| 2014–15North Florida Ospreys men's basketball | |
|---|---|
NCAA tournament, first round | |
| Conference | Atlantic Sun Conference |
| Record | 23–12 (12–2 A-Sun) |
| Head coach |
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| Assistant coaches |
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| Home arena | UNF Arena |
Seasons | |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Florida † | 12 | – | 2 | .857 | 23 | – | 12 | .657 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida Gulf Coast | 11 | – | 3 | .786 | 22 | – | 11 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USC Upstate | 8 | – | 6 | .571 | 24 | – | 12 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lipscomb | 7 | – | 7 | .500 | 14 | – | 17 | .452 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Kentucky* | 7 | – | 7 | .500 | 13 | – | 17 | .433 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jacksonville | 4 | – | 10 | .286 | 10 | – | 22 | .313 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kennesaw State | 4 | – | 10 | .286 | 10 | – | 22 | .313 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stetson | 3 | – | 11 | .214 | 9 | – | 22 | .290 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| †2015 Atlantic Sun Tournament winner *NKU was eligible for A-Sun Tourney, but not for postseason play due to Div. I transition | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

The2014–15 North Florida Ospreys men's basketball team represented theUniversity of North Florida during the2014–15 college basketball season. The Ospreys competed inDivision I of theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and theAtlantic Sun Conference (A-Sun). They were led by sixth year head coachMatthew Driscoll, and played their home games atUNF Arena on the university'sJacksonville, Florida campus.
In their sixth season as a full Division I member, the Ospreys won their first Atlantic Sun Conference regular season and tournament championships and received their first everNCAA tournament bid. As a No. 16 seed in the south region, they were matched up against fellow No. 16 seedRobert Morris in the First Four in Dayton, Ohio. They were defeated 77–81 despite leading by 14 points in the second half.[1]
Nevertheless, the Ospreys set a program record for wins in a season and drew unprecedented media attention both locally and nationally.[2][3] They earned the #1 seed and home court advantage in the2015 Atlantic Sun men's basketball tournament, and advanced to the championship game where they defeated USC Upstate in front of a sold-out, record crowd of 6,155. The season also included two-game sweeps over their crosstown rivals, theJacksonville Dolphins and conference runner-upFlorida Gulf Coast. On December 6, 2014, the Ospreys upset thePurdue Boilermakers on the road, marking their first ever victory over aBig Ten Conference opponent.[4]
Head coachMatthew Driscoll was named Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year[5] and multiple players earnedall-conference honors.
In the Week 18AP poll released on March 9, 2015, the Ospreys received one top-25 vote, the first such occurrence in program history.[6]
The Ospreys finished the 2013–14 season with an overall record of 16–16, 10–8 record in Atlantic Sun play. In theAtlantic Sun Conference tournament, they were defeated in the quarterfinals by USC Upstate, 80–74.
| Number | Name | Position | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Jalen Nesbitt | Guard | 6–6 | 195 | Senior | Inman, South Carolina |
