JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Dolphins are back at Swisher Gymnasium for the second time this season after a lengthy five-game road trip that included stops in North Carolina and Virginia. During this stretch, JU also finished as the runner-up in the Sunshine Slam Ocean Bracket. Tuesday night, the Dolphins will host Florida A&M, another strong in-state opponent for Jacksonville.
Jacksonville Men's Basketball vs Florida A&M Rattlers
Tuesday December 2nd | 7:00 PM | Swisher Gymnasium | ESPN+ | 1010XL
Records: Jacksonville 3-4, Florida A&M 0-4
Last Meeting: 11/6/2018, Florida A&M Won 65-50
All-Time Record: Jacksonville Leads 10-3
The Matchup
Florida A&M enters Tuesday's game as one of the most battle-tested teams in the country, boasting the sixth-highest strength of schedule. The Rattlers have faced off against teams such as South Florida, Central Florida and Georgia. In their only home game of the season so far, the Rattlers played against Kennesaw State, a former ASUN conference rival of Jacksonville.
FAMU has a well-balanced scoring attack, with six players averaging more than eight points per game this season. The Rattlers have featured nine different starters so far, with senior forward Tyler Shirley being the only player to start in every match-up under first-year head coach Charlie Ward. Shirley has been impressive, shooting 50% from three-point range, hitting eight out of 16 attempts this year. Senior guard Jordan Chatman and junior guard Anquan Boldin Jr. are the only Rattlers to have played in all four games so far, and have started in two or more of those contests.
FAMU plays at a fast pace, one of the quickest the Dolphins will have seen this year. The Rattlers aim to create turnovers and capitalize on them quickly. Currently, FAMU averages 9.6 steals per game, tied for 30th in the nation. Turning those turnovers into points is critical for FAMU, as the Rattlers typically score about 16 points off turnovers.
Last Time Out
Jacksonville finished as the runner-up in the Sunshine Slam held in Daytona Beach. The Dolphins competed in the Ocean Bracket alongside Bethune-Cookman, Pacific and Stony Brook. In the first round, Jacksonville defeated Bethune, 69-64, earning a spot in the championship game against Pacific.
While in Daytona, Jacksonville received a strong performance from junior forward Donovan Rivers. In the game against Bethune, Rivers scored a career-high 13 points, while also making a career-high six field goals. Jacksonville faltered early, falling behind by eight points in the first half, but Rivers' team-high nine points helped keep the Dolphins in the game. He continued to be a key scoring contributor for head coach Jordan Mincy's team in the Championship, adding nine more points against Pacific. The 22 combined points marked the best two-game scoring stretch of Rivers' career as a Dolphin.
Dolphin Notes
Jacksonville lost over 75% of its minutes from last year's team over the offseason, but a talented class of newcomers has made significant contributions. Jaylen Jones, a transfer from Oakland, has emerged as one of the top scorers for Jacksonville, averaging 10.7 points per game with an impressive shooting percentage of 56.9% from the field. Additionally, Jones is one of three Dolphins to start every game this season.
Hayden Wood is another newcomer who has excelled early on in his time at Jacksonville. The 6'6" freshman guard has played over 20 minutes per game and has averaged 7.0 points and 2.6 rebounds. Wood has also added five blocks in his first seven games with the Dolphins, tying a team high. He shoots the three-ball at the second-highest clip on the team at 36%.
Preseason All-ASUN First Team member Chris Arias continues to be a significant deep-ball threat for Jacksonville. Together, Arias and Wood lead the team in three-point shooting. The two players account for 42% of all three-point attempts taken by the Dolphins and have combined to make 54.9% of the team's total three-pointers.
Jacksonville currently ranks 18th in the nation for defensive three-point percentage allowed, permitting opponents to make only 26.1% of their three-point attempts. Additionally, the Dolphins receive significant scoring support from their bench. They are ranked 42nd in the country for bench points, averaging 34 points per game from bench players. This is the second-highest average in the ASUN, only behind FGCU.
