Tuesday's First Coast Slate: Champion JU Women Open at FIU, UNF Men Open at California Baptist, and the Icemen Play a 10:30 a.m. School Day Game
Election Day is also a college basketball day on the First Coast. The reigning ASUN champion Jacksonville University women open their season at FIU at 7 p.m. behind preseason Player and Defensive Player of the Year Tatum Brown; the North Florida men open a three-game road trip at California Baptist; and the Jacksonville Icemen host Savannah in a 10:30 a.m. School Day Game.
The Dolphins who cut down the nets last spring start again on the road. Jacksonville University's women, the reigning ASUN champions, open the 2026-27 season Tuesday at 7 p.m. at FIU's Ocean Bank Convocation Center in Miami, FIU Athletics announced in the preview read by the Sports Desk this run. Jacksonville won 24 games last season and averaged 72.5 points per game, and the Dolphins are led by sophomore guard Tatum Brown - voted by the league's coaches as both the preseason ASUN Player of the Year and the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, after leading the ASUN champions in scoring at 10.0 points per game last season.
The coaches expect a race: JU and Florida Gulf Coast tied for first in the ASUN preseason poll with 58 points, JU drawing four first-place votes to FGCU's three, the Florida Times-Union reported. Teammate Aniah Smith joins Brown on the preseason All-ASUN team. Tuesday's opener is an early test of FIU's rebuilt roster against the champions, in FIU's own framing of its home opener.
Across town, the North Florida men open on the other coast. UNF begins its season with a three-game road trip against NCAA Tournament programs over six days - at California Baptist on Tuesday, November 3, at UCLA on November 6 and at Miami on November 9 - the Ospreys' own schedule announcement said. UNF returns home for its Homecoming game against The Citadel on November 14, the first of five straight home games at UNF Arena. The JU men, who beat Trinity College of Jacksonville 105-61 on Monday night (SQ-20261102-074), are next in action Thursday at No. 1 Florida in Gainesville.
And the day's first puck drops before lunch: the Jacksonville Icemen host the Savannah Ghost Pirates at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in the School Day Game, per Folio Weekly's November Sports Guide read this run. Three First Coast teams, three tip-offs and a puck drop, all on the day Jacksonville also votes - the Sports Desk will file the finals tonight.
