JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida men's basketball enjoys another home game during a week at The Nest as the Ospreys host crosstown opponent Edward Waters at 7 p.m. from the UNF Arena Thursday, Nov. 21.

GAME DETAILS
Who | North Florida vs. Edward Waters
What | Final Home Game of November
When | Thursday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m.
Where | UNF Arena | Jacksonville, Fla. 
Coverage | Watch on ESPN+

Projected Starters
Sophomore, Guard | Jaylen Smith
Senior, Guard | Oscar Berry 
Sophomore, Guard | Jasai Miles
Senior, Guard | Nate Lliteras
Freshman, Forward | Josh Harris

Coach Driscoll on The Upcoming Game
"After starting the year with four games in the first nine days of the season, we are entering game two of four over a 14-day stretch, giving us the chance to really work on ourselves and grow in the finer details of the game. We have 13 players with less than two years of experience on this roster, including eight that are brand new to this level, making this two-week period very important in elevating our group. Looking at the game tomorrow night, Edward Waters is making the short trek across town once again, and we always know they bring an energy and focus when playing us. They have several local players on their team and they want to put a stamp on their non-conference schedule just like we did with our wins at South Carolina and Georgia Tech." -- Head Coach Matthew Driscoll

Last Time Out
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Nate Lliteras scored 19 points with the help of 5-for-8 shooting from deep, but a resilient UNC Asheville (1-2) team had the upper hand down the stretch as North Florida (3-2) dropped a Monday night matchup with the Bulldogs, 89-75, November 18.

Scouting the Opponent
Edward Waters is 3-2 on the season and 1-1 in road games … the Tigers are on a two-game skid, suffering losses to Clayton State and Columbus State by three points apiece respectively … EWU is scoring 76.2 points per game while permitting 74 per contest … the Tigers are lifted by Ja'Kobe Williams' 15.6 points per game … as a team EWU is shooting 42.2 percent with teams shooting 41.6 percent against them.

Series History
The Ospreys lead the all-time series, 22-3 … North Florida defeated EWU by 52 last season, outsourcing the Tigers by 38 in the second half … UNF is currently on a 14-game winning streak against the crosstown team.

Murphy the Marksman
Liam Murphy posted 22 points off the bench against Georgia Nov. 12 … the Staten Island, N.Y., native shot 5-for-7 from beyond the arc, serving as UNF's leading scorer while also coming off the bench … Murphy has scored in double figures in all four games this season … he has the second-most three-pointers made in the country as of UNF's last game at Georgia, with the lone person in front having 11 more attempts than Murphy … Murphy has gone 5-for-7 from deep in two games this season.

History at UNF
North Florida's start to the 2024-25 has been a historic one, with the Ospreys earning their first-ever wins against an SEC foe and ACC foe in the same week. UNF's Power Four victories in the opening week matched the program's all-time record for wins against Power Four programs. Thanks to the wins against South Carolina and Georgia Tech, along with a 24-point win against Charleston Southern, North Florida earned 14 votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, a first for the Ospreys. North Florida also earned a spot at No. 10 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll … UNF's 3-0 start is its best to begin a season since 2015-16 … North Florida is the first-ever team to defeat two Power Five teams on the road in opening weekend.

Freshman Phenom
Freshman Josh Harris has put his abilities on display early on in the season … the forward notched 23 points against Charleston Southern and poured in 22 at Georgia Tech. His 16.3 points per game scoring average is the highest by any UNF freshman in the program's DI era through three games. He also broke the 20-point marker ahead of any previous UNF freshman during that era. His 23-point game against Charleston Southern was the most by a UNF freshman since Wajid Aminu had 24 in 2016.

The Familiar Faces 
North Florida men's basketball returns five players, all of which started the majority of last year's games or have been a starter throughout their collegiate career … Nate Lliteras started the most games among all returners, tallying 31 starts in 31 contests while averaging 10.4 points per game, the most among returning players … Jaylen Smith was thrust into the starting point guard position last year after junior guard Ametri Moss suffered a season-ending injury at the start of league play … the lefty guard out of Ocoee, Fla., went on to earn all-freshman honors from the conference … Oscar Berry is the most veteran Osprey in the Navy and Gray this year, having played two years with UNF after starting out his collegiate career at Fairleigh-Dickinson … after making his first collegiate start not far from home in Coral Gables last December, now-sophomore Jasai Miles returns after making 19 starts and averaging 5.7 points per game.

Rundown on the Newcomers
UNF's roster features eight newcomers, not including redshirt-freshman Mason Lee who sat last year out after joining UNF from nearby Providence School of Jacksonville … four are true freshmen, including Josh Harris, Arden Begaj, Taylor Thompson and Dante Oliver … the other four newcomers bring in significant experience as transfers, two of which have already earned degrees in Liam Murphy and Nestor Dyachok … Murphy put up 12 points and seven boards a game at Columbia as a freshman, while Dyachok scored over nine points per game for Southern Utah … Alex Vargo joins the Ospreys by way of Garrett College, scoring over 26 points per game while lighting up Southern Maryland for 47 in a single contest … he started his collegiate career at Youngstown State after scoring 1,634 points at Wheeling Park HS … sharpshooter Kamrin Oriol comes back to his home state of Florida after earning league freshman of the year honors in 2022-23 … he was named conference player of the week once last season.