Pregame Glance: North Florida

The Buckeyes start the Holiday week off right with action against Atlantic Sun foe North Florida. After a big win over Jackson State, Ohio State will look to continue it’s development in the early season against the Ospreys.

When North Florida takes the court tonight against Ohio State, it’ll be the third time already on the young season that hey have taken on a top 25 team on the road. For a team that has never beat a top 25 opponent, the non-conference road has been a rocky one so far But after giving Miami a run for their money in in the second half, there is some fight on this team. The only question is if we’ll see it tonight.
Head Coach:

The Ospreys are lead by second year man Matthew Driscoll, who has proven after one year that he is the right man for the job. Picked to finish last in the Atlantic Sun conference last season, the Ospreys pulled upsets over Lipscomb and Belmont and tallied 13 total wins — just one shy of what the previous administration was able to do in it’s three years under the helm.

The protege of former Valpo and current Baylor head coach Scott Drew, Driscoll is a solid player developer with a good knack for convincing young talent that they fit under his coaching scheme.  In his first year as a head coach in college basketball,  he lead his team to the A-Sun Tournament championship game, despite fielding one of the youngest teams in the conference.  This year, the challenge continues with four starters returning, and top notch players developing into scorers.

After an improvement last season in conference, and a bunch of talent returning, the sky is the limit in conference play under Briscoll.

Osprey Rotation:

Leading the way for North Florida on both sides of the court will be talented junior Andy Diaz. The 6’7″ forward leads the team in points per game early in the season. Leading the team in rebounds last season, Diaz has began to focus more on his ability to get to the basket. Starting every game as a freshman, Diaz did a great job of getting to the line, but shot a horrendus 36% from the line. He followed that up with a 50% performance in his sophomore campaign.  With the team struggling so bad to rebound, it will be key for Diaz to put in the work on the glass.  Alongside him will be 6’6″ forward David Jeune. Jeune has yet to find any rhythm whatsoever in 2011.  Spelling both forwards will be sixth man Travis Wallace. He’s averaging 10 points per game on the young season. He alongside fellow newcomer Fred Landers will get plenty of opportunities to earn playing time if they can rebound or become a defensive presence night in and night out.

Fellow forward Matt Sauey will serve as a defensive replacement throughout the night. The 6’7″ senior has never been able to put together an offensive game, but is the school’s all-time leader in blocked shots. He’s averaged 20 minutes per night in the very heavy rotation that sends 10 players to the court a night.

In the backcourt, Jerron Granberry is the best capable scorer of the bunch. One a team that struggles from the charity stripe, he shot a solid 87% last season. He’s struggled so far though in the outset of the season to keep consistent. Part of that has to do with missing time. He tallied 19 minutes in North Florida’s last game against Miami. He has the ability to drive to the hoop, stop and pop, and even on a occasion dial up a long range shot. It’ll be interesting to see how he’ll impact tonight’s game. Parker Smith with find his way off the bench early and often in this one. Coach Driscoll calls him the best pure shooter on the team and though he’d start almost anywhere in the Atlantic Sun, he uses him off the bench as a true dagger. He led the team in free throw shooting, scoring and three point percentage last season.

Also starting is Charles McRoy, who has the ability to be the X factor this team is begging for. He can cut, slash, dash and dice to the hoop. Simply put, he is one of the few players on this team that can make things happen with his ball handling and driving ability.

One thing to watch tonight will be continuing improvement of Ohio State’s perimeter defense. The Buckeyes are over sized at nearly every single position on the court, and it wouldn’t be surprising if that’s the factor that gets the Ospreys out of this ballgame early on.

Look for big games from Ohio State’s second rotation tonight, and Jared Sullinger to gain more momentum heading into the November 29th showdown with  Duke.

Starting Lineups:

OSU – F Jared Sullinger F Deshaun Thomas G William Buford G Lenzelle Smith Jr. G Aaron Craft

North Florida – F Andy Diaz F David Jeune G Will Wilson G Charles McRoy G Jerron Granberry

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