RICHMOND, Ky. – First place EKU will host second place North Florida in a match-up of Atlantic Sun Conference men's basketball teams on Saturday at Baptist Health Arena.
 
Saturday will be Youth Sports Day presented by Coca-Cola.  There will be a mini basketball hoop giveaway and a postgame autograph session with the team.  All youth athletes and their families and friends are invited to attend.  Two FREE tickets are available at this link – ekusports.com\2024YouthDay.
 
The game will begin at 4 p.m. ET and air live on ESPN+.  The live radio broadcast of the game is available in the Richmond area on WCYO 100.7 FM, or worldwide on EKUSports.com.
 
THE COLONELS
-  EKU moved to 10-9 on the season and 6-0 in conference games after a 75-59 victory over Jacksonville on Thursday.  The last time EKU started league play with seven straight wins was in 1959-60.
 
-  Isaiah Cozart posted his ninth double-double of the season and his fourth in the last five games with 16 points and 13 rebounds against Jacksonville.  Cozart leads the nation in blocks and blocks per game, he is second in offensive rebounds, 11th in rebounds per game and 19th in field goal percentage.
 
-  In the Colonels' six ASUN games, Michael Moreno has shot 54.3 percent from behind the 3-point line.  He is averaging 11.7 points and 6.7 rebounds in league games.
 
-  EKU's win over Jacksonville was A.W. Hamilton's 97th as head coach of the Colonels.  He moved past Max Good (96) and is now the fourth winningest coach in program history.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
-  North Florida is 12-9 overall and 5-1 in ASUN games.  The Ospreys have won five straight after beginning league play with a one-point loss at Stetson.   
 
- In conference games, UNF is averaging 80 points per game and beating their opponents by an average of 10 points.  North Florida has shot 50 percent from the field and 42 percent from 3-point range against ASUN teams.
 
-  Chaz Lanier is averaging 22 points per game while shooting 59 percent from the field and 54 percent from deep in six conference games.  For the season, the 6-foot-4 junior guard leads the team with 17.7 points per game while shooting 51 percent from the floor and 46 percent from behind the arc.  He is seventh in the nation with 3.43 three-pointers per game.
 
-  Dorian James, a 6-foot-7 redshirt senior forward, is the team's top rebounder at 5.5 boards per contest.  He also contributes 9.9 points and 1.6 assists per game.
 
INSIDE THE MATCH-UP
-  North Florida leads the nation in 3-pointers per game at 12.6.  The Ospreys are 73rd in 3-point percentage (36.2 percent).  In its first six conference games, EKU has held its opponents to 6.5 three-pointers per game and  31.0 percent from behind the arc.
 
-  North Florida (-1.57) is 10th in the conference in rebound margin.  The Colonels (+4.63) lead the league.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
-  The Colonels are 2-1 against North Florida, with all three meetings coming since 2020.  EKU won the first meeting, 80-67, in  Raleigh on Nov. 25, 2020.  As members of the ASUN the past two seasons, the teams have split two meetings with each winning on its own home court.
 
-  Doomed by a season-high 18 turnovers, EKU lost to North Florida, 77-64, on Feb. 22, 2023.  Cozart recorded a double-double, finishing with 15 points and 10 rebounds.  Moreno also had a double-double, contributing 15 points and 10 rebounds.