# 2017–18 North Florida Ospreys men's basketball team

The 2017–18 North Florida Ospreys men's basketball team represented the University of North Florida during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by ninth–year head coach Matthew Driscoll and played their home games at UNF Arena on the university's campus in Jacksonville, Florida as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN). The Ospreys finished the season 14–19, 7–7 in ASUN play to finish in a tie for fourth place. In the ASUN tournament, they defeated NJIT before losing in the semifinals to Florida Gulf Coast.

## Previous season

The Ospreys finished the 2015–16 season 15–19, 8–6 in ASUN play to finish in third place. As the No. 3 seed in the ASUN tournament, they defeated Jacksonville and Lipscomb before losing to Florida Gulf Coast in the championship game.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Karlos Odum | 1 | F | 6'7" | 215 | RS Sophomore | Lakeland, FL | Transferred to West Georgia |
| C. J. Fisher | 5 | G | 6'2" | 182 | Freshman | Miami, FL | Transferred to New Mexico JC |
| Aaron Bodager | 12 | G | 6'5" | 200 | RS Senior | Oviedo, FL | Graduated |
| Dallas Moore | 14 | G | 6'1" | 175 | Senior | St. Petersburg, FL | Graduated/Undrafted in 2017 NBA draft |
| Nick Malonga | 23 | G | 6'5" | 192 | RS Junior | Bolingbrook, IL | Graduate transferred to Davenport |
| Aaron Horne | 24 | G/F | 6'5" | 180 | Junior | Lake Worth, FL | Graduate transferred to Texas A&M–Commerce |
| Romelo Banks | 33 | C | 6'11" | 252 | RS Junior | Kissimmee, FL | Left the team for personal reasons |
| Chris Davenport | 35 | F | 6'8" | 215 | Senior | Atlanta, GA | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Noah Horchler | 0 | F | 6'8" | 200 | Sophomore | Indialantic, FL | Junior college transferred from Eastern Florida State College |
| Ivan Gandia | 21 | G | 6'1" | 170 | Junior | Caguas, PR | Junior college transferred from College of Central Florida |

