BULLDOGS BATTLE UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND AT HOME IN CBI FIRST ROUND WEDNESDAY AT 7 P.M.

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

THE PARTICULARS
Wednesday's game marks the first postseason tournament appearance for the Bryant University men's basketball program in the Division I era, and the CBI selection comes in the team's first season eligible after completing the four-year transition to the NCAA's highest level of competition last year. The Bulldogs will host a first-time opponent in the CBI Opening Round, welcoming the Atlantic 10's University of Richmond to the Chace Athletic Center for a 7:00 p.m. tip.

THE SERIES
This is the first time the Bulldogs and the Spiders have met on the court. It is also Bryant's first-ever meeting with a team out of the Atlantic 10 Conference since joining Division I, despite the proximity of such A-10 members as URI and UMass.

SCOUTING THE SPIDERS
Richmond finished the regular season tied for eighth in one of the toughest conferences in America, securing 18 wins and an 8-8 league mark. Nine A-10 teams qualified for postseason berths, including five NCAA tournament bids, three NIT selections and Richmond's CBI berth. In 2012-13, the Spiders have been led by Darien Brothers's 14.5 points per game, and the senior guard is the squad's top 3-point shooter at 42.9 percent (81 triples). Derrick Williams (12.0 ppg), Cedrick Lindsay (11.8) and Kendall Anthony (11.7) also average double-figure scoring, while Lindsay has upped his offensive production to 16.6 points per outing in the team's last nine contests. UR ranks second in the A-10 for long range accuracy (.380) and leads the league in trifectas made, dropping in 8.4 threes each time out. But the Spiders are on the opposite end of the list when it comes to rebounding, ranking last in the A-10 on the glass with just 28.9 boards per outing, a number  paced by Williams's 5.4 boards per game. Still, among Wednesday's visitors is the Atlantic 10's third-best shot blocker in Alonzo Nelson-Ododa (61, 1.9 bpg), who also pulls in 4.1 rebounds and adds 3.9 points per contest. Richmond has not been a strong road team this season, though it has faced off against stiff competition, going just 3-10 away from home.

BRYANT vs. THE ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE
This is the first meeting between the Bulldogs and a team from the A-10 in the program's Division I era, but Bryant has faced off against league member the University of Rhode Island once before. Back on Dec. 13, 1984, the then-Indians took on the Rams in Kingston, falling to URI, 83-50.

QUICK HITS
» Home Sweet Home: Bryant is right where it wants to be in its first Division I postseason tournament appearance — at home in the Chace Athletic Center. The Bulldogs are 11-4 in Smithfield this season.

» Charge to 20: Yet another landmark achievement would be reached should the Bulldogs advance to the CBI Quarterfinals, as a victory Wednesday night would mark the team's 20th of the season. Bryant has yet to put together a 20-win campaign in the Division I era, and the last team to do so was the 2006-07 Bulldogs, who finished the year at 21-11. Director of Basketball Operations Chris Burns was a senior captain on that team and was the Bulldogs' leading scorer (15.8 ppg).

» In Elite Company: Bryant is joined by such elite programs as George Mason, Lehigh, Purdue, Texas and Santa Clara, among others, in the 2013 College Basketball Invitational field. The tournament, now in its sixth year, has been won by the likes of Pittsburgh (2012), Oregon (2011), VCU (2010), Oregon State (2009) and Tulsa (2008).

» NCAA Record Looming as Bulldogs Headline DI Men's Basketball Most Improved Team List: With a 19-11 overall record entering the final stretch of the regular season, Bryant currently boasts a 17-game difference from last season (2-28) to this one, a number that ties the NCAA record entering the season (Mercer in 2002-03, UTEP in 2003-04). Towson finished its 2012-13 campaign with a 17.5-game difference, but is ineligible for postseason play due to APR. A Bulldog victory on Wednesday would tie Bryant with Towson at a 17.5-game improvement to set a new NCAA standard.

» Tremendous Turnaround: The NCAA equation for most improved also takes number of losses into consideration, but Bryant remains the most improved team in the nation when it comes to pure win turnaround. The Bulldogs currently boast 17 more wins in 2012-13 than it had a season ago.

