#5 Bryant takes on #4 Saint Francis in NEC Tournament Quarterfinals Wednesday (7p)

THE PARTICULARS

The fifth-seeded Bulldogs travel to Loretto, Pa., to face off against fourth-seeded Saint Francis U. at DeGol Arena in the 2017 NEC Tournament Quarterfinals Wednesday night. The game can be seen live on NECFrontRow.com and heard at bryantbulldogs.com and on WOON 1240AM.

THE SERIES

Saturday's contest marks the 16th meeting and second postseason matchup between the Bulldogs and the Red Flash. Bryant owns a slight 8-7 edge in the all-time series thanks to a 79-75 home win on Feb. 18, but Saint Francis has the advantage in Loretto, 4-3. SFU has won five of the last seven matchups in the series dating back to the 2014 NEC Tournament and has won the last three at DeGol Arena.

TOURNAMENT TRIVIA

» Bryant returns to the NEC Tournament after missing the postseason in 2016-17.

» This is the fourth playoff appearance for the Bulldogs since becoming postseason-eligible five years ago (2012-13).

» This is the first time the Bulldogs will play an NEC Quarterfinal on the road, after hosting first-round matchups in 2013 (#3 seed), 2014 (#3) and 2015 (#4).

» Bryant is 1-3 all-time in the NEC Tournament.

» The Bulldogs and Red Flash have met in the NEC Tournament once before, when a three-seeded Bryant team hosted a six-seed SFU in the quarterfinals in 2014. The Red Flash won that contest, 55-54. The only current Bulldog to play in the game was now-senior Dan Garvin (2p, 2r, 13min).

SCOUTING THE RED FLASH

CCSU has struggled under first-year head coach Donyell Marshall, as the Blue Devils rank ninth in the NEC in scoring (62.5 ppg) and fifth in scoring defense (72.2). Khalen Cumberlander and Austin Nehls lead the side with 13.3 points per game, while Mustafa Jones adds 10.9 points each time out. Tidell Pierre ranks fourth on the team in scoring at 8.1 ppg but leads the side on the glass, pulling in 6.9 rebounds per contest (7th in NEC). As a team, CCSU shoots 41.9 percent from the floor but allows opponents to convert at a 46.6 percent clip. The Blue Devils have 43 fewer 3-pointers than its opponents in conference play alone and rank last in the league in 3-point defense at .381. Nehls is the team's top long-range shooter with 2.32 makes per game (3rd).

BRYANT vs. THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE 

The Bulldogs hold an overall record of 57-84 (.404) against current NEC members since joining the Division I ranks. Prior to the 2012-13 campaign, Bryant held a 9-44 record against conference opponents, but has recorded a 48-40 (.545) record over the last four seasons. The Black and Gold are 29-17 (.630) at home versus the NEC and 22-25 on the road since the start of 2012-13. All-time against current conference institutions, the Bulldog basketball program is 71-101 (.413).

THIS SEASON vs. THE RED FLASH

Nisre Zouzoua and Adam Grant led the Bulldogs in a regular-season series split, averaging 14.5 and 13.0 points per game, respectively. Rookie point guard Ikenna Ndugba paced the team on the glass with 12 boards in the two-game set (11 points), while Zouzoua and senior forward Dan Garvin teammed up for seven of the Bulldogs' 10 blocks. As a unit, the Bulldogs shot 39.6 percent from the floor and 31.6 percent from 3-point range, well below their 2016-17 season averages. They are exceeding season averages on the glass, however, pulling in 44.0 rebounds per game against SFU while averaging 35.8 on the year.

LAST TIME OUT

The Bulldogs led throughout a 91-77 Senior Day victory over CCSU Saturday behind a 27-point, seven-triple effort from sophomore Nisre Zouzoua. Senior Dan Garvin had a big day on the glass, pulling in a game- and season-high 11, while junior Hunter Ware recorded his first double-figure scoring outing of the season (10p). As a team, Bryant hit 13 treys and shot 50.8 percent from the floor, including a scalding 62.5 percent clip in the second half to outscore the Blue Devils, 53-42, in the final 20 minutes.

