Bulldogs host Blue Devils Saturday for 2017 Senior Day (1 p.m.)

GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- The Bryant University men's basketball team hosts Central Connecticut State University Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Chace Athletic Center in the regular-season finale and 2017 Senior Day.

THE PARTICULARS
With multiple scenarios still in play, Bryant will not know its NEC Tournament seed or first-round opponent until the conclusion of Saturday action, but the Black and Gold can help themselves with a victory. The Bulldogs tip off against CCSU at 1 p.m.

THE SERIES
Saturday marks the 30th all-time meeting between the Bulldogs and the Blue Devils, with Bryant holding a 15-14 edge in the series. Bryant leads, 9-7, at the Division I level and has a one-game lead at the Chace Athletic Center. Bryant has won eight of the last nine meetings dating back to the 2012-13 season and CCSU hasn't won in Smithfield since Dec. 1, 2011.

SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS
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 56-84 (.400) 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 47-40 (.540) record over the last four seasons. The Black and Gold are 28-17 (.622) 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 70-101 (.409).

LAST TIME OUT
Despite 25 points from sophomore Nisre Zouzoua, the Bulldogs gave up a 12-point lead early in the second half and couldn't find their stroke again, as Wagner dashed Bryant's hopes of a home playoff game with a 69-66 win at the Spiro Center Thursday night.  The game featured eight ties and didn't see the Seahawks take their first lead until the 8:18 mark of the second frame. Bryant would reclaim a five-point lead after that but was outscored, 12-4, in the final five minutes of the contest to cement the 69-66 final.

THE SCENARIOS
Despite just a single game left to play in the regular season, there are still a plethora of scenarios that will affect Bryant's seeding in next week's NEC Tournament. The Bulldogs cannot seed higher than fifth, and there is only one scenario which would get Bryant that high (FDU and SHU losses + Bryant win). There are two scenarios that would place the Bulldogs sixth or eighth and three more that seed the Black and Gold at No. 7. A Bryant win would eliminate the possibility of an eight seed, while a loss would leave the Bulldogs stuck no higher than seventh.

Here is the full breakdown of breaking up the current three-way tie for sixth:

If FDU loses, SHU loses and BRY wins... BRY #5, FDU #6, RMU #7, SHU #8
If FDU wins, SHU loses and BRY wins... SFU #5, BRY #6, RMU #7, SHU #8
If FDU loses, SHU wins and BRY wins... SHU #5, BRY #6, FDU #7, RMU #8
If FDU wins, SHU wins and BRY wins... SFU #5, SHU #6, BRY #7, RMU #8
If FDU wins, SHU wins and BRY loses... SFU #5, SHU #6, BRY #7, RMU #8
If FDU loses, SHU wins and BRY loses... SHU #5, FDU #6, BRY #7, RMU #8
If FDU wins, SHU loses and BRY loses... SFU #5, RMU #6, SHU #7, BRY #8
If FDU loses, SHU loses and BRY loses... FDU #5, RMU #6, SHU #7, BRY #8

QUICK HITS
» I think Ikenna: Rookie point guard Ikenna Ndugba has led the team on the glass in four of the last five games, totaling an impressive 44 boards and averaging a team-high 8.8 rebounds per contest — more than double his season average (4.1). Ndugba has 122 caroms on the year, meaning he has pulled in 36 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 if he keeps up the pace. Adam Grant needs to average 14.5 points per game — just less than a point above his season average — to reset a record currently held by Bulldog great Alex Francis ('14), though Grant will have at least two more games than Francis did to do so. Francis scored 443 points in 30 games in 2010-11, before the Bulldogs were postseason-eligible.

» Defense wins (most) games: The Bulldogs suffered their first loss of the season when holding an opponent under 70 points, falling to Wagner, 69-66, Thursday night. Bryant is now 6-1 in such games on the year.

» Halftime Blues: Bryant has not mastered the formula of holding onto a halftime lead and, following Thursday's loss, is now just 6-6 this season when on top at the intermission.

» Home Sweet Home: Bryant is 8-5 in Smithfield this season, having gone 3-1 on their recent four-game homestand and having now won four of the last five at the Chace.

» Road Rage: Conversely, 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

ZOUZOUA NEARS 1,000 CAREER POINTS
Sophomore sharpshooter and NEC leading scorer Nisre Zouzoua needs just 24 points to become the 36th 1,000-point scorer in Bryant history. Should he do so this season, he would also become the fastest player to reach the milestone in the program's Division I era. To guarantee he bests the current mark, set in 63 games by Alex Francis ('14), Zouzoua will need to average 12.0 points per game — eight points per game below his season average — over the next two contests. 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.

In program history, 62 games would mark the third-fastest run to 1,000 points, 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.

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 20.0 points per game, while Grant ranks ninth and is the NEC's top rookie scorer at 13.8 points per outing.

JUST ZOO IT
Sophomore Nisre Zouzoua is in the midst of a superb sophomore campaign with an impressive 20.0 points per game to lead the league and sit 34th nationally, while hitting 2.83 triples per game, most in the NEC (47th nationally). He has scored 21 points or more in 15 outings, 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 below).

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 seventh in the league with 1.52 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.

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).

FREE HOOPS
After playing three overtime games in the last eight outings 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, junior swingman Bosko Kostur has stumbed in his last two outings, averaging just 5.5 points per game and shooting a dismal 4-for-18 from the floor. He will look to resume his role as a consistent and constant threat for the Bulldogs, as Kostur reached double figures on the scoreboard 11 times in the 14-game stretch. Prior to his last two games, Kostur was averaging 13.9 points per game since becoming a regular starter back on Jan. 5. The Melbourne, Australia product is averaging 9.4 ppg on the year as a whole, shooting 47.8 percent from the floor and 41.7 percent from deep. He has played 20+ minutes in all 16 starts since Jan. 5 and is putting up 11.4 ppg in conference play.

ON TAP
The Bulldogs will travel for the 2017 NEC Tournament Quarterfinals, to be played Wednesday, March 1. Time, location and opponent are still to be determined entering the final day of the regular season.