### 2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Ryan Burkhardt SG | Saint Augustine, FL | Saint Augustine High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 155 lb (70 kg) | Jan 31, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Brian Coffey Jr. SG | Lilburn, GA | Greater Atlanta Christian School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Wes Morgan SG | Charlotte, NC | Ardrey Kell High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Trip Day SF | Columbus, GA | Glenwood School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 30, 2017. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| Nov 10, 2017* 8:00 pm, BTN | | at No. 2 Michigan State | L 66–98 | 0–1 | 19 – Gandia-Rosa | 7 – Aminu | 5 – Gandia-Rosa | Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI |
| Nov 11, 2017* 7:30 pm, BTN+ | | at Michigan Maui on the Mainland | L 66–86 | 0–2 | 17 – Sams | 9 – Horchler | 3 – Aminu | Crisler Arena (9,916) Ann Arbor, MI |
| Nov 13, 2017* 7:00 pm, MASN | | at VCU Maui on the Mainland | L 85–95 | 0–3 | 23 – Escobar | 12 – Aminu | 7 – Gandia-Rosa | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| Nov 16, 2017 7:00 pm, SECN | | at No. 8 Florida | L 68–108 | 0–4 | 13 – Day | 8 – Day | 2 – Tied | O'Connell Center (9,151) Gainesville, FL |
| Nov 18, 2017* 4:00 pm | | vs. Mount St. Mary's Maui on the Mainland | L 81–84 | 0–5 | 16 – Sams | 10 – Aminu | 6 – Gandia-Rosa | Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium (300) Spartanburg, SC |
| Nov 19, 2017* 2:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Wofford Maui on the Mainland | L 83–86 | 0–6 | 21 – Gandia-Rosa | 7 – Tied | 2 – Tied | Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium (1,632) Spartanburg, SC |
| Nov 21, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Edward Waters | W 101–77 | 1–6 | 19 – Gandia-Rosa | 4 – Day | 6 – Gandia-Rosa | UNF Arena (1,843) Jacksonville, FL |
| Nov 25, 2017* 4:00 pm, RSN | | at No. 11 Miami (FL) | L 65–86 | 1–7 | 16 – Escobar | 5 – Sams | 3 – Gandia-Rosa | Watsco Center (7,189) Coral Gables, FL |
| Nov 29, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Eastern Michigan | W 84–81 $^{OT}$ | 2–7 | 20 – Sams | 9 – Tied | 5 – Gandia-Rosa | UNF Arena (1,589) Jacksonville, FL |
| Dec 2, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Trinity Baptist | W 85–58 | 3–7 | 14 – Gandia-Rosa | 14 – Horchier | 4 – Gandia-Rosa | UNF Arena (1,526) Jacksonville, FL |
| Dec 11, 2017* 7:00 pm | | at Florida A&M | W 101–89 | 4–7 | 21 – Gandia-Rosa | 9 – Horchier | 8 – Gandia-Rosa | Alfred Lawson, Jr. Multipurpose Center (1,389) Tallahassee, FL |
| Dec 13, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | FIU | W 87–85 | 5–7 | 24 – Gandia-Rosa | 14 – Horchier | 5 – Gandia-Rosa | UNF Arena (1,479) Jacksonville, FL |
| Dec 16, 2017* 8:30 pm, SECN | | at Missouri | L 51–85 | 5–8 | 13 – Aminu | 12 – Horchier | 3 – Gandia-Rosa | Mizzou Arena (15,061) Columbia, MO |
| Dec 19, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Ball State | W 79–65 | 5–9 | 19 – Horchler | 13 – Horchler | 10 – Gandia-Rosa | Worthen Arena (3,018) Muncie, IN |
| Dec 22, 2017* 8:00 pm, SECN+ | | at LSU | L 52–104 | 5–10 | 11 – Day | 7 – Horchler | 3 – Tied | Maravich Center (8,212) Baton Rouge, LA |
| Dec 30, 2017* 4:00 pm, SECN+ | | at Mississippi State | L 81–109 | 5–11 | 17 – Day | 4 – Day | 7 – Gandia-Rosa | Humphrey Coliseum (7,764) Starkville, MS |
| Jan 2, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Florida National | W 104–70 | 6–11 | 18 – Escobar | 13 – Lambright | 6 – Tied | UNF Arena (1,181) Jacksonville, FL |
| Atlantic Sun Conference regular season |||||||||
| Jan 6, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Jacksonville | L 86–90 | 6–12 (0–1) | 19 – Day | 10 – Horchler | 7 – Gandia-Rosa | UNF Arena (2,788) Jacksonville, FL |
| Jan 11, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Lipscomb | W 102–96 | 7–12 (1–1) | 26 – Gandia-Rosa | 15 – Horchler | 5 – Gandia-Rosa | UNF Arena (1,481) Jacksonville, FL |
| Jan 13, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Kennesaw State | W 85–78 | 8–12 (2–1) | 18 – Day | 13 – Horchler | 6 – Gandia-Rosa | UNF Arena (1,669) Jacksonville, FL |
| Jan 18, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at NJIT | L 59–91 | 8–13 (2–2) | 12 – Horchler | 8 – Horchler | 5 – Gandia-Rosa | Wellness and Events Center (555) Newark, NJ |
| Jan 20, 2018 2:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at USC Upstate | W 100–80 | 9–13 (3–2) | 31 – Horchler | 12 – Horchler | 13 – Gandia-Rosa | G. B. Hodge Center (749) Spartanburg, SC |
| Jan 24, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Florida Gulf Coast | L 87–96 | 9–14 (3–3) | 28 – Escobar | 11 – Horchler | 10 – Gandia-Rosa | UNF Arena (2,248) Jacksonville, FL |
| Jan 27, 2018 4:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Stetson | W 73–65 | 10–14 (4–3) | 15 – Gandia-Rosa | 16 – Horchler | 7 – Gandia-Rosa | Edmunds Center (893) DeLand, FL |
| Jan 29, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Florida Gulf Coast | L 70–103 | 10–15 (4–4) | 16 – Horchler | 10 – Horchler | 7 – Gandia-Rosa | Alico Arena (4,016) Fort Myers, FL |
| Feb 3, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Stetson | W 97–91 | 11–15 (5–4) | 20 – Aminu | 13 – Aminu | 8 – Gandia-Rosa | UNF Arena (2,001) Jacksonville, FL |
| Feb 8, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Kennesaw State | L 81–89 | 11–16 (5–5) | 22 – Horchler | 9 – Aminu | 11 – Gandia-Rosa | KSU Convocation Center (1,336) Kennesaw, GA |
| Feb 10, 2018 5:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Lipscomb | L 75–82 | 11–17 (5–6) | 22 – Day | 10 – Horchler | 5 – Gandia-Rosa | Allen Arena (1,692) Nashville, TN |
| Feb 15, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | USC Upstate | W 109–100 | 12–17 (6–6) | 29 – Aminu | 11 – Horchler | 18 – Gandia-Rosa | UNF Arena (1,606) Jacksonville, FL |
| Feb 17, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | NJIT | W 86–75 | 13–17 (7–6) | 23 – Gandia-Rosa | 7 – Horchler | 2 – Tied | UNF Arena (2,292) Jacksonville, FL |
| Feb 22, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Jacksonville | L 81–86 | 13–18 (7–7) | 19 – Sams | 9 – Horchler | 5 – Gandia-Rosa | Swisher Gymnasium (1,360) Jacksonville, FL |
| Atlantic Sun tournament |||||||||
| Feb 26, 2018 7:30 pm, ESPN3 | (5) | at (4) NJIT Quarterfinals | W 80–76 | 14–18 | 28 – Sams | 9 – Horchler | 8 – Gandia-Rosa | Wellness and Events Center (1,235) Newark, NJ |
| Mar 1, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | (5) | at (1) Florida Gulf Coast Semifinals | L 72–95 | 14–19 | 22 – Escobar | 7 – Aminu | 5 – Gandia-Rosa | Alico Arena (3,321) Fort Myers, FL |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||