JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The regular season finale is here and it features a special Senior Night for UNF legend, Carter Hendricksen, leading into an important meeting with Bellarmine Friday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m.

GAME DETAILS
Date: Friday, Feb. 24
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: UNF Arena
Opponent: Bellarmine
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: unfospreys.com
 
All-Time Series: Bellarmine leads, 1-0

• The lone meeting was Feb. 9, 2022 in Jacksonville
• Bellarmine staved off UNF's big second half push to hang on, 73-70
• The two teams were scheduled to play a doubleheader in 2021, but COVID-19 concerns canceled the meeting

An Osprey Win Would....

• Make UNF 9-9 in ASUN play
• Bring the Ospreys to the seventh seed in the ASUN Championship
• Make UNF 11-2 at home on the season

PROJECTED UNF STARTING FIVE
G - Oscar Berry (4.9 PPG | 2.1 RPG | 0.7 APG)
G - Jarius Hicklen (12.0 PPG | 3.6 RPG | 3.1 APG)
G - Jose Placer (14.4 PPG | 2.3 RPG | 2.7 APG)
F - Carter Hendricksen (16.2 PPG | 6.2 RPG | 2.0 APG)
F - Jadyn Parker (7.0 PPG | 4.9 RPG | 0.7 APG)

LAST TIME OUT
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida men's basketball entered Wednesday night's game needing a win or a Jacksonville loss to secure a bid to the ASUN Championship Tournament. When the dust settled around 9 p.m., the Ospreys (13-16, 8-9 ASUN) had secured both, taking care of what they could control with a comprehensive, 77-64, win against a very versatile and dangerous Eastern Kentucky (18-12, 11-6 ASUN) team Wednesday, Feb. 22.

LAST TIME VS. BELLARMINE
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Despite staring down a 19-point deficit at halftime, North Florida men's basketball (7-18, 3-8 ASUN) exhibited grit and resilience to claw away at as large as a 21-point Bellarmine lead Wednesday night. UNF overcame the deficit and a few missing pieces, using a 15-3 run to get within 71-69 with 24 seconds left. But, Bellarmine staved off a trio of UNF-scoring opportunities in North Florida's 73-70 loss to the Knights (14-11, 8-3 ASUN) in the inaugural meeting between the two teams.

COACH DRISCOLL ON TOMORROW'S GAME  
"It's a very bittersweet ending to the regular season Friday night as we play our 18th ASUN game of the year by concluding Carter Hendricksen's home career. Carter has been a staple at UNF for the past five years, becoming the second-greatest scorer in program history, going along with a long list of athletic and academic accolades. His membership on the 2019-20 ASUN Championship team will be one of our fondest memories with Carter, although his legacy is cemented through his servant-hearted attitude and unwavering love for UNF. Ironically, Bellarmine was a finalist among Carter's list of schools to commit to out of high school. As for the game, Bellarmine has a very unique brand of basketball, both offensive and defensively, consisting of a lot of ball and body movement. They often use the majority of the shot clock and try to capitalize at the rim or from deep." -- Head Coach Matthew Driscoll

 

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NORTH FLORIDA NOTES
NINE DIMES
Jarius Hicklen is certainly known for his shooting ability, but his assist total was what really caught the eye in the box score during Wednesday's win. The guard dished out nine assists, the most by a UNF player since Feb. 26, 2021.

NEW FORMAT
UNF is playing just its second game on a Friday night this season, with the last Friday night game coming at Washington Nov. 11. 

40 OR BELOW
When UNF holds opponents below 40 percent shooting, the Ospreys are 87-8 under head coach Matthew Driscoll. UNF did so against EKU, keeping the Colonels without a three-pointer in the second half.

ASUN POSTSEASON SEEDING 
UNF earned a spot in the ASUN Championship Tournament Wednesday, benefiting from a JU loss while also downing EKU. Ten teams make the ASUN Championship, with UNF having a chance to earn as high as the seventh seed. UNF is currently in eighth and will play in the ASUN Championship First Round Feb. 27.

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 - 1,610), field goals made (2nd - 524), field goals attempted (2nd - 1,309), three-pointers made (4th - 265), three-pointers attempted (T-1st - 769), free throws made (5th - 297), free throw percentage (6th - .827), rebounds (4th - 729), assists (10th - 222) rebounding average (5.5 - 10th), defensive rebounds (2nd - 588), defensive rebound average (5th - 4.4), games played (T-2nd - 133), games started (104 - T-6th) and minutes (4th - 3,628)

FEELING IT IN FEBRUARY 
UNF is 5-2 in February this season and 64-37 in the month during head coach Matthew Driscoll's tenure at North Florida. The Ospreys have defeated JU twice, Stetson, Lipscomb and EKU during the month.
 

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SCOUTING BELLARMINE

• Bellarmine comes into play 14-16 and 9-8 in league play, currently sitting one spot ahead of UNF at seventh.
• The Knights knocked off Jacksonville by two on Wednesday, a win that followed up a 68-67 Senior Day win against Central Arkansas
• BU is 6-10 on the road this season, going 2-1 over its last three ASUN road games
• Head coach Scott Davenport is in his 18th season leading the way at Bellarmine, doing the majority of his coaching at Bellarmine leading a dominant Division II BU squad
• Bellarmine won the ASUN Championship Tournament last year, downing Jacksonville
• The Knights are known for their unique style of play which emphasizes passing while reducing the amount of dribbling
• Garrett Tipton paces the scoring, notching 12.9 points per game. Freshman Peter Suder isn't far behind, with graduate student Juston Betz providing the most experience with 126 games played

 

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OTHER NOTES

STUDENT-ATHLETES
Jose Placer and Carter Hendricksen were not only preseason all-conference honorees, but their performance on and off the court this year has earned the duo Collegiate Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors. Hendricksen was honored with this award last year as the duo was named to the 2021-22 ASUN All-Academic Team. 

#BIRDSOFTREY DOING AS THEY DO
North Florida ranks 10th in the nation in three-pointers made per game at 10.1 per contest. The Ospreys have poured in double-digit three-pointers in 15 games, including four games of at least 15 treys.

RECORD NIGHT IN NASHVILLE
North Florida's 114-111 double-overtime win Thursday, Feb. 16 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.

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 187-16 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.