QUICK HITS

» Road Rage: The Bulldogs have struggled outside of the Chace Athletic Center this season, going 3-14 away from home and just 2-14 in true road games.

» Home Sweet Home: Conversely, Bryant is 8-5 in Smithfield this season, having gone 4-1 in the month of February.

» I think Ikenna: Rookie point guard Ikenna Ndugba has led the team on the glass in four of the last six games, totaling an impressive 46 boards and averaging a team-high 7.7 rebounds per contest — nearly double his season average (4.0). Ndugba has 124 caroms on the year, meaning he has pulled in 37 percent of his yearlong total since Feb. 9. He has led the team on the glass six times this season and hit the 10-rebound mark on three occassions.

» Toppling Giants: The league's top rookie scorer could also become the highest-scoring freshman in Bryant's DI history. Frosh guard Adam Grant needs 23 points to reset a record currently held by Bulldog great Alex Francis ('14), but it's up to the Bulldogs to see how many games he'll have to do it in. Francis scored 443 points in 30 games in 2010-11, before the Bulldogs were postseason-eligible.

» Nickels and Dimes: The Bulldogs tied a Division I program record Saturday, dishing out a season-high 24 assists in a win over Central Connecticut. The mark was first set back on Jan. 10, 2013 against then-league foe Quinnipiac. Nine different Bulldogs recorded an assist in the outing.

» Defense wins (most) games: The Bulldogs are 6-1 on the season when holding opponents under 70 points, suffering their only such loss at Wagner, 69-66, Feb. 23.

ZOUZOUA BECOMES FASTEST TO 1,000 POINTS IN BRYANT'S DI ERA, THIRD FASTEST IN PROGRAM HISTORY

Sophomore sharpshooter and NEC leading scorer Nisre Zouzoua became the 36th 1,000-point scorer in Bryant history Feb. 25 after a 27-point performance against CCSU. Zouzoua hit the milestone in his 61st career game, making him the fastest player to reach the 1,000-point threshold in the program's Division I era and third fastest to do so in Bryant basketball history. The previous Division I mark was set by Alex Francis ('14), who needed 63 games to achieve the mark. One asterisk deserves to be noted, though: transfer Dyami Starks ('15) reached 1,000 points in his career in 72 games but needed just 56 contests to score his 1,000th point as a Bulldog. Zouzoua's 61-game timeline comes in behind Hall of Famers Dave Sorafine ('76), who scored 1,589 points in 64 contests, and Tom Smile ('67), Bryant's all-time leading scorer with 2,390 points in 83 games.

BULLDOG PAIR EARNS ALL-NEC ACCOLADES

The league's top scorer and top scoring rookie were recognized for their season-long efforts Tuesday, as the Northeast Conference's top-scoring duo of Bryant sophomore sharpshooter Nisre Zouzoua and rookie guard Adam Grant were respectively named to the All-NEC First Team and NEC All-Rookie Team.

Zouzoua adds this recognition to an ever-growing list of accomplishments, a list that now also includes becoming the fastest 1,000-point scorer in the Bulldogs' Division I history. A 2016 NEC All-Rookie Team selection, Zouzoua has led the NEC in scoring nearly start to finish, averaging a 20.2 points per game clip that ranks 32nd nationally.

Zouzoua has posted 20 or more points an impressive 16 times this season, more than any other NEC player, and has failed to score double-digit points in just a single outing. He also leads the league in triples per game, hitting a shade under three each time out to rank 36th in the NCAA, and ranks in the top-10 in minutes per game and steals per contest. This season, the senior assassin set a new Division I program mark for single-season points (606 and counting) and is on pace to reset the mark for scoring average (20.2). One of the most prolific scorers to don the Black and Gold, Zouzoua already ranks sixth and fourth in the DI era for career field goals (331) and trifectas (149).

