JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida men's basketball completes November with the first of two games on a Thanksgiving break road swing as the Ospreys take on Southern Illinois Edwardsville Friday, Nov. 29. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. EST / 6 p.m. CST.

GAME DETAILS
Who | North Florida vs. SIU Edwardsville
What | Final Game of November
When | Friday, Nov. 29 at 6 p.m. (CST)
Where | First Community Arena | Edwardsville, Ill.
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
"It seems like forever ago that we have played and even longer than we've had a road game on our schedule. This group has shown consistency in its preparation during this period, giving us the opportunity to be the best version of ourselves night in and night out throughout the season. Looking on to SIU Edwardsville, SIUE has been playing at a high-level in all three phases of the game, while being fueled by one of the most electrifying lead guards in mid-major basketball. The bottom line is that tomorrow night we need to get back to rebounding at an elite level on both ends of the floor, while continuing consistent flow in the efficiency of our offense."

Last Time Out
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida men's basketball (4-2) set a DI-era program record with 33 assists while draining 20 three-pointers in a 108-59 win against Edward Waters (3-2) Thursday, Nov. 21.

The previous DI-era record was 30, with Jaylen Smith contributing a career-high nine helpers. North Florida's 20 three-pointers were one shy of a program record which was set Nov. 20, 2021.

Dishing Out Dimes
North Florida went for a DI-era program record 33 assists last time out against Edward Waters … the Ospreys scored 20 three-pointers in the win, one shy of a program record … sophomore guard Jaylen Smith had nine assists in the win.

Back in His Stomping Grounds
Assistant coach Stephen Perkins is a native of the southwestern portion of Illinois and spent eight years as the head coach at Collinsville Christian Academy before moving up the collegiate ranks. at Collins he helped the program to two top five national rankings in the NACA polls and was also named Coach of the Year in the 2004-05 season.

Murphy the Marksman
Graduate transfer Liam Murphy leads the league in three-pointers per game as well as three-point percentage, shooting 58.3 percent from deep … both numbers are good for 26th and fourth in the nation respectively … twice this season he has hit five three-pointers in a game … all of his production has come off the bench.

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.

Scouting the Opponent
SIUE is 5-3 and coming off an 83-49 win against St. Ambrose Saturday … head coach Brian Barone is in his sixth season leading the Cougars, who has had stops at schools such as Indiana, UW Green Bay and Butler Community College … SIUE has four graduate students on its roster … the Cougars went 17-16 and 9-9 in league play a year ago, tallying a 12-2 mark at home … Ray'Sean Taylor earned league player of the week honors Nov. 18 … SIUE was picked to finish third in the preseason OVC poll.

Series History
This is the first meeting between the two teams … the Ospreys last game in the Land of Lincoln was a win against Illinois, a 93-81 win for the Ospreys in 2015.

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 was 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.