Photo courtesy of West Florida Athletics
Photo courtesy of West Florida Athletics

Men's Basketball

Men's Basketball Preview | Nov. 5-11

CURRENT ASUN STANDINGS
 
OVR CONF
Queens 2-0 0-0
Jacksonville 1-0 0-0
North Florida 1-0 0-0
West Florida 1-0 0-0
Bellarmine 0-1 0-0
FGCU 0-1 0-0
Lipscomb 0-1 0-0
Stetson 0-1 0-0
 

STARTING FIVE
 
  • Preseason favorite Queens opened up the 2026-27 season with two wins - one coming Wednesday night against LMU where Nasir Mann recorded a career-high 28 points, 22 of them coming in the first half while going 11-for-13 from the field. 
  • Bobby Kennan’s UNF squad opened the season with an eight-point win over Cal Baptist that saw five Ospreys score in double-figures: Kent Jackson (15), Mason Watkins (13), JR Bartelus (12), Mason Lee (11) and Ayuba Bryant (11).
  • Despite falling to UCF, the FGCU Eagles took the Knights to overtime in their season opener. Bryson Lucas led the way with 25 points and 10 rebounds while going 10-for-17 from the field.
  • Three different teams hit the century mark in their season-openers; Queens put up 103 against Winthrop, West Florida dropped 127 on Southeastern Baptist and Jacksonville scored 105 against Trinity College.
  • The ASUN will face top-ranked opponents this coming week with Jacksonville taking on No. 1 Florida, North Florida will face-off against No. 14 Miami and No. 22 UCLA while Queens will head to Provo to square up with No. 25 BYU.
 

ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

Thursday, November 5
Bellarmine at Indiana // Bloomington, Ind. // 6 p.m. ET // Peacock
Jacksonville at (1) Florida // Gainesville, Fla. // 8 p.m. ET // SEC Network

Friday, November 6
West Florida at Florida International // Miami, Fla. // 5 p.m. ET // ESPN+
FGCU vs. New College // Fort Myers, Fla. // 7 p.m. ET // ESPN+
Stetson at West Virginia // Morgantown, W.V. // 7p.m. ET // ESPN+
Queens at Oklahoma State // Stillwater, Okla. // 9 p.m. ET // ESPN+
North Florida at (22) UCLA // Los Angeles, Calif. // 10:30 p.m. ET // BIG 10 Network

Saturday, November 7
Lipscomb at SIU Edwardsville // Nashville, Tenn. // 5 p.m. ET // ESPN+
Bellarmine at Miami (OH) // Oxford, Ohio // 5 p.m. ET // ESPN+

Monday, November 9
West Florida vs. Baptist (FL) // Pensacola, Fla. // 6 p.m. ET // ESPN+
North Florida at (14) Miami // Coral Gables, Fla. // 7 p.m. ET // ACC Network
Jacksonville vs. Kansas City // Jacksonville, Fla. // 7 p.m. ET // ESPN+
FGCU at Georgia // Athens, Ga. // 7 p.m. ET // SEC Network

Tuesday, November 10
Lipscomb vs. Belmont // Nashville, Tenn. // 8 p.m. ET // ESPN+
Queens at (25) BYU // Provo, Utah // 9 p.m. ET // ESPN+

Wednesday, November 11
Bellarmine vs. Franklin // Louisville, Ky. // 7 p.m. ET // ESPN+
 

AROUND THE ARC 

PRESEASON COACHES POLL | To no surprise of anyone, Queens was the top choice in the Preseason Coaches Poll. The Royals, following a storybook postseason in 2025-26, won the ASUN Tournament last year as a three-seed to earn the program’s first ASUN Championship and their first trip to the NCAA Tournament in the department’s first eligible season since making the jump to Division I. Jacksonville was picked second in the poll after the Dolphins young roster won three of the team’s final five games of the regular season to move up to the No. 9-seed in the ASUN Tournament. Lipscomb checked in at No. 3 following a 19-13 record during the 2025-26 season. The Bisons return Mateo Esmeraldo and Titas Sargiunas while adding in Oregon transfer Takai Simpkins, all three being Preseason All-ASUN selections.

WEST FLORIDA JOINS THE ASUN | On April 2, the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) and the United Athletic Conference (UAC) announced that the University of West Florida would transition to the NCAA Division I level and join both leagues beginning Fall 2026. UWF will compete in the ASUN as a full multi-sport member, in addition to joining the UAC as a football-playing affiliate. UWF became the 17th member of Unisun Sports.

STATISTICAL LEADERS | Following opening day of the 2026-27 season, multiple ASUN teams find themselves among the top statistical leaders in the country; Jacksonville ranks second in assists per game (30), fourth in blocks per game (10) and 10th in rebound margin (33), FGCU ranked eighth in free throw percentage (92.6) while North Florida is ranked 15th in three-point percentage defense (14.8).

POSTSEASON AT THE DESTINATION | The 2025-26 season was the time the Atlantic Sun Conference Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments were held at a single site since the 2013 season. Held downtown Jacksonville at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, the ASUN Basketball Tournaments will make its way back to the 904 March 4-8, 2027.
 

ASUN IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS (TOP 30)
Assists Per Game
    2. Jacksonville (30.0)
Blocks Per Game
    4. Jacksonville (10.0)
Effective FG Pct
    17. Jacksonville (.676)
Fastbreak Points
    19. Queens (29.0)
Field Goal Percentage
    14. Jacksonville (59.5)
Field Goal Percentage Defense
    26. Jacksonville (28.6)
Free Throw Percentage
    8. FGCU (92.6)
    29. Lipscomb (84.8)
Free Throws Made Per Game
    24. FGCU (25.0)
Rebounds Margin
    10. Jacksonville (33.0)
Rebounds (Defensive) Per Game
    20. Jacksonville (38.0)
Scoring Offense
    30. Jacksonville (105.0)
Three Point Percentage Defense
    15. North Florida (14.8)