Bryant opens 10th Division I season Friday at Georgia
ATHENS, Ga. – The Bryant University men's basketball season opens the 2017-18 season – its 10th in Division I – when the Bulldogs travel to Georgia for a Friday night contest on SEC Network+.
THE PARTICULARS
Opponent: Georgia
Game Time: Friday, Nov. 10 – 7 p.m.
Watch Live: SEC Network+ (Jeff Dantzler, Jarvis Hayes)
Live Stats: GeorgiaDogs.com
Game Notes: Bryant | Georgia
BULLDOG OPENERS
For the sixth-straight year, Bryant opens the season against either a team from a Power 5 conference and/or a nationally ranked opponent. The list is a collection of household names:
» 2017: Georgia
» 2016: Notre Dame
» 2015: Duke
» 2014: UConn
» 2013: Gonzaga
» 2012: Indiana
SCOUTING THE GEORGIA BULLDOGS
Georgia made an NIT appearance in 2016-17 after winning 19 games a year ago. The Bulldogs return nine of their top 10 scorers from a year ago, including first-team All-SEC selection Yante Maten, who averaged 18.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game last season. Juwan Parker (9.3 ppg) also returns, as does leading rebounder Derek Ogbeide (7.6 rpg).
Georgia is receiving votes in the opening coaches' poll of the 2017-18 season.
SERIES HISTORY vs. GEORGIA
Friday's meeting is the first between Bryant and Georgia. The Black and Gold are facing an SEC member for the first time in program history.
HOMECOMING FOR HUNTER
Senior Hunter Ware (Powder Springs, Ga.) makes his return to the Peach State Friday, as the Bulldog guard plays his first collegiate game in his home state. The Cobb County native is the younger brother of former Georgia guard Dustin Ware, who was a 1,000-point scorer in Athens from 2009-12.
GRAND REOPENING
Friday's game will be the first in the renovated Stegeman Coliseum. The $8 million "Stage II" of the facility followed a $13 million upgrade in 2010.
SOPHOMORES ON THE RISE
A trio of Bryant sophomores look to play major roles for the Bulldogs in 2017-18. Sophomore Adam Grant (Franklin, Va.) was an NEC All-Rookie Team selection in 2016-17, leading conference freshmen with 13.4 PPG - the most by a Bryant freshman since Alex Francis in 2010-11. Grant ranked second in the NEC in minutes in 2016-17 at just under 36 per game.
Sophomore Ikenna Ndugba (Boston, Mass.) was one of the leading point guards in the NEC a year ago, averaging 4.1 assists per game, good for third in the NEC and 17th among Division I freshmen. His 1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio led the NEC and placed him 22nd nationally among freshmen.
Sophomore Sabastian Townes (Chesapeake, Va.) looks to play an increased role in the post for the Bulldogs in 2017-18 after being a solid contributor off the bench for Bryant a year ago. Townes shot 51.1-percent from the floor as a freshman in 13 minutes per game. Townes averaged 13.2 points per game and shot 57.9-percent last year in games in which he played 20 minutes or more.
BK ALL DAY
Senior Bosko Kostur (Melbourne, Australia) looks to elevate his role in his fifth year in Smithfield after an impressive showing in NEC play a year ago. Kostur averaged 11.4 points per game in NEC games and shot 42.6-percent from beyond the arc in conference games.
MEET THE NEWCOMERS
Head Coach Tim O'Shea and Bryant welcome six newcomers to the court for the 2017-18 season. Two of those new Bulldogs - redshirt-freshmen Brandon Carroll (Brewster, N.Y.) and Monty Urmilevicius (Kaunas, Lithuania) - take the floor this fall with a year already in the program, as the pair both redshirted a year ago. The 6-7 Carroll and 6-8 Urmilevicius will add size for a Bryant team that ranked in the middle of the NEC in rebounding in 2016-17.
They are joined by a trio of freshmen who joined the program this summer. Ryan Layman (Wrentham, Mass.) arrives in Smithfield along with 7-1 big man Dren Dedushaj (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Charles Dudley (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.). Bryant has also added UNC Asheville transfer Malik Smith (Cleveland, Ohio), who will sit out the 2017-18 season due to NCAA transfer rules.
BY ASSOCIATION
Two of Bryant's incoming freshmen have family ties to the NBA. Charles Dudley is the son of 16-year NBA center Chris Dudley, who played in the league from 1987-2003 with six of those seasons coming in Portland. Ryan Layman also has ties to the franchise in the Rose City, as his older brother Jake enters his second season in Portland in 2017-18.
A TALL TASK
Bryant is the tallest team in the NEC in 2017-18 with an average height of 77.73 inches (6'5-3/4") among the team. The closest NEC team to the Bulldogs is Central Connecticut at 77 inches, while Saint Francis U is the shortest team in the conference at 74.94 inches. Bryant is tied with Mount St. Mary's for the most players at 6-7 or taller with seven.
BRIGHT LIGHTS
The Bulldogs' nonconference schedule features five games against high-major opponents. Bryant will follow its season opener at Georgia with a trip to Raleigh for a clash with NC State (Nov. 14). Bryant's fourth game of the year comes in the Garden State against Big Ten member Rutgers (Nov. 21), as the Bulldogs open the year with three "Power 5" opponents in their first four games. The December slate is not much lighter, as a long-weekend trip will bring the Black and Gold to Memphis (Dec. 9) and Louisville (Dec. 11).
TICKET TO RIDE
Season ticket packages and single-game tickets are available for the 2017-18 Bryant University men's and women's basketball seasons. Fans can purchase tickets online by clicking HERE or by calling the Bryant Athletics Ticket Office at 401-319-TIXX.
NEXT UP: NC STATE
The Bulldogs continue their season-opening Southern trip with a contest Tuesday night in Raleigh against NC State. The 7 p.m. tip can be seen on ACC Network Extra.
Follow Bryant University men's basketball on Twitter and Instagram to get an inside look at the program.