Grant earns an NEC All-Rookie Team nod after leading all NEC freshmen in scoring this season, averaging 13.6 points per game to rank second on the team and ninth on the league circuit. Averaging the NEC's highest minutes-per-game mark for much of the season, the rookie sharpshooter has netted double-figure points in 21 contests and will challenge to set the program mark for rookie single-season scoring. Another clutch 3-point shooter, Grant tied an all-time Bryant record for treys in a single game, dropping in nine against Sacred Heart on Jan. 14. The rookie also ranks second on the team in assists (81), steals (43) and free throw percentage (.786).

DYNAMIC DUO

Sophomore guard Nisre Zouzoua and his rookie counterpart Adam Grant are the league's premier point-producing tandem this season, combining for 33.8 points per game in 2016-17. Zouzoua ranks first on the league ladder with 20.2 points per game, while Grant ranks ninth and is the NEC's top rookie scorer at 13.6 points per outing.

JUST ZOO IT

Sophomore Nisre Zouzoua is in the midst of a superb sophomore campaign with an impressive 20.2 points per game to lead the league and sit 32nd nationally, while hitting 2.97 triples per game, most in the NEC (36th nationally). He has scored 20 points or more in 16 outings, tying the program's DI single-season record, including a career-high 31 points at Brown on Nov. 28, his second 30-point game of the year. He is one of multiple Bulldogs — and multiple Bulldog underclassmen — who have made their mark on the NEC leaderboards, including top minute-getter Adam Grant and assist machine Ikenna Ndugba (see chart).

SNEAKY SNEAK

Zouzoua has not just been a force on the offensive end this season, as he has matched those efforts on the defensive side. He sits ninth in the league with 1.50 steals per game and recorded six steals against the Pioneers on Feb. 4, the most for a Bryant player in a single game at the Division I level and the fifth-most in program history.

FEELING HOT, HOT, HOT

The Bulldogs enter the NEC Tournament as one of the hottest teams in the league, having won four of the last five contests. Bryant has averaged 79.4 points per game since Feb. 11 — 5.4 points per game above its season average — and is shooting 47.7 percent from the floor. During the same stretch, the Black and Gold have limited opponents to 72.6 points per game (76.7 season average) and a .414 shooting percentage (.447).

HALF & HALF

Bryant is 4-2 this season when shooting 50 percent or better from the field and have done so in three of the last five contests (3-0). After posting back-to-back such outings against St. Francis Brooklyn (.533) and Robert Morris (.510) on Feb. 11 and 16, the Bulldogs shot 50.8 percent in Saturday's regular-season finale win over the Blue Devils. Since joining the Division I ranks in 2008, the Bulldogs are 37-14 when they hit at least 50 percent of their shots.

THREE BIRD

Sophomore Nisre Zouzoua was at it again Saturday from beyond the arc, tying his career high with seven triples in the 91-77 victory. That made 12 treys for the sharpshooter on a 1-1 week and 15 over the last three contests. As a team, the Bulldogs hit 13 from long range against the Blue Devils, the second time in three games Bryant has hit that many and fifth time this season the team has registered double-digit trifectas. Saturday's 13 triples fall just one short of a season high, but those 14 threes came in a triple-OT battle with SHU.

HOT HALF

The Bulldogs scored 53 points and shots 62.5 percent from the floor in the second half against CCSU Saturday, marking the

third time this season the team has hit 50 or more in a frame. All three times, the mark has come in the second half (51 at Brown, 50 at FDU, 53 vs. CCSU).

FREE HOOPS

After playing three overtime games since Jan. 28 and five OT games this season, the Bulldogs are among the nation's leaders when it comes to needing extra time to decide a victor. Bryant is one of just 11 Division I teams to have played at least five OT contests this season, and just three of those teams — Eastern Washington, Toledo and Indiana State — have participated in more. Bryant's five OT battles sets a new NEC mark. In the program's Division I era, Bryant has now played in 15 overtime contests and is 5-10 in those contests.

