Bulldogs open NEC play at home Thursday

FULL GAME NOTES
Watch: NECfrontrow.com
Listen: WOON 1240 AM
Live Stats: bryantbulldogs.com
Follow along on Twitter: @BryantGameday

THE PARTICULARS
Following its longest layover of the season, Bryant returns to the court to kick off 2014 and this season's Northeast Conference slate Thursday night at the Chace Athletic Center, hosting league foe Saint Francis University at 7:00 p.m.

THE SERIES
Bryant holds the 5-2 series edge after sweeping the Red Flash in a pair of 2012-13 contests, as both sides open NEC play Thursday night. The Black and Gold are 2-1 all-time against Saint Francis U. at the Chace Athletic Center and have won four of the last five meetings between the sides.

SCOUTING THE RED FLASH
Earl Brown is the only Saint Francis player who averages double-digit points, and the junior forward is nearly averaging a double-double on the 2013-14 season with 14.2 points and 9.9 rebounds each time out. Malik Harmon chips in 8.8 points per game and has dished out a team-leading 48 assists, while Ronnie Drinnon's 12 blocks lead the side. As a team, the Red Flash are shooting 37.3 percent from the floor and a shade under 30 percent from long range, paced by a 40 percent mark from Dominique Major (25-63). Brown is the only player shooting better than 50 percent from the field (.542). Thursday's visitors are just 2-11 on the year so far, taking wins over Navy at home, 60-57, and Cornell on the road, 72-62 — a win that came over a month ago.

CURRENT BULLDOGS vs. SAINT FRANCIS U.
Nine current Bulldogs have faced off against the Red Flash in their Bulldog careers, with seniors Alex Francis and Claybrin McMath taking on Saint Francis a team-most five times. Francis averages 18.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game with four starts against the Red Flash, while Joe O'Shea (11.0 ppg) and Dyami Starks (16.0 ppg) also average double-figure scoring in a pair of meetings.

BRYANT vs. THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
The Bulldogs start 2013-14 Northeast Conference play with a 21-49 record against current NEC members since joining the Division I ranks. All-time against current conference institutions, the Bulldog basketball program is 35-66 (.347), having most frequently faced off against regional rival Sacred Heart (10-16). Bryant went 12-6 against league opponents last season, finishing tied for second in the regular-season standings to earn a No. 4 seed in the 2013 NEC Tournament.

WINNING WAYS
For the second-straight season, Bryant finished its non-conference schedule with a winning record in 2013-14, going 8-7 over the campaign's opening two months. The Bulldogs finished non-league play with winning records against three different conferences, going 3-1 against the Ivy League, 2-0 against the Patriot League and 2-1 against the America East.

ANOTHER ACCOLADE FOR O'SHEA, BULLDOGS
The efforts and success of both the Bryant men's basketball team and its head coach throughout the 2012-13 campaign were once again recognized this week. Words Unlimited, Rhode Island's statewide organization of sports writers, sportscasters and sports publicists, named Tim O'Shea the Men's Sports Coach of the Year and Bryant University men's basketball the Story of the Year in 2013.

#6THFAN
Bryant has the best fans in the NCAA, and now, it's time to prove it. The NCAA's 6th Fan contest is a nationwide online competition that will determine which Division I school has the most school pride and supportive fans. Fans can be a part of the action and help Bryant earn over $100,000 in general scholarship contributions by voting for the Bulldogs once a day everyday at ncaa.com/6thFan from now until Feb. 16. Fans can also vote on Twitter by tweeting or retweeting the hashtags #6thFan and #BRYANT (both hashtags must appear for vote to count). The contest also includes prizes for individual fans, including an iPad Air and an all-expense paid trip to the 2015 Men's Final Four in North Texas April 5-7.

1,000 REASONS...
After leading the Bulldogs in nearly every offensive statistic and setting the program's Division I mark for points in a season last year, junior sharpshooter Dyami Starks is poised to become the third player in a two-year span to join the 1,000-point club. He enters Thursday's league opener against Saint Francis with 933 career points, 88 of those coming during his freshman campaign at Columbia (2010-11). Starks will need to average just 4.2 points per game — well below both his Bryant and career scoring averages — to eclipse the milestone by the end of the 2013-14 regular season.

GIMME A BREAK
After playing five games in 11 days from Dec. 4-14, the Bulldogs will hit the hardwood just three times from Dec. 15 through Jan. 8 (25 days). Thursday's contest marks Bryant's first game in 10 days, the team's longest layoff of the year.

OH DANNY BOY
Freshman forward Dan Garvin has been impressive since breaking into the starting lineup four games ago. The rookie averages nearly a double-double — 9.5 points and 9.8 rebounds — over the last four outings and has posted a pair of double-doubles in that span (12p, 14r vs. Navy; 13p, 10r at Binghamton). Since Dec. 14, Garvin has amassed eight blocks, three steals, 39 boards and a .517 shooting percentage (15-29).

FOR THE 100TH TIME...
Starting forward Alex Francis appeared in his 100th-career game Dec. 7 against North Dakota State, and Dec. 30 at home against Lehigh, classmate and frontcourt counterpart Claybrin McMath joined his exclusive club, reaching his own 100th appearance donning the Black and Gold. Starting point guard Corey Maynard is just seven appearances away from the benchmark.

