Bryant clashes with NC State Tuesday night in Raleigh
RALEIGH, N.C. – The Bryant University men's basketball team closes out a two-game season-opening road trip with a contest Tuesday night at NC State - the second of five games against major conference opponents in the first five weeks of the season.
THE PARTICULARS
Opponent: NC State
Location: PNC Arena (Raleigh, N.C.)
Game Time: Tuesday, Nov. 14 – 7 p.m.
Watch Live: ACC Network Extra (Andrew Sanders, Chris Corchiani)
Live Stats: GoPack.com
Game Notes: Bryant | NC State
SCOUTING THE WOLFPACK
NC State is playing its third game in five days to begin the season. The Wolfpack opened the year with a 102-67 victory over VMI Friday before downing Charleston Southern 78-56 Sunday.
Allerik Freeman leads the Wolfpack with 17.5 points per game through two contests, while Torin Dorn has put up 15.0 per game. Markell Johnson has eight steals through two games. NC State was picked to finish 12th in the 15-team ACC.
THE SERIES
Tuesday's contest is the first all-time meeting between Bryant and NC State. The Bulldogs are 1-9 all-time against current members of the ACC, with the victory coming over Boston College during the 2012-13 season.
LAST TIME OUT: GEORGIA 79, BRYANT 54
Sophomore Adam Grant (Franklin, Va.) tallied a game-high 24 points, while freshman Ryan Layman (Wrentham, Mass.) added 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds in Bryant's season-opening 79-54 loss to Georgia Friday night.
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Freshman Ryan Layman (Wrentham, Mass.) tallied 12 points and seven rebounds in his collegiate debut, making him the fourth Bulldog freshman in the last three seasons to score 10 or more points on Opening Night. Sabastian Townes (Chesapeake, Va.) had 16 points in last year's opener at Notre Dame, while Adam Grant (Franklin, Va.) added 13. Layman was the first Bulldog with 10 or more points and seven or more rebounds in a Bryant debut since Alex Francis had 16 and 10 against Cleveland State in 2010.
BULLDOG OPENERS
For the sixth-straight year, Bryant opened 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
SOPHOMORES ON THE RISE
A trio of Bryant sophomores look to play major roles for the Bulldogs in 2017-18. 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.
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.
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 - 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.
Carroll, Urmilevicius and Layman all made their Bulldog debuts Friday at Georgia.
NEXT UP: NAVY
The Bulldogs open the home portion of their 2017-18 schedule when they host Navy Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Chace Athletic Center. Tickets for Saturday's home opener are available by clicking HERE.