» NEC Improvement Records Fall: Bryant's 17-win jump from last season (2-28) to this one (19-11) is also the biggest in NEC history, eclipsing CCSU's 15-win jump from 1997-98 to 1998-99. The Bulldogs' 11-win bump in NEC play — from 1-17 to 12-6 — is the most in league annals, as well, one better than LIU Brooklyn's 10-win improvement from 1995-96 to 1996-97.

» Vote of Confidence: With three NEC All-Conference selections, the Bulldogs double the program's Division I all-league total, now boasting six postseason honorees since becoming eligible for postseason accolades in 2009-10. Check out the full note below for details of exactly which Bryant players turned heads this season, according to the ballots.

» Accolades Continue for Head Coach Tim O'Shea: Fifth-year head coach Tim O'Shea was named the 2012-13 Jim Phelan NEC Coach of the Year, as selected by his peers in the league. The honor is the second major NEC postseason award in the history of the program after now-junior Alex Francis was tabbed the 2010-11 NEC Rookie of the Year. O'Shea was also named the NEC Coach of the Year by College Insider.

» Playoff Bound: In its first season eligible for postseason play, Bryant succeeded in securing not only a berth and a home game in the eight-team Northeast Conference Tournament, but hosting rights in the 2013 College Basketball Invitational (CBI). Bryant's No. 4 seed in its conference tournament was the highest seed of any first-year NEC team. Sacred Heart qualified as the eight seed in 2002 after completing its own four-year transition to the DI level, and Mount St. Mary's was the tournament's nine seed in its first year in 1992. Quinnipiac and Monmouth failed to make the cut in their first year of eligibility.

» Race to 500: Sophomore leading scorer Dyami Starks recorded his 500th point of the year in the regular-season finale on March 2 against Saint Francis U. and enters the CBI with 532 points on the 2012-13 season. That number sets a new Division I program record for individual points in a season, breaking junior teammate Alex Francis's mark of 509 set in 2011-12. But Francis will give Starks a run for his money to reclaim that record, as the forward picked up his own 500th point this season in the NEC Quarterfinals against Mount St. Mary's on March 6 and boasts 522 points entering Wednesday night's contest. This is the second-straight season Francis has posted 500 points or more.

» Did You Know? The last time two Bryant players scored 500 points in the same season was back in 1978-79, when Ernie DeWitt (531) and John Mangum (514) teamed up for the feat.

» Leaps and Rebounds: The Bulldogs outrebounded their opponents for the 17th time this season in March 6's NEC Tournament Quarterfinal, despite falling to Mount St. Mary's, 75-69. Bryant is 7-5 when losing the battle on the glass but 12-5 when finishing with a rebounding edge, and the Bulldogs have outrebounded an opponent by double figures nine times in 2012-13.

» 19 Wins and Counting: The Bulldogs keep improving on their Division I single-season wins record, picking up their 19th victory of the year at home against Saint Francis U March 2. Bryant has now won more games this season than in the last three campaigns combined (12) and tied the program's win total against DI opponents since starting the transition. The Bulldogs entered the 2012-13 season with just 20 total wins (regardless of division) in their brief Division I history.

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
Beating an opponent like Richmond for the first time would not be unheard of for the Bulldogs in 2012-13. This year's Bryant squad has already earned the program's first win over seven different opponents this season:
               
    DATE       OPPONENT BEATEN    SCORE   MEETING    HOME/AWAY    
    Nov. 17    New Hampshire            76-64         1st          Home
    Nov. 21    Brown                           68-61        12th        Away
    Nov. 25    Boston College             56-54         5th         Away
    Dec. 1      Army                             70-59         6th         Home
    Dec. 22    Dartmouth                    79-66         2nd        Home
    Dec. 29    Lehigh                          80-79         3rd         Away
    Jan. 3      Robert Morris                84-77         6th         Away

YOU SOUND LIKE A BROKEN RECORD
Bryant set yet another Division I program record March 6 against Mount St. Mary's in the NEC Tournament, marking the 21st DI mark broken in 2012-13. The Bulldogs surpassed the 1,000-rebound mark as a team this season, topping the previous DI season best of 990 boards in 2010-11, and enter Wednesday's game with 1026 on the year. It is the second-straight game in which Bryant has set a new DI mark after shooting 65.3 percent against the Red Flash in the regular-season finale March 2, a number that bested the DI team field goal record for the second time this season after first re-setting the standard against Quinnipiac Jan. 10 (.607). In total, 24 DI records have been either matched or broken this year, with both team (14) and individual (10) records falling away nearly every time Bryant takes the court.

