UNF/FGCU PREVIEW

Fort Myers, FL- FGCU (10-4) begins ASUN Conference play vs rival UNF (4-9), Wednesday night at 7:30 PM, from Alico Arena.

Stats (UNF):

The Ospreys average 69.5 ppg, shoot 42.7% (315/737) from the field, 36.9% (133/360) from beyond the arc, and grab 32.7 team rebounds per game. UNF dishes out 14.4 assists, 6.2 steals, and 4.2 blocks per game. The Ospreys average 16.6 team turnovers per game.

Stats (FGCU):

The Eagles average 78.6 ppg, shoot 45.8% (390/852) from the field, 35.8% (152/425) from beyond the arc, and grab 38.6 team rebounds per game. FGCU dishes out 17.1 assists, 8.1 steals, and 4.9 blocks per game. The Eagles average 15.0 team turnovers per game.

Players To Watch For (UNF):

6’1 R-SO G Jose Placer 12.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg

6’7 JR F Carter Hendricksen 10.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg

6’10 FR F Jadyn Parker 8.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg

Players To Watch For (FGCU):

5’8 GR G Tavian Dunn-Martin 20.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg

6’3 JR G Cyrus Largie 12.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg

6’11 6th C Kevin Samuel 11.2 ppg, 9.0 rpg

Overview:

FGCU enters ASUN Conference play after a strong campaign with wins over Mercer and Rhode Island but a bad loss to Canisius to end the non-conference slate. The Eagles have seen Tavian Dunn-Martin play some of his best basketball in his career as an Eagle (20.3 ppg), and Kevin Samuel (11.2 ppg) dominate teams in the post as a one man wrecking crew. Cyrus Largie continues to take over games when given the opportunity, and when you have him and Tavian playing so well offensively, opposing teams have to choose who to defend, and this can lead to open opportunities for the Eagles.

UNF always plays a competitive non-conference schedule under Head Coach Matthew Driscoll, and the Ospreys continued that trend, facing Texas Tech, Texas A&M, #2 UCLA, #10 Kentucky, and #20 Florida on the road. Of UNF’s 4 wins on the season, the Ospreys only have one NCAA D1 win, and that came against Austin Peay on December 11th. Their non-D1 wins came against Trinity Baptist, Edward Waters, and Webber International. Postponed games due to COVID protocols included home games against Keiser, and Florida National, and road games vs Florida State, and Kansas State.

Carter Hendricksen seems to always give the Eagles fits and his athletic play always guarantees at least double digits in scoring. Joining him is leading scorer Jose Placer, and he is the guard that runs the UNF offense. Placer shoots 32% (23/71) from beyond the arc, and can be a problem if left open from the 3 point line. One problem for him is his assists to turnover ratio is 37:40, so the Eagles need to pressure him into turning over the ball when they have the chance. The Dunn-Martin vs Placer matchup is intriguing, and it’ll be fun watching two of the best guards in the ASUN face off from Alico Arena.

Prediction:

FGCU 71 UNF 65