JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida men's basketball finishes up not only a four-game home stand, but also its home non-conference slate against Trinity Baptist on Saturday, Dec. 16, at 2 p.m., in UNF Arena.

The Ospreys come off a week of rest after securing back-to-back wins against Edward Waters and Georgia Southern last week. This will be the last home game until Friday, Jan. 12, 2024, with three Power Five games and a pair of ASUN games lined up on the road.

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

GAME DETAILS

Date: Saturday, Dec. 16
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: UNF Arena
Opponent: Trinity Baptist

All-Time Series

UNF leads, 6-0, in the all-time series.
Have faced each other each of the past two seasons.
Series started in 2015 and have continued to play every year outside of 2018 and 2020.
Ospreys have scored 90 or more points in each of the past three games.
Also have held the Eagles to less than 50 points in those three matchups as well.

An Osprey Win Would...

Keep the undefeated mark against Trinity Baptist all-time in the series history.
Finish the home stand at 3-1, as well as a 6-2 home record to complete non-conference play.
Give UNF its first three-game winning streak since Dec. 31, 2022.

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

"Heading out of finals week and into our last home game of 2023, it feels like our guys have really excelled from the strength-and-conditioning aspect during this week, which has allowed us to elevate our pace and shooting. Sometimes at this point of the non-conference slate can become very cumbersome, however, this group displays great understanding and desire to get better daily. Trinity Baptist will be playing their fourth Division I opponent this season, therefore, they have great understanding of the speed and physicality that will transpire. They have and will always take an inordinate amount of three-pointers, which we must not only minimize, but contest appropriately."
-- head coach Matthew Driscoll

SCOUTING TRINITY BAPTIST

• TBC has a 3-4 record with a 1-1 conference record this season with a 1-3 away mark.
• The Eagles have also played in five exhibition games, including games against Stetson and Jacksonville.
• In exhibitions and games combined, they have lost eight of their past nine games.
• This will be the second game in three days and the fourth game in a week after playing Coastal Georgia, Southeastern and Jacksonville all on the road this past week.
• In their seven games this season, Xavier Rose has been the most effective scorer with 13.6 PPG.
• He is also the team's best distributor with 5.9 APG to go along with a team-best 2.3 SPG as well.
• The junior joins Zach Kiadii as the only Eagle players averaging 4+ RPG.

LOOKING AHEAD

North Florida gets back on the road to start a three-game trek against Power Five teams starting with Florida State on Tuesday, Dec. 19, at 8 p.m., in Tallahassee, Fla.

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 Teams

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.