The Jacksonville Dolphins men’s basketball team is preparing for the first round of the River City Rumble, hosting cross-town rivals North Florida at Swisher Gymnasium. This will be the 56th meeting between the teams since annual games began in 2004, and marks the fifth consecutive season featuring a home-and-home series. The Ospreys currently lead the all-time series by one game, 23-22.
Last season, North Florida won both encounters against Jacksonville by a total margin of seven points. In those games, Jacksonville managed to outscore UNF by 18 points in the second half at home but ultimately lost both matches.
Jacksonville enters this rivalry matchup following a fourth straight defeat on Wednesday against Stetson, losing 62-67. The loss concluded a three-game road stretch in which the Dolphins were winless and dropped their away record to 2-13 for the season. Jaylen Jones and Hayden Wood led Jacksonville with 14 points each in that contest. Jones has now scored double digits in three consecutive games for the first time since November and recorded eight rebounds, his highest mark this season. Wood has reached double figures in five straight outings and ranks among ASUN’s top ten players for three-pointers made per game (2.4).
Defensively, Jacksonville limited Stetson to 67 points—the fourth-lowest total they have allowed an ASUN opponent this year—after conceding higher scores in previous losses to Queens and West Georgia. Offensively, however, they struggled with shooting percentages of just 36.7% from the field and 18.2% from three-point range.
North Florida comes into the game as one of the conference’s top offensive teams, averaging 81.6 points per game but also allowing a league-worst 90.7 points per contest. The Ospreys are heavily reliant on three-point shooting, ranking fourth nationally for threes made per game (11.8) and seventh for attempts (32.5), converting at a rate of 36.4%.
Kamrin Oriol leads North Florida’s offense; he is ranked fifth nationally in total points and averages 20.7 points per game, placing him among national leaders in several categories including three-point percentage (42.1%) and minutes played per game (over 35). Former Dolphin Kent Jackson follows closely behind Oriol; Jackson is second in Division I for three-pointers made this season (93) and leads nationally in attempts.
After sixteen seasons under head coach Matthew Driscoll, Bobby Kennen has taken over as interim head coach following Driscoll’s move to Kansas State as associate head coach.
Both teams are tied for tenth place in current ASUN standings after recent losing streaks moved them down from sixth position last week.
Jacksonville holds ASUN’s best scoring defense so far this conference season, allowing only 71.5 points per game while ranking sixth-best at limiting opponents’ field goal percentage (47%). Donovan Rivers continues to contribute significantly inside with multiple double-digit scoring games and improvements at free throws recently.
The Dolphins are also among league leaders with an average of nearly three blocked shots per contest; Jason Thirdkill Jr.’s defensive play places him among conference leaders for blocks and rebounds.
Freshman Evan Sterck has provided immediate impact as primary ball-handler, leading Jacksonville with assists during conference play while also contributing defensively alongside Jaylen Jones.
Despite significant roster changes during offseason, Jacksonville remains one of NCAA Division I’s deepest squads statistically—ranking among national leaders for bench scoring—and recently secured their highest rebounding total in conference play against Stetson.
Both teams look to end their losing runs when they meet on Saturday as part of this longstanding city rivalry.