| 1 | Karlos Odum | Forward | 6–6 | 198 | Freshman | Lakeland, Florida |
| 2 | Beau Beech | Guard/Forward | 6–8 | 210 | Junior | Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida |
| 3 | Chase Driscoll | Guard | 5–8 | 170 | Freshman | Jacksonville, Florida |
| 4 | Devin Wilson | Guard | 5–11 | 176 | Senior | Gainesville, Florida |
| 10 | Osborn Blount | Guard | 5–10 | 173 | Sophomore | Jacksonville, Florida |
| 11 | Trent Mackey | Guard | 6–3 | 184 | Junior | Tampa, Florida |
| 12 | Aaron Bodager | Guard | 6–5 | 205 | Sophomore | Oviedo, Florida |
| 14 | Dallas Moore | Guard | 6–1 | 175 | Sophomore | St. Petersburg, Florida |
| 15 | Ismaila Dauda | Center | 6–9 | 250 | Senior | Kano,Nigeria |
| 23 | Nick Malonga | Guard | 6–4 | 197 | Sophomore | Bolingbrook, Illinois |
| 32 | Demarcus Daniels | Forward | 6–7 | 195 | Junior | Ashburn, Georgia |
| 33 | Romelo Banks | Center | 6–11 | 235 | Sophomore | Kissimmee, Florida |
| 35 | Chris Davenport | Forward | 6–8 | 210 | Sophomore | Atlanta,Georgia |
| Date time, TV | Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-conference regular season | |||||||||||
| Nov. 14* 7:00 pm | at South Carolina | L 56–81 | 0–1 | 21 – Moore | 6 – Nesbitt | 3 – Mackey | Colonial Life Arena (10,473) Columbia, SC | ||||
| Nov. 17* 7:00 pm | Webber International | W 79–55 | 1–1 | 22 – Moore | 6 – Tied | 5 – Beech | UNF Arena (1,622) Jacksonville, FL | ||||
| Nov. 20* 8:00 pm | at Northwestern Cancún Challenge | L 67–69 | 1–2 | 18 – Moore | 8 – Nesbitt | 5 – Moore | Welsh-Ryan Arena (5,783) Evanston, IL | ||||
| Nov. 22* 2:00 pm | at Northern Iowa Cancún Challenge | L 49–66 | 1–3 | 15 – Nesbitt | 8 – Davenport | 3 – Moore | McLeod Center (3,220) Cedar Falls, IA | ||||
| Nov. 25* 4:00 pm | vs. Liberty Cancún Challenge Mayan Division | W 77–57 | 2–3 | 20 – Moore | 7 – Banks | 4 – Moore | Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya (215) Cancún, MX | ||||
| Nov. 26* 4:00 pm | vs. Elon Cancún Challenge Mayan Division | W 72–65 | 3–3 | 21 – Moore | 6 – Tied | 6 – Nesbitt | Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya (540) Cancún, MX | ||||
| Dec. 1* 7:00 pm | Edward Waters | W 97–65 | 4–3 | 25 – Beech | 8 – Tied | 6 – Nesbitt | UNF Arena (1,263) Jacksonville, FL | ||||
| Dec. 3* 8:00 pm | at Bethune-Cookman | W 63–56 | 5–3 | 14 – Nesbitt | 8 – Nesbitt | 4 – Davenport | Moore Gymnasium (904) Daytona Beach, FL | ||||
| Dec. 6* 2:00 pm | at Purdue | W 73–70 | 6–3 | 24 – Moore | 8 – Tied | 4 – Moore | Mackey Arena (11,038) West Lafayette, IN | ||||
| Dec. 15* 7:00 pm | Tennessee Tech | L 80–82 | 6–4 | 26 – Moore | 17 – Davenport | 4 – Tied | UNF Arena (1,128) Jacksonville, FL | ||||
| Dec. 17* 7:00 pm, RSN | at Florida State | L 77–93 | 6–5 | 23 – Moore | 5 – Tied | 4 – Davenport | Donald L. Tucker Civic Center (4,969) Tallahassee, FL | ||||
| Dec. 19* 7:00 pm | at Florida A&M | W 83–65 | 7–5 | 22 – Mackey | 10 – Nesbitt | 6 – Tied | Teaching Gymnasium (N/A) Tallahassee, FL | ||||
| Dec. 22* 8:00 pm, ESPN3 | at Iowa | L 70–80 | 7–6 | 18 – Mackey | 8 – Davenport | 7 – Moore | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (14,137) Iowa City, IA | ||||
| Dec. 29* 7:00 pm | at Tennessee Tech | L 84–87 | 7–7 | 20 – Moore | 11 – Nesbitt | 4 – Tied | Eblen Center (1,549) Cookeville, TN | ||||
| Dec. 31* 3:00 pm | at Austin Peay | L 60–65 | 7–8 | 16 – Davenport | 8 – Davenport | 3 – Tied | Dunn Center (1,802) Clarksville, TN | ||||
| Jan. 2* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | at Alabama | L 61–76 | 7–9 | 14 – Daniels | 6 – Tied | 4 – Moore | Coleman Coliseum (8,821) Tuscaloosa, AL | ||||
