Get To Know: Bluegrass Native Making Return to Rupp Arena For North Florida

The Ospreys make their return to Lexington for the second year in a row.

Kentucky basketball is looking to get back on its feet after getting romped in Spokane by Gonzaga on Sunday. To do so, the No. 15 Wildcats are welcoming North Florida to Rupp Arena for the second consecutive season.

Coming off of a three-game week, Kentucky will be blessed with a six-day break following Wednesday's early-evening showdown in Lexington. 

Here's what you need to know about the UNF Ospreys: 

• North Florida was picked to finish seventh in the Atlantic Sun Preseason Poll.
• KenPom rating: 216 (sixth among A-Sun teams)
• It's just the second ever time that the teams will have played each other, with the first coming last season. 
• The Wildcats won 86-52
• The game is apart of the Tribute Classic, involving UK, UNF, Duquesne and SC State. All four teams play one-another this season. 

The Record (1-3)

• Nov. 7: 104-63 L at Gonzaga 
• Nov. 11: 75-67 L at Washington
• Nov. 19: 72-66 W vs. South Carolina State
• Nov. 21: 83-82 L at Duquesne

• The Wildcats and Ospreys have played three common opponents already this season (Gonzaga, SC State and Duquesne.)
• The trip to Lexington is the third of five high-profile matchups UNF has before the start of conference play. It will also travel to take on Houston and Pittsburgh this season. 

Matthew Driscoll

• Matthew Driscoll is in his 14th season as UNF head coach. 
• After spending six seasons as an assistant at Baylor, he made the jump to Jacksonville, becoming the skipper of the Ospreys. 
• He has 204 wins, the third most of any A-Sun head coach ever. 
• Driscoll is a three-time A-Sun Coach of the Year and has won the A-Sun regular season three times, while claiming the A-Sun Tournament once. 
• He has coached UNF to 20-win seasons on three occasions. 
• "As Jay-Z says, 'it's on to the next one', and in this case it's No. 15 Kentucky tomorrow. We'll wash up quickly from Monday's game, prepare today and play tomorrow, a sequence our guys are very accustomed to. Ironically, we played the Wildcats almost one year ago to the day. Our growth and resilience will once again be at the forefront of our minds leading into this early 4 p.m. tip-off," Driscoll said.

Return of Kentucky Native Carter Hendricksen 

• Fifth-year senior Carter Hendricksen is making his homecoming trip to Kentucky Wednesday. The Mt. Sterling, Ky., native attended Lexington Christian Academy before heading down to Jacksonville. 
• Hendricksen played last year in UNF’s only game against Kentucky on Nov. 26, scoring eight points in 29 minutes. He shot just 3-14 from the floor, going 2-10 from 3-point range.
• He is averaging 14.5 points-per-game as well as a team-high 6.3 rebounds-per-game. He has scored 10-plus points in all four games so far this year. 

Other Important Notes and Stats

• North Florida is shooting a poor 30.3 percent from deep this season, the 266th best clip in the country through two weeks.
• The Ospreys are averaging 14 turnovers per game. Gonzaga forced a whopping 22 on opening night, inflating that average a tad. 
• Junior guard Jarius Hicklen leads the way for UNF with 15.3 PPG. He's been the best shooter for the Ospreys, making 11 treys in 31 attempts. He dropped 24 points last time out against Duquesne. 
• UNF's likely starting five consists of all players who were apart of the team last season when it came to Lexington for the first time. 
• Fellow veteran guard Jose Placer is the third and final Osprey who will enter Rupp averaging at least 10 PPG. He has been the main culprit for the turnover issues, acquiring 16 TO's compared to just 10 assists.
• Placer and Hendricksen were both tabbed to the All-ASUN Preseason team. 

Tip-off between the Wildcats and Ospreys is set for 4 p.m. EST and will air on the SEC Network +.