CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team will look to continue their dominance at home as they welcome North Florida University on Wednesday, February 14^th at 7:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN Plus as the Royals remain in the hunt for a conference tournament berth.
 
GAMEDAY GUIDE
Date: February 14th, 2024
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Curry Arena (Charlotte, N.C.)
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THE MATCHUP
Wednesday's battle will be the fifth all-time meeting, and second this season after the squads met on January 20, 2024. North Florida holds a 3-1 record in the series and has won the last two meetings. Last month, the Ospreys used an explosive offensive performance draining 16 shots from downtown, a mark that a Royals opponent hasn't hit since February 13, 2021. Despite the loss, rookie Bryce Cash mailed in his best performance scoring a career-high 18 points while Deyton Albury led the Royals with 26 points and six boards.
 
SCOUTING THE ROYALS (10-16 overall, 4-7 ASUN)

• The Royals are coming off a tough 79-76 loss at Austin Peay over the weekend. Queens led by as many as 14 in the second half, however a seven-minute scoring drought from the field resulted in the Royals leading vanishing.
• Queens fell to 0-14 on the road this season. Despite the struggles, the Royals have dropped four league battles by a single possession as they look to play a complete 40 minutes of action.
• The Royals return to their friendly confines looking to stay hot as they are 9-2 inside Curry Arena this year. Queens has won three straight league battles in Charlotte and the Royals are averaging 90.3 points per game inside their den compared to 73.0 on the road.
• The highflying Royals push the tempo ranking ninth in the country in pace of play. This style of play has resulted in the Royals being fourth in the league in scoring at 80.6 points per game.
• The Royals play off the perimeter as they are third in the conference in three-point attempts at 26.6. Queens is knocking down 8.9 three-pointers per game which is fifth best in the league and top 40 nationally. The Royals are 8-5 on the season when burying at least their season average.
• Sharing the ball efficiently is a key for the Royals as they are 7-2 on the year when dishing out 15+ assists as a team. Queens ranks seventh in the ASUN in assists as guard Deyton Albury leads the way with 3.9 per game, which is eighth best in the ASUN.
• Scoring droughts and incomplete games have flipped the Royals ASUN season. Queens has held second half leads at Kennesaw State (13), Jacksonville (14), North Alabama (6), and Austin Peay (14) and were unable to come away with road wins.
• The Royals' junior guard AJ McKee is the catalyst for the offense as the Charlotte native averages a team-leading 17.9 points while adding 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists. McKee also averages a team-leading 1.7 steals per game which ranks third in the ASUN. McKee poured in a season-high 31 points against Austin Peay on an efficient 12-for-19 shooting from the field. The junior guard is third in the conference in scoring as he has eclipsed 20+ points in 24 games this year.
• Junior guard Deyton Albury has quickly stepped into a leadership role in his first year in the Queen City. The junior point guard is fourth in the league in points per game with 17.7. The Nassau, Bahamas native is also top ten in the ASUN in field goal percentage, assists, and steals. In the high-scoring shootout against Lipscomb, Albury stuffed the stat sheet with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists for his third career double-double.
• Senior forward BJ McLaurin has started all 26 games down low for the Royals and reached double figures in 15 games this year. The Fayetteville native added 18 points and a team-high seven rebounds against Austin Peay as he is tenth in the conference in rebounds with 6.0.
• Rookie Bryce Cash has become one of ASUN's most prolific freshmen. The Charlotte native kept up his strong play in conference play as he added 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting against the Governors. The Charlotte native is averaging 10.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in the Royals last seven games.

 
SCOUTING THE OSPREYS (13-13 overall, 6-5 ASUN)

• The Ospreys enter Wednesday evening with a 13-13, and a 6-5 record in the ASUN. North Florida comes to the Queen City following a 79-77 home loss to Central Arkansas over the weekend.
• After a hot 5-1 start to league play, the Ospreys are in a three-game losing skid falling against Austin Peay, North Alabama, and Central Arkansas.
• Wednesday night will kick off a three-game road swing for North Florida. The visitors have struggled away from UNF Arena holding a 3-9 record.
• North Florida is one of the nation's best three-point shooting teams attempting the eighth most per game and sinking the 12^th most at 12.0 per game. Both marks are atop the ASUN rankings.
• Despite attempting the fifth most shots from the field, the Ospreys sit 228^th in the country in pace of play.
• North Florida is scoring 78.3 points per game and holds a 10-3 record this year when reaching their season average.
• Chaz Lanier is the leader of the Osprey offense as the Nashville native leads the team in scoring with 19.2 points per game. Lanier is the ASUN's most prolific shooter as he leads the conference with a 46 percent mark from downtown. The two-time ASUN Player of the Week has poured in 20+ points in 12 games, including four 30+ point performances.
• Junior guard Nate Lliteras has come on strong during league play reaching double figures in all 11 outings. The Nebraska native is second on the team in scoring in ASUN play as he averages 13.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game.
• The visitors take advantage of their opportunities at the charity stripe shooting 76 percent which is third best in the ASUN and ranks top-30 nationally. 
• North Florida was picked to finish 11th in the ASUN Preseason Coaches Poll and eighth in the ASUN Preseason Media Poll. The Ospreys posted a 14-17 and 9-9 record in conference play last season.
• Matthew Driscoll has been the head coach at North Florida since 2009. Before UNF, Driscoll served as the main assistant at Baylor University for six years. In his time as head coach of the Ospreys, he has totaled three ASUN regular season titles, and one conference tournament championship in 2015. He has guided the Ospreys to two postseason appearances, including the 2015 NCAA Tournament, and an appearance in the NIT in 2016. Against the Royals earlier in the season, Driscoll became ASUN's all-time winningest coach.

 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Royals return to the hardwood on Friday, February 16th as they host Jacksonville University inside Curry Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN Plus.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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