| Jan. 6* 7:00 pm | Trinity Baptist | W 106–60 | 8–9 | 26 – Banks | 6 – Tied | 8 – Davenport | UNF Arena (1,715) Jacksonville, FL | ||||
| Atlantic Sun Conference regular season | |||||||||||
| Jan. 10 3:00 pm | at Jacksonville River City Rumble | W 86–63 | 9–9 (1–0) | 20 – Moore | 9 – Davenport | 2 – Tied | Veterans Memorial Arena (1,879) Jacksonville, FL | ||||
| Jan. 14 7:00 pm | Florida Gulf Coast | W 80–64 | 10–9 (2–0) | 27 – Moore | 8 – Daniels | 9 – Moore | UNF Arena (3,189) Jacksonville, FL | ||||
| Jan. 17 1:00 pm | at Stetson | W 80–65 | 11–9 (3–0) | 17 – Tied | 12 – Daniels | 6 – Nesbitt | Edmunds Center (1,262) DeLand, FL | ||||
| Jan. 22 7:00 pm | at Northern Kentucky | W 74–66 | 12–9 (4–0) | 24 – Davenport | 7 – Tied | 4 – Moore | The Bank of Kentucky Center (2,090) Highland Heights, KY | ||||
| Jan. 24 5:00 pm | at Lipscomb | W 75–66 | 13–9 (5–0) | 27 – Beech | 7 – Tied | 7 – Moore | Allen Arena (3,942) Nashville, TN | ||||
| Jan. 29 7:00 pm | Kennesaw State | W 86–67 | 14–9 (6–0) | 17 – Tied | 8 – Davenport | 9 – Moore | UNF Arena (1,805) Jacksonville, FL | ||||
| Jan. 31 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | USC Upstate | L 74–79 | 14–10 (6–1) | 23 – Beech | 7 – Tied | 6 – Moore | UNF Arena (2,002) Jacksonville, FL | ||||
| Feb. 6 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | Jacksonville River City Rumble | W 77–50 | 15–10 (7–1) | 16 – Beech | 8 – Davenport | 4 – Wilson | UNF Arena (5,102) Jacksonville, FL | ||||
| Feb. 12 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | at USC Upstate | L 63–80 | 15–11 (7–2) | 17 – Davenport | 7 – Nesbitt | 6 – Moore | G. B. Hodge Center (807) Spartanburg, SC | ||||
| Feb. 14 2:00 pm, ESPN3 | at Kennesaw State | W 67–51 | 16–11 (8–2) | 14 – Davenport | 6 – Tied | 6 – Nesbitt | KSU Convocation Center (761) Kennesaw, GA | ||||
| Feb. 19 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | Lipscomb | W 93–78 | 17–11 (9–2) | 21 – Moore | 11 – Nesbitt | 5 – Nesbitt | UNF Arena (1,528) Jacksonville, FL | ||||
| Feb. 21 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | Northern Kentucky | W 88–69 | 18–11 (10–2) | 26 – Nesbitt | 10 – Beech | 5 – Moore | UNF Arena (1,427) Jacksonville, FL | ||||
| Feb. 25 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | at Florida Gulf Coast | W 76–62 | 19–11 (11–2) | 22 – Beech | 13 – Beech | 2 – Tied | Alico Arena (4,692) Fort Myers, FL | ||||
| Feb. 28 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | Stetson | W 86–71 | 20–11 (12–2) | 21 – Moore | 9 – Davenport | 5 – Nesbitt | UNF Arena (3,793) Jacksonville, FL | ||||
| Atlantic Sun tournament | |||||||||||
| Mar. 3 7:30 pm, ESPN3 | (1) | (8) Stetson Quarterfinals | W 81–67 | 21–11 | 19 – Beech | 11 – Daniels | 6 – Nesbitt | UNF Arena (3,313) Jacksonville, FL | |||
| Mar. 5 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | (1) | (5) Lipscomb Semifinals | W 71–57 | 22–11 | 36 – Moore | 9 – Davenport | 5 – Nesbitt | UNF Arena (4,106) Jacksonville, FL | |||
| Mar. 8 2:30 pm, ESPN2 | (1) | (3) USC Upstate Championship game | W 63–57 | 23–11 | 22 – Daniels | 10 – Davenport | 3 – Tied | UNF Arena (6,155) Jacksonville, FL | |||
| NCAA tournament | |||||||||||
| Mar. 18* 6:40 pm, truTV | (16 S) | vs. (16 S) Robert Morris First Four | L 77–81 | 23–12 | 28 – Beech | 9 – Nesbitt | 5 – Moore | UD Arena (12,592) Dayton, OH | |||
*Non-conference game.#Rankings fromAP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S=South region. All times are inEastern Time. | |||||||||||
Source:[7]