THUNDER FROM DOWN UNDER

After being indispensable for the Bulldogs over a 14-game stretch from Jan. 5 through Feb. 16 (13.9 ppg), junior swingman Bosko Kostur has cooled off in his last three outings, averaging 7.7 points per game and shooting a below-average 7-for-22 from the floor. Still, Kostur has reached double figures on the scoreboard 12 times in the past 17 games and is averaging 12.8 points per game since becoming a regular starter back on Jan. 5. The Melbourne, Australia product is averaging 9.5 ppg on the year as a whole, shooting 48.4 percent from the floor and 41.2 percent from deep. He has played 20+ minutes in all 17 starts since Jan. 5 and is putting up 11.4 ppg in conference play.

TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT

The Bulldogs have played in some close games this year, and they are just 4-9 in contests decided by five points or less. And while Bryant's 73-72 overtime win over Fairleigh Dickinson Jan. 28 marked just the eighth one-point game for the Bulldogs at the DI level (5-3), it was the third such game this season (2-1).

NO SUCH THING AS A FREE... FREE THROW?

The Bulldogs weren't awarded a single free throw attempt until the final five minutes of a Feb. 18 win over Saint Francis U., with rookie Ikenna Ndugba heading to the line for the first time with 4:43 left in the game. The Black and Gold would end up going 8-for-12 on the game. Despite the late start, though, it was only the sixth fewest freebies the team has taken this season.

WHEN ONE DOOR CLOSES...

Sophomore Marcel Pettway saw just 16 minutes of floor time against the Red Flash after getting into foul trouble early in the second half. For the second-year bigman, who ranks second in the NEC with a .585 shooting percentage, it was the fewest minutes in his time as a starter (55 games) — a mark he tied Saturday against the Blue Devils — and fewest since a 12-minute outing Nov. 21, 2015 against Siena.

...ANOTHER DOOR OPENS

Pettway's limited minutes opened the door for senior Dan Garvin to have his best game of the year, scoring a season-high 12 points on a season-best 6-for-9 mark from the field. He hit double-digit points for just the second time this season (11 at FDU, Jan. 7), adding six rebounds and two blocks in 25 minutes. The senior then saw 24 minutes against the Blue Devils Feb. 25, pulling in a season-high 11 boards while adding nine points and two blocks.

I LOVE THE 80s

Following Saturday's 91-77 victory, Bryant is now 3-4 this season when scoring 80 or more points. Prior to the 2016-17 campaign, the Bulldogs had never lost more than one game in any season at the Division I level when scoring 80+ points and hold a 33-6 record at the DI ranks when doing so. Two of this year's 80+ point performances came in overtime outings and all four of the losses came by three points or less.

PERMISSION granted

Freshman Adam Grant has played like a seasoned vet in his first collegiate campaign. He has netted double-digit points 21 times this season and is second on the team with 13.6 points per game to sit ninth in the NEC and first among league rookies. The 32 points he scored against Sacred Heart on Jan. 14 were the second-most by a Bryant rookie at the DI level, behind Alex Francis's ('14) 43 points on Feb. 24, 2011.

DEFENSE WINS GAMES: EXTENDED

Bryant is 6-1 this season when holding an opponent to fewer than 70 points. This success has become a trend over the past few years, as the Bulldogs are 44-15 since the start of the 2013-14 season when surrendering less than 70 points. That mark gets even better when limiting the opposition to less than 60 points, where the Bulldogs are 24-7 at the Division I level. The Black and Gold have done so twice already this season, holding Robert Morris (56) and CCSU (54) in the 50s in back-to-back contests in late January, and the Bulldogs have been virtually unbeatable in such games since the start of the 2010-11 season (17-1).

