Showdown Preview: UNF vs. JU

This year's game is about much more than a trophy or title.

Saying that Jacksonville isn’t known for its college basketball scene is an understatement. Although Jax has hosted NCAA Tournament games and put a team in the national championship game in the past, FOOTBALL dominates the First Coast.

That all changes this Saturday.

Jacksonville University’s men basketball game versus the University of North Florida this weekend won’t be the first time the two squads have met. However, it may be the first time the game has really meant something.

JU has held sole reign over college basketball in this part of state as long as your grandfather can remember. The team has had its fair share of successes over the years, which include a National Championship game loss to UCLA in 1970. UNF, the new kid on the block, hasn’t ever done much more than putting players on the court.

The Ospreys have only recorded two winning campaigns since the program’s founding in 1992. Recently though, things have changed.

Coach Matthew Driscoll, in his third season at UNF, has brought in a whole new mentality and more wins than the Ospreys are used to. Last year UNF emerged from irrelevance to beat JU in the conference tournament and fall one game short of earning their first ever NCAA Tournament bid.

Now, for the first time…the two schools are even.

Both know how to win. Both are legitimate tournament contenders. Both are at the top of the Atlantic Sun Conference.

Both are capable of beating each other.

However, only one team can leave with the W on Saturday. Let’s take a look at how the game should break down.

 

MATCH-UP BREAKDOWN

STRENGTHS

These teams play two very different styles of basketball.

The Dolphins are lights out on offense. JU regularly records a FG % over .500, and has five players currently averaging over 10 points a game. The team knows how to spread the ball around and score from any spot or position on the court. Plus, guard Keith McDougald is a three-point ace shooting .407 % from beyond the arc.

The Ospreys like to build their offense off of their defense. UNF prides themselves on fighting for tough boards, and uses aggressive ball control to create options for their guards. Forward Matt Sauey has nine block on the season, and Travis Wallace and Andy Diaz average over five rebounds a game.

WEAKNESSES

This year’s starting five for the Dolphins may be one of the top groups in program history…but that’s about all this team has. There is a clear drop off in production when the starters are not on the floor, and it has continually hurt JU late in games this season. The Dolphins will need their bench to step up if they want to keep pace with the Ospreys, who spread minutes equally across their roster from top to bottom.

One of UNF’s biggest strengths this season has historically been one of their biggest weaknesses versus JU. Wallace’s 22 offensive rebounds highlights a total of 91 on the season for the season for the Ospreys that is well above normal. UNF has long been abysmal at recovering their own shots, and has recently lost several close games to their cross-town rivals due to lack of offensive boards late in the game. Whoever wins the rebounding battle towards the end will win the game!

KEYS TO THE GAME

Jacksonville may not have much depth, but they have experience. The Dolphins know how to win late in a game, and have dominated UNF in the final minutes the last few years. If the game comes down to the wire, JU will know what they need to do to make the right fouls or hit the game winning shot.

UNF loves their outside shooting,…but they haven’t been very successful with it this season Parker Smith and Jerron Granberry have dipped from their three-point efficiency from last season. The Ospreys will have to do one of two things to overcome the Dolphins stifling defensive play down low.

1.      Get the ball to their guards outside the arc, and create opportunities from there.

2.      Find a way to finally overcome JU’s inside defense.

P.S. (The first option is a whole lot more likely.

PREDICTION

This game won’t look like any match-up between these two teams that you’ve ever seen before. It should be close for a while, but UNF’s depth will wear into JU in the second half. The Dolphins will use their experience to cut into the lead, but it will be too little too late.

Final Score: UNF 66 – JU 57

Jags Midseason Report: Reality vs. Fantasy

 

“Fantasy” isn’t a word that fits well with the Jacksonville Jaguars. “Nightmare” is more like it.

Fans aren’t the only group fed up with the team’s lack of production. Jaguar players are scarcely found on fantasy rosters, and are usually a huge risk to start.

Here’s a breakdown of Jacksonville’s roster, and a look at what players the Jags, and fantasy owners, should start instead.

REALITY:

QB – Blaine Gabbert (PR 33)

He’s the worst starting quarterback in the NFL…in terms of Fantasy. Blame it on his youth. Blame it on the adjustment to a different type of system. Blame it on his receiving core or bad coaching. Gabbert just isn’t putting up good numbers, and won’t be for a while.

If he’s on your fantasy roster you should keep him permanently cemented to the bench unless there’s an emergency…which looks like where the Jags should have kept him for a while.

RB – Maurice Jones-Drew (PR 8)

He’s the only option on the Jags roster that you’d actually want to have on your fantasy team. Jones-Drew may not put up gigantic numbers every game, but he’s pretty consistent. However, one man can only do so much.

Jones-Drew’s ability to continue scoring points and touchdowns in the future will hinge on the support of his offensive counterparts. There will soon come a point where MJD simply cannot carry the entire team on his back.

