to start the season
Mitchell Taylor paces the team with 11.5 points per game, the lone Bulldog averaging double-digit points
Davion Everett has been a force on the boards so far, bringing in 9.5 boards per game
SC State finished 5-26 and 2-12 in league play last season
SC State was picked to finish last in the MEAC Preseason Poll
Guard Jordan Simpson was a preseason all-league pick

NORTH FLORIDA NOTES

LANIER LIGHTS IT UP

Chaz Lanier has posted consecutive double-digit scoring performances to start the year
Lanier lit up the stat sheet with 30 points in the win at Charleston Southern, twice his previous career high
Thus far he has shot 54.5 percent from beyond the arc

ON THE RIGHT FOOT

North Florida is 2-0 to start the season for the first time since 2015-16, a year in which North Florida knocked off Illinois on the road to start the season
For the first time in over a decade, North Florida men's basketball played the season opener at home.
The last time North Florida began the year at The Nest was Nov. 10, 2012 against Edward Waters.
UNF dominated, hitting 13 three-pointers while leading by as much as 40 in a 92-55 win against Coastal Georgia

SHARE THE ROCK

Six different Ospreys posted double-digit scoring games in the season-opening win
Graduate transfer Jake van der Heijden paced all scorers with 18 points, doing so in only 12 minutes
Chaz Lanier toyed with a double-double, posting 10 points and nine boards while adding five assists
Five Ospreys made their UNF debuts in the win, including van der Heijden, Nate Lliteras, Ametri Moss, Jasai Miles and Jaylen Smith

16 HOME GAMES

North Florida's 16-game home slate is good for the most home games in UNF's Division I era.
North Florida plays eight non-conference home games and eight Atlantic Sun games at home. The Ospreys also host the First Coast Classic Nov. 16-18.

THE 2023-24 SCHEDULE - NOTES

31 games, 16 at home
Games in two time zones (EST, CST)
Home and season opener Nov. 6 vs. Coastal Georgia
Road opener at Charleston Southern Nov. 9
First Coast Classic Multi-team event (MTE) Nov. 16-18 at the UNF Arena
Four first time foes (Presbyterian, Northwestern State, Maine, Georgia)
Takes on teams from 12 different leagues
First time facing a Big Ten team since going to Iowa Nov. 21, 2019
Going to Queens for the first time in program history
Senior Night set for the lone regular season game in March, March 1 vs. Stetson
Four-game home stand between Dec. 2 and Dec. 16
UNF plays four games against 2023 NCAA Tourney Team

ROSTER NOTES

North Florida's 2023-24 roster features 13 Ospreys, with seven letterwinners returning.
The Ospreys' roster also includes six newcomers, with three being true freshmen and three being transfers.
All three transfers were significant contributors for their previous teams. Nate Lliteras comes to UNF as a junior athletically, having helped Longwood to the NCAA Tournament with a Big South Championship title. Lliteras logged 85 games for the Lancers, having tallied 90 three-pointers and 11 double-digit scoring performances.
Jake van der Heijden comes to the Ospreys as a graduate transfer after playing in 95 games at Bucknell in Lewisburg, Pa. The rangy lefty logged 1,574 minutes and over 300 points and 200 rebounds.
Shifty and agile lefty point guard Ametri Moss comes to the Ospreys after two seasons of averaging double-digit points at South Florida State College.
The UNF freshman features Mason Lee, Jaylen Smith and Jasai Miles. Lee arrives from just down the road at Providence HS. Smith is a highly touted guard out of Ocoee, Fla. Miles is a product of Miami, bringing 6-6 size to UNF.
Dorian James, Chaz Lanier and Oscar Berry comprise the most amount of experience among UNF returners. James has logged 110 games played in the Navy and Gray, while Berry was an all-freshman pick at FDU in 2021-22 and Lanier touting 72 games played in three seasons.
Returners Brandon Rasmussen, Max Hrdlicka, Jah Nze and Trent Coleman round out the roster, all bringing in at least one letter of experience in the Navy and Gray

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Oscar Berry

Trent Coleman

Max Hrdlicka

Dorian James

Chaz Lanier

Mason Lee

Nate Lliteras

Jasai Miles

Ametri Moss

Jah Nze

Brandon Rasmussen

Jaylen Smith

Jake van der Heijden

Footer