BLOCK PARTY

After missing six-consecutive games from Nov. 28-Dec. 22, senior forward Dan Garvin returned against St. Francis Brooklyn on Dec. 29 and provided Bryant with leadership along with a presence at the rim. The Bulldogs tallied just five rejections in Garvin's absence but averaged three denials per contest over the next six games following his return. Garvin was responsible for 13 of those 18 blocks. The fourth-year rim protector is averaging 1.2 blocks per game this season.

HOLD ME UNDER

The Bulldogs are 5-3 this season when holding an opponent to less than 40 percent from the floor and have done so in five of the last 11 games (4-1). Since the start of the 2010-11 season, Bryant is 40-14 when limiting a team to a clip below .400 from the field.

ALL SHOOK UP

The Bulldogs have forced opponents into 20 or more turnovers three times this year, most recently against LIU Brooklyn (Feb. 9; 21 TOs), and each instance has resulted in an overtime loss. The last time an opponent coughed up the ball 20 or more times against Bryant prior to this season was back on Feb. 28, 2015 (20 by St. Francis Brooklyn). Since the Bulldogs joined the Division I level, they have seen an opponent turn it over 20 or more times on seven occasions and hold a 3-4 record in such games.

MISLEADING NUMBERS

The Bulldogs beat the Colonials on Jan. 21 despite just one made three and nine assists. The lone triple tied for the fewest in the program's Division I history and it marked the first victory when connecting on just one trey at the DI ranks (1-7). The win was also just the sixth at the DI level when Bryant has dished out fewer than 10 helpers.

MAN AROUND TOWNES

Townes was indispensable during a four-game stretch from Jan. 14-21, averaging 13.3 points and 20.5 minutes per game while shooting an impressive 62.5 percent from the floor. He netted 11 points in just 12 minutes off the bench against Sacred Heart — all in overtime — on Jan. 14 and a career-high 17 against Harvard on Jan. 16.

FIFTY NOT-SO-NIFTY

The 59-56 win over Robert Morris on Jan. 21 was just the eighth victory at the Division I level for the Bulldogs when scoring less than 60 points (8-47). Bryant won more than one game when scoring 50-59 points in just one season at the DI ranks, coming in the program's inaugural season as a DI school in 2008-09.

SNIPERS

The Bulldogs set a new Division I record with 15 steals in a triple-overtime thriller against Sacred Heart Jan. 14, nine off the all-time program record. The team is averaging 6.8 steals per game this year and is on pace to break the current single-season DI mark, which is 6.5 set in 2013-14.

HULK BASH

Sabastian Townes was stellar off the bench in his collegiate debut on Nov. 12 against the Fighting Irish. The rookie had 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting and a 6-for-11 effort at the line. He scored 10 points in the second half and tied sophomore Nisre Zouzoua and Alex Francis ('14) for the most points scored by a freshman in his debut in the program's Division I history.

RESILIENT IS BRILLIANT

The Bulldogs have overcome four halftime deficits this season and come back to win, including erasing a seven-point intermission deficit against Robert Morris back on Jan. 21. Bryant has also made up halftime margins for wins against Yale (8 points), Mount St. Mary's (4) and Wagner (2) this season, marking three of the 25 wins the program has at the DI level when trailing at the intermission.

THE BEST COMEBACK THAT NEVER WAS

Not to be overlooked in the conversation of second-half comebacks, Bryant nearly erased a 22-point halftime deficit at reigning NEC Champ FDU Jan. 7 despite what would eventually go down as a 87-84 loss. Had the comeback come to fruition, it would have been the largest halftime deficit overcome in program history. Nine days later, the Bulldogs chipped another 22-point second-half deficit — this one against Harvard — down to just one point, but ultimately fell to the Crimson by five.

ONE FOR THE AGES

The Bulldogs may have dropped the Jan. 14 battle against Sacred Heart, 112-110, in triple overtime, but they will forever be a part of one of the greatest games in program and Northeast Conference history. It not only marked the first triple-OT game that Bryant has played in at the Division I level, but it was the first in the league since Feb. 6, 2010. The 222 combined points are the most for an NEC contest since Feb. 22, 2003 and the second-most all-time. It was also the first time since Feb. 21, 2005 that two NEC teams scored at least 100 points in the same game and just the second time that Bryant had been involved in a game where both teams tallied triple digits.