RB – Deji Karim (PR 70)

Unfortunately, being a successful special teams player doesn’t equate to good fantasy numbers. Karim has become the Jag’s main backup running back since an injury to Rashad Jennings in the preseason. Yet, the most points he’s been able to manage in a game this year is six. Let’s hope Jennings can recover, so Karim can get back to focusing on what he’s good at.

RB/WR – Brian Robiskie (PR 140)

The Jaguars are like that popular girl you knew in high school…they like “projects”.  Gene Smith’s love for small-school players is the most obvious display of this. After that, the Jags are known for taking throwaway players nobody else wants. So what happens when one project fails? You move on to the next one. With Jennings and Sims-Walker injured opted to not role the dice and play it safe by filling the gap with someone else’s trash.

Jennings isn’t trash, and Robiskie was a second-round draft pick, but Smith’s strategy just doesn’t seem to work with finding play-making skill players.

WR – Mike Thomas (PR 69)

He’s not a number one option, but he’s the most dynamic receiver the Jags have. Thomas is known for his big plays, and his even bigger personality. However, his numbers don’t matchup with his charisma. You can expect him to make magician-like plays, but don’t expect him to record more than 4 catches or points.

WR – Jason Hill (PR 54)

He’s had some nice moments this season, but… don’t expect much more. The good thing is that Hill has provided some very good short-term value to the Jaguars. The bad thing is that he isn’t likely to be more than an occasional threat.

Fantasy wise, you should keep him on your roster and hope for the best…but don’t rely on him. Sounds like the Jags approach towards a lot of players lately.

TE – Marcedes Lewis (PR 42)

What a disappointment!

The Jags were looking for big things from the Pro Bowl tight end this season. However, Lewis is one of many ‘Top Level’ tight ends across the league who have disappointed. The fact that he has zero touchdowns and less fantasy points this season than he had in one game last year isn’t all his fault. Blaine Gabbert’s learning curve is driving the team’s franchise player into obscurity. But don’t expect the blame game to work for that long if Lewis continues to underperform.

Defense – (PR 14)

This defense is much improved, but they just don’t put up consistent fantasy numbers. There biggest improvement is in an area that can’t me measured: physicality.

K – Josh Scobee (PR 18)

Scobee is a great kicker that the Jags would be idiots to get rid of. Yet, I wouldn’t let him touch my fantasy roster with a ten-foot pole this season. He may be averaging eight points a game, but that’s due to an 18 and 12 point showings. This is not the Scobee norm. The Jags pitiful offense is not scoring, which means Scobee won’t be scoring for your fantasy team.

FANTASY:

QB – Tim Tebow (PR 23)

Money and fans aren’t the only things the local legend could have brought to the Jaguars. It may not be pretty, but the Broncos seem to be a winning team with Tebow at the helm. Plus, he’s been putting up decent fantasy points this season.

He may still be raw and inconsistent, but if you had to choose between the pair of young quarterbacks Tebow trumps Gabbert hands down.

RB – Maurice Jones-Drew (PR 8)

What more can we say?

He’s one of the best running backs in the league…even with little support from his teammates. Jones-Drew is a great player to have as the backbone of your franchise or fantasy team.

RB – DeMarco Muray (PR 21)

Five weeks ago I made a horrible mistake. I dropped Murray from my fantasy team. Since an injury to starter Felix Jones, Murray has caught on fire. He’s averaged over 19 points and 150 yards a game the last four weeks. He’s what you’d expect a backup that defenses haven’t fully figured out to be able to do. Although, he probably won’t be a backup for much longer.

RB/WR – A.J. Green (PR 8)

It may be a dream, but he’s the type of player the Jags need. Green and fellow rookie Andy Dalton have quickly turned the Bengals from a farce to a force in the AFC North. Receivers that can make an instant impact like Green or Julio Jones don’t come around every day. However, at this point the Jags need to invest all of that cap money they’ve been saving up on the best receiver available receiver…no matter who it is.

WR – Pierre Garcon (PR 14)

With Peyton Manning gone, he’s arguably the best player on the worst team in the league. He’s not a superstar, but he’s an example of what the Jaguars want their receivers to be.

WR – Doug Baldwin (PR 36)

Baldwin is the type of hidden jewel that Gene Smith loves. Sidney Rice may get more looks that his Seahawk counterpart, but Baldwin makes more out of less. The undrafted rookie has put up good numbers, and provides a real bang for your buck.

TE – Brandon Pettigrew (PR 16)

Tight end isn’t necessarily the easiest option to figure out. But at this point, a lot of people look like better scoring options than Lewis.

Defense – Detroit Lions (PR 6)

The Jags and the Lions defenses are roughly around the same quality. The one thing that really separates them is support. If the Jags were getting more help from the offensive maybe they could put up impressive numbers like the Lions. Instead Jacksonville will have to settle with “looking” good on defense for now.

K – Dan Bailey (PR 2)

The Cowboys have often looked a lot liked the Jaguars this season…except America’s team is actually winning. Bailey is the perfect example of what a good kicker can do on a bad team that scores.