BRDAENTON, Fla. - New College of Florida men's basketball continues its opening week Thursday as the Mighty Banyans host Baptist University of Florida at 7:30 p.m at Bradenton Christian School.
NCF (0-1, 0-0) looks for its first victory of the season after opening its fourth year with an 82-65 loss to No. 24 Wayland Baptist on Monday. Thursday's game will be the season opener for Baptist, which went 10-20 during its inaugural season in 2025-26.
The Mighty Banyans won the first meeting between the programs, defeating Baptist 91-84 at SCF-Bradenton on Nov. 14, 2025.
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BACK ON THE COURT: The Mighty Banyans return to action three days after opening the season against nationally ranked Wayland Baptist. Thursday's matchup gives NCF an opportunity to earn its first win of the year.
HARRISON LEADS THE WAY: Cyncier Harrison scored a team-high 17 points in his first game with the Mighty Banyans. The graduate transfer scored 13 of his points in the second half and finished 8-of-11 from the free-throw line.
CORVIL OPENS WITH A DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Ricardo Corvil made an impact in his NCF debut, finishing with 10 points and a team-high 10 rebounds against Wayland Baptist. The junior guard also recorded two blocks and a steal after transferring from Kankakee Community College.
MCKINNEY PROVIDES A SPARK: Graduate guard Dezmond McKinney scored 10 points off the bench in his first game with the Mighty Banyans. The Bellarmine transfer added three rebounds and a team-high three assists.
MURPHREE MAKES HIS MARK: Redshirt freshman Will Murphree scored nine points in his NCF debut, connecting on two 3-pointers and adding three rebounds and a steal.
SECOND HALF RESPONSE: New College outscored Wayland Baptist 43-42 in the second half after trailing 40-22 at halftime. The Mighty Banyans shot 43.8% from the field after the break, improving from 26.7% in the first half.
TOSCANINI ADDS TO CAREER TOTAL: Senior Giovanni Toscanini scored seven points and grabbed four rebounds Monday. The fourth-year guard has 650 career points, ranking fourth in program history. Jordan Clark holds the program record with 793.
PRESSURE ON DEFENSE: NCF collected 10 steals against Wayland Baptist. Carson McCormick led the team with three, while Jonathan Olodude and Ty Townsend each recorded two.
KNOW THE EAGLES: Baptist University of Florida begins its second season of men's basketball Thursday after finishing 10-20 in its inaugural campaign.
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time Series vs. Baptist University of Florida: NCF leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: NCF defeated Baptist 91-84 at SCF-Bradenton on Nov. 14, 2025.
Key Player: Jordan Isaac averaged 19.1 points and 5.6 rebounds last season. He scored 35 points on 12-of-17 shooting against NCF, including three 3-pointers.
UP NEXT: NCF travels to NCAA Division I Florida International on Monday for an exhibition. The matchup will count as a regular season game for FIU.
