Can UNF basketball team continue amazing start against another unbeaten on Tuesday night?
The University of North Florida men’s basketball team is out to the best start in program history. Can the Ospreys keep it going against another big time opponent on Tuesday night?
The Ospreys have beaten SEC and ACC teams during their 3-0 start, with those wins over South Carolina and Georgia Tech matching the program’s all-time record for wins against schools from the Power Four conferences. UNF also romped to a 24-point win over Charleston Southern. UNF’s start earned it 14 votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time in school history.
There’s another massive hill to climb up next on Tuesday night when the Ospreys face host Georgia (2-0) in Athens. They return home after that for game against UNC Asheville on Monday.
“That’s the beauty of this group.,” Ospreys coach Matthew Driscoll said after a win over Georgia Tech. “I’ve said this from the beginning. When you come play for us, there’s a standard. And the standard is the standard. And that’s what’s beautiful.”
The start has been how head coach Driscoll likes it. Fast-paced and let the 3-pointers fly. The Ospreys are shooting nearly 40% from the arc (34 of 89), living up to their Birds of Trey brand name. And when those shots are dropping like they have been, UNF is particularly tough to beat. The Ospreys have hit 14 more 3s than their three opponents and held those teams to just 30% from the 3-point range.
Five UNF players — Josh Harris, Jasai Miles, Jaylen Smith, Liam Murphy and Nate Lliteras — are all averaging in double figures in scoring. Miles (16.7) and Harris (16.3) top the scoring list. Miles is at 9 rebounds per game. Murphy, a 6-7 grad student transfer from Columbia, has been on a tear from the 3-point arc, shooting nearly 60% after an 11-for-19 otherworldly start.
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