Sophomore Dyami Starks has set the most individual records, eclipsing the previous Division I bests in four single-season categories — points (532), 3-pointers made (91), 3-pointers attempted (226) and field goals attempted (415) — so far this year while also tying the current mark on single-game lists for 3-pointers made (7 at Robert Morris) and 3-point percentage (.857 vs. Binghamton). Alex Francis now owns the Division I single-season records for field goals made (205) and rebounds (260), also setting single-game records for field goal percentage (.917 vs. Mount St. Mary's) and boards (18 at Central Connecticut). Frankie Dobbs broke the program's DI single-game steals record Feb. 25 against Sacred Heart, finishing the contest with seven thefts, a record that fell less than a month after the senior set the mark for assists in a game with 13 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn. Dobbs also tied the single-game DI mark for free throw percentage, going a perfect 8-for-8 against RMU Feb. 28.

As a team, the Bulldogs have set new Division I bests for points in a season (2223), rebounds in a season (1026), field goals in a season (787), free throws in a season (440), free throws taken in a season (610) and assists in a season (455). Single-game team marks that have fallen this season include points (103 vs. Quinnipiac), field goal percentage (.653 vs. Saint Francis U.), free throw percentage (.905 vs. Dartmouth), assists (24 vs. Quinnipiac) and 3-point percentage (.632 vs. Quinnipiac), which also set an all-time program mark.

MILESTONE WATCH
» Alex Francis: Francis needs just 26 points to hit 1,500 on his three-year Bulldog career and currently sits 29 boards shy of his 750th-career rebound. The forward has a chance to be the first player in program and NEC history to hit 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career.
» Corey Maynard: Maynard picked up his 100th-career 3-pointer March 2 against the Red Flash after scoring his 600th-career point Feb. 25. Maynard needs just three more assists to hit the 250 mark.
» Frankie Dobbs: Dobbs barreled through his 100th-career steal with a seven-theft performance Feb. 25 and hit his 1200th-career point Feb. 28 against Robert Morris. He is only eight assists shy of 500 all time.
» Dyami Starks: Netted his 500th point of the season and the 600th point of his career March 2 against Saint Francis U.
» Vlad Kondratyev: Grabbed his 350th-career rebound Feb. 25 and his 600th-career point in the regular-season finale.

DOUBLE VISION
Junior Alex Francis recorded his 10th double-double of the year and third straight March 2 with his game-high 19 points and game-best 12 rebounds. Senior Vlad Kondratyev also recorded a double-double in the game (10p, 10r), and the Bulldogs now have now seen 13 such performances this season, with 11 of them coming since the start of NEC play. Francis has 10 double-doubles on the season and 26 on his Bulldog career, and the forward has reached the acheivement six times in the last 10 games. For Kondratyev, Saturday marked his first double-double of the season and just the second of his career, while senior point guard Frankie Dobbs has picked up two double-doubles this season for the Black and Gold (four in his career).

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
For the first time in the program's Division I era, the Bulldogs finished non-conference play with a winning record in 2012-13. Bryant's 7-4 mark entering league action was just two wins shy of tying its DI record, and the Bulldogs finished the first half of their schedule with winning records against four different conferences (1-0 vs. ACC; 2-0 vs. America East; 2-1 vs. Ivy League; 2-1 vs. Patriot League).

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 2012-13. NEC Front Row brings viewers an industry-leading video streaming solution for more than 100 Bryant University home contests during the 2012-13 athletic seasons, including live, free-of-charge broadcasts of all 15 Bulldog home men's basketball games. Live event productions include multiple camera angles, an on-screen scoreboard and state-of-the-art graphics. Visit www.necfrontrow.com for more information and a schedule of events.

BRYANT HOOPS ON WOON RADIO
For the fifth-consecutive 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 as the voice of the Bulldogs, alongside color analyst Tristan Hobbes.