JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida men's basketball aims to sweep its regular season road trip finale when the Ospreys play at Austin Peay tomorrow at 4 p.m. EST.

UNF also shoots for a season sweep of the Governors after dispatching APSU in overtime Dec. 31. 

GAME DETAILS
Date: Saturday, Feb. 18
Time: 4 p.m. EST
Location: Clarksville, Tenn.
Opponent: Austin Peay
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: statbroadcast.com
 
All-Time Series: UNF leads, 3-2

• UNF won by five in overtime in the ASUN opener Dec. 31
• The host school is undefeated in the five meetings
• The last game at APSU was Dec. 7, 2019

An Osprey Win Would....

• Make UNF 4-2 all-time against APSU
• Bring UNF to .500 in league play
• Give North Florida its first-ever win at Austin Peay
• Bring UNF to a 5-1 mark in February this season

PROJECTED UNF STARTING FIVE
G - Oscar Berry (4.9 PPG | 2.0 RPG | 0.6 APG)
G - Jarius Hicklen (11.7 PPG | 3.6 RPG | 2.9 APG)
G - Jose Placer (14.5 PPG | 2.3 RPG | 2.7 APG)
F - Carter Hendricksen (16.1 PPG | 6.3 RPG | 2.2 APG)
F - Jadyn Parker (7.0 PPG | 4.9 RPG | 1.8 BPG)

LAST TIME OUT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - After being down by as much as 15 points, North Florida men's basketball rallied back to outlast Lipscomb in double overtime, 114-111, getting 32 points from Jose Placer, a perfect shooting night from Chaz Lanier and a game-winning stepback three-pointer from Jarius Hicklen.

LAST TIME VS. AUSTIN PEAY
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -  Thanks to five double-digit scoring performances, a clutch three-pointer from Jarius Hicklen and an overall resilient effort, UNF men's basketball outlasted Austin Peay, 90-85, for an overtime victory in the ASUN opener at the UNF Arena Saturday, Dec. 31. Jose Placer surpassed 1,000-career points in the win, while Carter Hendricksen sank eight of his nine free throws as he went for 15 points and nine rebounds.

COACH DRISCOLL ON TOMORROW'S GAME  
"Thursday night was one for the ages and immediately following the win we talked about what it looks like physically and mentally as we move forward. The guys have really done a great job with everything from recovery and rejuvenation as we head into a less than a 40-hour turnaround Saturday. It seems like forever ago that we played Austin Peay, but most recently they have become healthy again at the right time. The Governors possess good interior presence and have been shooting the three-ball well at home." -- Head Coach Matthew Driscoll
 

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NORTH FLORIDA NOTES

RECORD NIGHT IN NASHVILLE
North Florida's 114-111 double-overtime win Thursday was one for the record books. UNF's point total set a program record for points in a game against a DI foe, while the 44 field goals made was the most against a DI opponent. It was UNF's first double overtime win in over a decade, moving UNF to 11-4 in overtime games under head coach Matthew Driscoll.

FEELING IT IN FEBRUARY 
UNF is 4-1 in February this season and 63-36 in the month during head coach Matthew Driscoll's tenure at North Florida. The Ospreys have defeated JU twice, Stetson and Lipscomb during the month, with the lone loss coming at the hands of FGCU, 66-68.

FLAIR FOR THE DRAMATIC
UNF defeated Lipscomb in double overtime, 114-11, Thursday ... Jarius Hicklen hit the game-winning three-pointer with five seconds on the clock, giving UNF its third win in league play that has been aided by a game-winning or go-ahead trey with less than 10 seconds on the clock.

TWO GOATS
Carter Hendricksen moved into second all-time in UNF history for career points with 17 during the win Thursday. He now has 1,574, moving him past UNF great, Beau Beech.

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 (2nd - 1,574), field goals made (4th - 510), field goals attempted (2nd - 1,283), three-pointers made (5th - 258), three-pointers attempted (3rd - 755), free throws made (5th - 296), free throw percentage (6th - .827), rebounds (4th - 718), assists (10th - 222) rebounding average (5.5 - 10th), defensive rebounds (2nd - 580), defensive rebound average (5th - 4.4), games played (3rd- 131), games started (102 - 9th) and minutes (4th - 3,575)
 

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SCOUTING APSU

• Austin Peay is on an 11-game losing streak, with its last win coming Jan. 7 against Central Arkansas
• The Governors are 6-8 at home this season
• APSU is 8-20 overall and 2-13 in league play this year
• Opponents are shooting well against APSU, hitting 47.7 percent of their shots
• Sean Durugordon paces APSU at 12.4 points per game and six boards per contest. 
• Forward Elijah Hutchins-Everett helps carry the load down low, averaging 11.3 points on 46.4 percent shooting
• APSU had missed the production of former Osprey, Cameron Copeland, after he was sidelined for nearly two weeks
• Head coach Nate James is in his second season at the helm. He was a 2001 graduate of Duke after a standout career on the court for the Blue Devils.

 

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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 186-16 when leading with five minutes to go on the clock.

1K CLUB TIMES 2
Jose Placer surpassed 1,000-career points in a UNF uniform Thursday, Feb. 9. He already joined a 1,000-point club earlier this season after reaching 1,000-collegiate points during the win against Austin Peay Dec. 31. 

ON LOCK
UNF held JU to only 58 points in the win Saturday. North Florida is 1-0 on the year when holding foes to between 50-59 points, as well as 33-4 during head coach Matthew Driscoll's tenure.

OSPREY NATION
The UNF Arena saw the sixth largest crowd in program history during the Feb. 4 win with a reported attendance of 4,439. It's the fourth-largest attendance for a River City Rumble game in the UNF Arena, as well as the largest crowd since 2016.

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 171-40 when leading at the half, 186-17 when leading with five minutes left, 86-8 when holding foes under 40 percent from the floor and 178-34 when shooting better than its opponent.

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.

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.