Kentucky basketball: Five things to know about the North Florida Ospreys
Five things to know about Kentucky basketball’s next opponent, the North Florida Ospreys.
1. North Florida is 1-5 on the season
The University of North Florida men’s basketball team has been on a tour of the western United States, playing in Texas, Arizona and California before returning home.
The trip has been rough. UNF started out at Texas Tech, where it lost 87-74. It then fell 64-46 at Texas A&M. It moved on to Arizona, where it lost 65-51 to Grand Canyon and then 72-63 at Arizona State. It concluded its western swing at UCLA where it lost 98-63 to the Bruins. The Ospreys finally flew back to Jacksonville, where they swamped NAIA school Webber International 103-43 on Nov. 20.
Ken Pomeroy’s advanced analytics rank UNF No. 244 in adjusted overall efficiency. The Ospreys are No. 172 in adjusted offensive efficiency and No. 303 in adjusted defensive efficiency. They’ve had trouble on the boards, ranking No. 357 in defensive boards. That doesn’t bode well against Kentucky, which is No. 2 in the nation in offensive rebound percentage.
2. UNF is coached by Matt Driscoll
A former assistant at Clemson under Larry Shyatt from 1998 through 2003, Matt Driscoll joined Scott Drew’s staff at Valparaiso in 2003. He then followed Drew to Baylor where Driscoll was an assistant until taking over at North Florida in 2009.
In 13 seasons, Driscoll is 193-199 at the school. UNF was 8-15 last season, but 21-12 in 2019-20. Driscoll has won the Atlantic Sun Conference regular-season title three times and the conference tournament once. That was in 2015 when the Ospreys were placed in the NCAA Tournament’s First Four, where they lost 81-77 to Robert Morris to finish 23-12.
3. UNF averages 27 three-point attempts per game
According to Pomeroy, the Ospreys get 41.4 percent of their points from three-point shots. That ranks 29th highest in the country. UNF is shooting 35.3 percent from three, which ranks No. 116 in the country.
Former Lexington Christian Academy star Carter Hendricksen — Jerry Tipton wrote about Hendricksen’s homecoming — has made 19 of his 40 three-point attempts for 47.5 percent. Emmanuel Adedoyin is 14-of-23 from three for 60.9 percent. Chaz Lanier is 6-of-13 for 46.2 percent and Jarius Hicklen is 7-of-16 for 43.8 percent.
Hendricksen is a 6-foot-7 junior from Mount Sterling who leads the Ospreys in scoring at 13.8 points per game. Adedoyin is a 6-2 sophomore guard from Orlando. Lanier is a 6-4 freshman guard from Nashville. And Hicklen is a 6-3 guard from Dallas who transferred to UNF from Oklahoma Baptist University.
A 6-1 sophomore from Orlando, Jose Placer is second on the team in scoring at 10 points per game despite making just six of his 27 three-point attempts. Placer scored 25 points in the loss at Arizona State.
4. The University of North Florida is in Jacksonville
UNF was established in 1965 and began classes in 1972. Located on a 1,300-acre campus in Jacksonville, it has an enrollment of 17,000 students. It was ranked No. 132 among top public schools by U.S. News and World Report.
In athletics, UNF is a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference, the same league that includes Eastern Kentucky and Bellarmine. North Florida is in the ASUN East along with Jacksonville, Florida Gulf Coast, Stetson, Liberty and Kennesaw State. Eastern Kentucky and Bellarmine are in the ASUN West, along with Lipscomb, North Alabama, Jacksonville State and Central Arkansas.
North Florida plays at Eastern Kentucky on Jan. 22. It plays host to Bellarmine on Feb. 9.
5. The osprey is a unique bird
Also called a river hawk or fish hawk, the osprey is a “diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range,” according to Wikipedia. They are unusual in that their diet consists almost entirely of fish. The osprey can reach more than 24 inches in length and 71 inches in wingspan. During the winter, the osprey can migrate as far as Argentina. It is mostly found in temperate and tropical regions.
According to treehugger.com, ospreys are noted for a “distinctive dark patch on their wings.” According to the website, ospreys normally mate for life. Their nests can grow as tall as 10 feet.
