JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida men's basketball will be set to play its first Power Five opponent of the season in a Black Friday matchup on the road against LSU on Friday, Nov. 24, with tip-off set for 8 p.m. ET, in Baton Rouge, La.

UNF comes off a 2-1 weekend hosting its first ever home in-season tournament in the inaugural First Coast Classic. Its game against LSU will be the first of five games against Power Five opponents on the road this season.

Chaz Lanier was also recently selected as ASUN Player of the Week for his career performances over the weekend. He has scored double-digit points in all six games this year and looks to continue that momentum when playing LSU.

Follow along @OspreyMBB on Twitter and @ospreysmbb on Instagram from in-game updates. A live stream on SECN+ will also be available, as well as live stats on statbroadcast.com.

GAME DETAILS

Date: Friday, Nov. 24
Time: 8 p.m.
Location: Baton Rouge, La.
Opponent: LSU 

All-Time Series

• LSU leads, 3-0, with all games for UNF on the road.
• All three meetings spanned between 2015-17.
• The Ospreys fell in their last meeting, 104-52, in Baton Rouge, La.
• Trip Day was the leading scorer in the 2017 matchup with 11 points.

An Osprey Win Would....

- Give UNF its first win against LSU in program history.
- Move them to 2-1 on the road this season.
- Be first win against a Power Five program since beating Illinois in 2015.

PROJECTED UNF STARTING FIVE

G - Ametri Moss
G - Oscar Berry
G - Chaz Lanier
F - Nate Lliteras
F - Dorian James

COACH DRISCOLL ON TOMORROW'S GAME

"It's a great feeling coming out of the First Coast Classic having won two in a row and seemingly finding our rhythm. With that said, we are entering into a different part of our schedule with back-to-back Power Five road games concluding our November slate. LSU has such a typical SEC-type of team with athleticism, length and elite skill level, which creates a stiff challenge for us on both ends of the floor."
-- head coach Matthew Driscoll

SCOUTING LSU

• The Tigers enter Friday's game with a 3-2 overall record, including a 1-1 record at home.
• LSU is coming off an overtime victory against Wake Forest in overtime in the Charleston Classic finale.
• Also won against North Texas, 66-62, in the tournament, but lost in the opener to Dayton, 67-70.
• Opened the season with back-to-back home games with a win against Mississippi Valley State, but a narrow loss to Nicholls.
• Coming off a 14-19 season in 2022-23, with a 2-16 SEC record, under first-year head coach Matt McMahon.
• LSU was selected 13th of 14 teams in the SEC Preseason Media Poll only sitting ahead of South Carolina.
• Will Baker has been the workhorse for the Tigers' offense with 16.0 PPG through five starts.
• He also leads the team in rebounds 6.2 RPG, while also shooting 5-for-10 (.500) from the 3PT line.
• Jordan Wright and Jalen Reed are also impact players with double-digit scoring averages just over 10 PPG.

LOOKING AHEAD

North Florida stays on the road with another Power Five matchup against Iowa on Wednesday, Nov. 29, with tip-off set at 9 p.m. ET, in Iowa City, Iowa.

NORTH FLORIDA NOTES

THE 2023-24 SCHEDULE

• 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

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.
• 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.

ROSTER TIDBITS

• 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.