DUNK COUNT
The dunk count is on once again in 2013-14, but this time around, there is another who might challenge the reign of senior Alex Francis. Rookie forward Dan Garvin has also gotten some hangtime already this season, with the pair combining for 21 dunks in 15 regular-season contests.

FRANCHISE FRANCIS: IN THE BRYANT RANKINGS
With the conference season ready to tip off, senior forward Alex Francis is already seated among the greatest scorers and rebounders the program has ever seen. He is currently ranked No. 4 on the all-time scoring list and enters Thursday's contest with 1,748 career points — just seven away from displacing No. 3 on the list, John Williams (1,754 points). After a seven-rebound performance for Francis against Lehigh Dec. 30, the senior also moves into a tie for third among the program's top rebounders (828). Francis ranks in the program's top-10 in scoring average, field goals, field goal percentage, free throws made and rebounding average as well.

FRANCHISE FRANCIS: IN THE NEC RANKINGS
Bryant senior forward Alex Francis reached yet another plateau on his march up the NEC career scoring chart, rising five spots last week to crack the league's all-time top-20. Francis enters Thursday's NEC opener with 1,748 points, tops among active players in the conference and 18th all-time. The senior forward needs just 12 more points to enter the top 15 and is just 127 points shy of the top 10.

Francis is also 18th on the league's all-time rebounding list (828) and has a chance to become the first player in conference history to finish with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
 
More Francis/NEC Highlights...
» Francis is one of just four players in NEC history to rank in the top 20 in both scoring and rebounding in his career, joining the likes of CCSU's Ken Horton, LIU's Jamal Olasewere and Marist's Rik Smits.

» Francis is one of just 13 players in NEC history to reach 1,500 points and 750 rebounds in his career, and one of just five players in the league annals to reach 1,700 points and 800 boards.

» He currently ranks in the NEC top-10 in scoring (17.2, sixth), rebounding (6.7, third), field goal percentage (.557, second) and minutes played (36.13, second).

FRANCHISE FRANCIS: IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
In the latest NCAA rankings, Bryant senior forward Alex Francis currently sits among the top active NCAA Division I players in numerous categories. As of January 5, the senior is ranked third in career field goals (currently 663), sixth in career double-doubles (28), seventh in total rebounds (828), eighth in total points (1,748), 16th in career scoring average (16.5 ppg), 15th in free throws made (409) and 27th in rebounding average (7.8). He is one of just five active players to have 1,500 points and 750 rebounds to his name. Francis also ranks 50th in field goal percentage this season, shooting at a .557 clip, and 26th in minutes played, averaging 36.13 each time out.

WHAT'S ON TONIGHT?
The Bryant men's basketball team will be featured in live national and regional broadcasts 11 times throughout the 2013-14 season. The Bulldogs will see air time on ESPNU at Notre Dame on Dec. 9 and at Robert Morris Jan. 30 (also on ESPN3). The Big Ten Network will carry Bryant's Dec. 11 game at Ohio State, while NEC road matchups against LIU Brooklyn on Jan. 23 (MSG+, Fox College Sports and Cox) and Wagner Feb. 16 (CBS Sports Network) will also air nationally. Bryant's season opener against No. 15 Gonzaga was broacast live on KHQ/Root Sports. Bryant will air five additional home games on Cox Sports and the Ocean State Network throughout Rhode Island and Eastern Connecticut — Dec. 14 vs. Navy (12:30 p.m.), Dec. 30 vs. Lehigh (7 p.m.), Jan. 16 vs. Sacred Heart (7 p.m.), Jan. 25 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn (1:00 p.m.) and Feb. 22 vs. Central Connecticut (4:00 p.m.).

TICKET TO RIDE
Single-game and season ticket packages are still available for the 2013-14 Bryant University men's and women's basketball seasons. Fans can purchase tickets online at bryantbulldogs.com/tickets or by calling the Bryant Athletics Ticket Office at 401-319-TIXX.

CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE GAME?
Bryant University Athletics and the Northeast Conference have partnered with Pack Network to create NEC Front Row, the home for all NEC men's and women's basketball broadcasts in 2013-14. NEC Front Row brings viewers an industry-leading video streaming solution for more than 100 Bryant University home contests during the 2013-14 athletic seasons, including live, free-of-charge broadcasts of all Bulldog home and in-conference road men's basketball games. Live event productions include multiple camera angles, an on-screen scoreboard and state-of-the-art graphics. Visit necfrontrow.com for more information and a schedule of events.

BRYANT HOOPS ON WOON RADIO
For the sixth-consecutive season, all Bryant University basketball home games and select road contests can be heard LIVE on WOON 1240 AM and online at bryantbulldogs.com. Veteran sportscaster Jon Wallach of 98.5 FM The Sports Hub Boston returns to call the action as the voice of the Bulldogs, alongside color analyst Tristan Hobbes.

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs remain at home for the third game in a four-contest homestand and will host Robert Morris Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at the Chace Athletic Center.