Basketball Game Preview: New Smyrna Beach Barracudas vs. University Titans

New Smyrna Beach has gone 8-2 against University recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Barracudas will look to defend their home court against the Titans at 7:30 p.m. The timing is sure in New Smyrna Beach's favor as the team sits on nine straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while University has been banged up by five consecutive losses on the road also dating back to last season.

New Smyrna Beach is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They strolled past Matanzas with points to spare on Tuesday, taking the game 95-80.

Owen McLaughlin

Field Goal Percentage

12/09/25 @ Matanzas	53%
12/06/25 @ Anclote	50%
12/04/25 @ Winter Springs	33%
11/25/25 vs Gateway	63%
11/24/25 vs Satellite	33%

New Smyrna Beach's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Owen McLaughlin, who dropped a double-double with 24 points and 12 boards. Thanks to that strong game, McLaughlin now owns an excellent 46.6% field goal percentage. The team also got some help courtesy of JD Fieser, who went 9-for-16 to rack up 29 points and seven rebounds.

New Smyrna Beach smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 13 offensive boards in three consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, University took a blow against Atlantic on Monday, falling 69-35. The game marked the Titans' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.

University's loss dropped their record down to 3-3. As for New Smyrna Beach, their victory bumped their record up to 5-0.

Everything came up roses for New Smyrna Beach against University in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, as the squad secured a 66-33 win. In that contest, the Barracudas amassed a halftime lead of 51-15, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Thursday.