GOT THE SHOTS GOING IN ON A SATURDAY

Freshman Adam Grant was in can't-miss mode from beyond the arc on Jan. 14, and his counterpart from Sacred Heart, Quincy McKnight, was lights out from the floor. Grant tied a Bryant single-game record nine threes, including three straight in the final minute to send the game into overtime. The nine makes are the most for an NEC rookie in the league's history and tied for the sixth-most all-time. The last time two players scored at least 30 points in the same NEC game was Feb. 5, 2015.

FOR THE FIRST TIME

The Bulldogs' 110 points scored against Sacred Heart on Jan. 14 mark the most in the program's Division I history. It was just the third time Bryant scored at least 100 points in a game at the DI ranks and it was the most points for the program since 2005-06. Bryant also connected on 40 field goals, the first time it has done so at the DI level, and the 85 attempts from the floor were the most as a DI program.

CAUGHT FIRE, DON'T PLAY WITH ME NOW

The Knights were scorching hot from beyond the arc on Jan. 7, as they netted 81.8 percent of their triples in the first half and 50.0 percent in the second for a .684 clip to finish the game (13-19). It marked the highest percentage an opponent had tallied against Bryant in the program's Division I history and just the third time a team had drained over 60.0 percent of its treys against the Black and Gold.

TRIPLE THREAT 

The Bulldogs won their first game of the year when having three players finished the game in double digits Jan. 5 against the Mount. Bryant is currently 4-11 in such situations after finishing 1-10 last season and 14-10 in 2013-14 and 2014-15 combined.

FREE WOAH!

Sophomore Nisre Zouzoua went 12-for-12 from the free throw line in the loss to St. Francis Brooklyn on Dec. 29, tying a career high in both categories. The effort was not just a personal best, but it was the most makes at the line without a miss in Bryant's Division I history and just the second time a player had gone perfect from the line on at least 10 attempts (Dyami Starks, 10-10, Feb. 28, 2015).

DOUBLE TAP

Sophomore Marcel Pettway tallied the season's first double-double (16p, 10r) against St. Francis Brooklyn on Dec. 29, the year's 13th game. It tied for Bryant's longest stretch to start a season without double-double in the program's Division I history. In the 2014-15 campaign, it took 13 games to get one, and it came from current senior Dan Garvin.

THIRTY MIND

Zouzoua's 30 points vs. Louisiana Monroe on Nov. 22 made him the first Bulldog to tally 30 or more since Dyami Starks ('15) did so on Feb. 12, 2015. Zouzoua scored 31 against Brown on Nov. 28 to become just the second Bulldog to score 30 or more points in two games over a three-game span and the second player to average at least 22.0 points over the first 10 games of any season in the program's DI history (Starks did it in 2013-14).

ALL THE NIS-WAY UP

Zouzoua eclipsed 500 career points in the win over Louisiana Monroe to become the second fastest Bulldog to reach the milestone in the program's Division I history (36 games). Alex Francis ('14) did it in 34 games. The sophomore is also the second-fastest Bulldog to score 200 points in a season, doing so against the Midshipmen in the campaign's 10th game. Dyami Starks ('15) reached the 200-point mark in the ninth game of 2013-14.

TWO-MINUTE SWARMING

The Bulldogs have a pair of wins this season when trailing in the last two minutes of regulation. Nov. 30 against Yale, the Bulldogs trailed with under 2:00 to play and still won by nine, 79-70. The Black and Gold then found themselves down two entering the final two minutes Jan. 5 against Mount St. Mary's, scoring seven of the next 11 points for the 72-71 win. The games mark just the fifth and sixth time Bryant has won a game in which it trailed with 2:00 to play at the Division I level.

