JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida men's basketball continues its road stretch with its final game before the holiday break against Georgia on Friday, Dec. 22, at 3 p.m., in Athens, Ga.

The Ospreys rattled off three consecutive wins against Edward Waters, Georgia Southern and Trinity Baptist, before suffering its first loss in over two weeks to Florida State. Chaz Lanier continued his scoring tear with his fourth 20+ point game this season after scoring 22 points against the Seminoles on his 22nd birthday.

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

GAME DETAILS

Date: Friday, Dec. 22
Time: 3 p.m.
Location: Athens, Ga.
Opponent: Georgia

All-Time Series

• This will be the first meeting between UNF and UGA in program history.

An Osprey Win Would...

• Be first win in the state of Georgia since playing at Kennesaw State on Feb. 12, 2022.
• Give UNF its second road win of the season and the first since its road opener against Charleston Southern.
• Earn four wins in the last five games for the first time since the 2023 regular season finale against Bellarmine.
• 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 kind of crazy to think that this is the last game of 2023 when it seems like we were just boarding a plane for Costa Rica. The growth and fight that we witnessed on Tuesday is appreciated, however the transfer of learning from those experiences is even more vital to our next level of becoming the team we envision. Georgia is yet another one of these Power Five competitors oozing length, athleticism, and high volume of experienced transfers. Probably the neatest part of this game is the ability for sixth year senior Dorian James to go head-to-head with brother, Dylan, who is a true freshmen. This will mark the second time in our 15 seasons where brothers competed against each other when we went to Kansas State having Andy Diaz play opposite of his brother, Adrian."
-- head coach Matthew Driscoll

SCOUTING GEORGIA

• Georgia comes into this matchup with a 8-3 overall record with a 7-0 record at home.
• They also have a 1-0 mark in true road games, while suffering all three losses in neutral site games.
• They will host the Ospreys on a six-game winning streak in the backend of a six-game home stretch.
• Key wins so far this season has been against Wake Forest, Florida State and Georgia Tech.
• This will be the second game played in three days for the Bulldogs after beating Mount St. Mary's on Wednesday, Dec. 20.
• Noah Thomasson and Jabri Abdur-Rahim are the top two scorers for UGA with over 12 PPG averages.
• RJ Melendez and Silas Demary Jr. are the next highest PPG leaders, while leading the team in boards with over five RPG.
• Russel Tchewa joins Thomasson, Abdur-Rahim and Demary Jr. as regular starters in each of the past 11 games.  

LOOKING AHEAD

North Florida will return from the holiday continuing its road trip with their non-conference finale against Miami (FL) on Friday, Dec. 29, at 6 p.m., in Coral Gables, 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.