College Basketball Opening Night in Jacksonville: JU Hosts Trinity at Swisher, UNF's Women Host Florida Tech and the Osprey Men Open in California

Opening night is a local double bill plus a road trip. Jacksonville University's men host Trinity College of Jacksonville tonight at Swisher Gymnasium - a 7 p.m. tip in the listings read by the Sports Desk this run - after the university announced on October 27 that the opener's opponent had changed from Paine College, the game first on its published schedule. North Florida's women open at home tonight against Florida Tech, and UNF's men open on the road at California Baptist; JU's women start Tuesday at Florida International.

The Florida Times-Union's First Coast preview, published November 2 and read via search this run, frames the local season as the Year of the Guard. JU's backcourt returns sophomore starters Evan Sterck and Hayden Wood - Wood led the Dolphins at 11.8 points per game last season - for head coach Jordan Mincy, in his sixth season (81-77) after a 12-20 year. The ASUN coaches picked JU second, with two first-place votes, and gave UNF one first-place vote of their own.

UNF's returning scorer is its headliner: Episcopal graduate Kent Jackson averaged 14.8 points per game, second among the conference's leading returning scorers in the Times-Union's account. The Dolphins' November is a tour after tonight - at Florida on November 5, at Georgia on November 16 and at Indiana on November 24 in the schedule highlights the preview published - which makes tonight the one home look at this JU team before the road stretch. The Sports Desk files results on the game-night cycle.