SHOTS FOR CHARITY

The Bulldogs were not blessed by the whistle gods in the Nov. 18 loss at No. 14/14 Gonzaga. The Zags went to the line 45 times, marking the first time in Bryant's Division I history that it allowed an opponent to shoot more than 40 free throws. Bryant was then whistled for 28 fouls against Eastern Washington on Nov. 21 and surrendered 34 attempts from the line. In those two games, the Bulldogs allowed 64 points from the free throw line. Against Louisiana Monroe just one day later (Nov. 22), the Bulldogs only allowed three free throws. The three attempts were tied for the fewest that Bryant had surrendered at the Division I level.

TAKE A TIME OUT TO MEET TIM O'SHEA

Now in his ninth season at the helm of the Bryant men's basketball program and entering his 16th year as a head coach in 2016-17, Tim O'Shea (Boston College '84) continues to bring an enormous amount of experience, success and knowledge to the Bulldog sideline. Through his first eight seasons in Smithfield, O'Shea has helped steer the Bulldogs to three-straight NEC Tournaments from 2013-2015, as well as a national postseason appearance in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). Under O'Shea's direction, the Bulldogs have earned breakthrough victories over the likes of Boston College, Lehigh and Robert Morris, among others, while producing 14 all-conference selections and two Rookie of the Year honorees. O'Shea and his flock earned a national ranking in the Mid-Major Top 25 for seven weeks during the 2012-13 season and earned NEC Tournament hosting rights from 2012-2014. O'Shea has garnered much attention in his time with the Bulldogs, earning three major coaching awards in 2012-13, including Jim Phelan NEC Coach of the Year (as voted by league head coaches), College Insider NEC Coach of the Year and Rhode Island Coach of the Year. Before arriving in Smithfield, O'Shea was previously the head coach at Ohio University for seven seasons. He was also an assistant at the University of Rhode Island (1988-1997) and Boston College (1997-2001), his alma mater. He enters the 2016-17 season with an overall record of 201-258.

BULLDOGS ON NBA BENCHES

Two former Bulldogs find themselves on NBA benches and part of storied franchises in the league. Bryant basketball alum Josh Longstaff ('05) and former assistant coach Brian Keefe (2001-05) were both part of the New York Knicks staff last season and now cover both coasts. Longstaff is in his third season with the Knicks, while Keefe is in his first season as a player development coach with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2016-17. Both were part of Bryant's run to the Division II National Championship Game in 2004-05 and began their stints in New York after spending four and seven seasons, respectively, with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

OCEAN STATE OF MIND

The 2016-17 Bryant bench boasts 23 years of Division I head coaching experience across two of its coaches, with more than half of that spent at the helm of programs inside the Ocean State. Head coach Tim O'Shea enters his 16th season and ninth season at Bryant in 2016-17, and he is flanked by highly experienced associate head coach Happy Dobbs (sixth season). Dobbs brings eight years of head coaching experience to the sideline, all served at nearby Brown University. Assistant coach Chris Burns adds seven more years of coaching done within Rhode Island's borders, spending two seasons on the sidelines at Rhode Island College before joining his alma mater, where he is currently in his fifth season.

NO TICKET, NO PROBLEM

Bryant University Athletics and the Northeast Conference are once again affiliated with the Pack Network and NEC Front Row, the home for all NEC men's and women's basketball broadcasts. NEC Front Row brings viewers an industry-leading
video streaming solution for more than 90 Bryant University home contests during the 2016-17 athletic seasons, including live, free-of-charge, high-definition broadcasts of all Bulldog home men's basketball games. Live event productions
include multiple camera angles, an on-screen scoreboard, state-of-the-art graphics and DVR functionality. Visit NECFrontRow.com for more information and a complete schedule of events.

BRYANT HOOPS ON WOON RADIO

For the ninth season, all Bryant University basketball home games and select road contests can be heard LIVE on WOON 1240 AM. Veteran sportscaster Jon Wallach of 98.5 FM The Sports Hub Boston returns to call the action alongside color analyst Tristan Hobbes.