Bryant Men’s Basketball Releases 2017-2018 Nonconference Schedule

Bryant University Press Release

SMITHFIELD, R.I. — Highlighted by the Gotham Classic and a season-opening trip to the University of Georgia, the Bryant University men’s basketball team and head coach Tim O’Shea announced its complete 2017-18 non-conference schedule on Wednesday afternoon.

The Bulldogs take on opponents from the SEC, Atlantic 10, Ivy League, America East, Patriot League, AAC and the MAAC in 2017. In all, Bryant will face five first-time opponents in 2017.

"We will, once again, be challenging ourselves against some of the very best coaches and programs in all college basketball," O’Shea said. "It is an honor for us to represent Bryant University at the highest level of Division I competition."

The Bulldogs season tips off on Nov. 10 when Bryant travels to Athens, Ga. to take on SEC foe University of Georgia. The host team will be opening a newly-renovated Stageman Coliseum when the teams meet. This is the first matchup between the two schools, and the first time Bryant plays a current member of the SEC. The game will double as a homecoming for senior Hunter Ware (Powder Springs, Ga.), who grew up 90 miles from campus.

Bryant wraps up its opening weekend on Nov. 12, when it travels to the nation’s capital to battle with George Washington.

The Black and Gold will then play the first home game of the season on Nov. 18, when they host Navy at the Chace Athletic Center. The Bulldogs last met the Midshipmen at home in 2013, when Bryant topped Navy, 90-80, in an overtime thriller.

Bryant then travels to Rutgers for a Nov. 21 contest against the Scarlet Knights, marking the first meeting between the two schools. On Nov. 24, the Bulldogs lace up the sneakers in Connecticut, where they meet Hartford for the first time as Division I opponents.

The Bulldogs return home for a Nov. 26 matchup against Brown University. The teams met last season when the Bears hosted Bryant, with Brown coming away winners in a 91-90 shootout. The Bulldogs are 2-14 all-time against the Ivy League foe.

The team will head on the road for the next five games, taking on Yale on Nov. 29 and New Hampshire on Dec. 2.

From there, the Bulldogs start up the 2017 Gotham Classic when they travel to America East powerhouse Albany on Dec. 6. On Dec. 9, Bryant heads to Tennessee to take on AAC-member Memphis. It is the first meeting between the two schools.

Bryant continues the Gotham Classic on Dec. 11, as it heads to ACC power Louisville. The Cardinals, coached by Rick Pitino, were a two-seed in last year’s NCAA Tournament.

The team returns home on Dec. 17 to take on Siena in Bryant’s final game of the Gotham Classic. The teams first met in Smithfield on Nov. 21, 2015, when the Saints topped the Bulldogs, 78-59.

The team’s non-conference finale will take place on Dec. 22, when the Bulldogs truck to Dartmouth for a matchup with the Big Green. The teams will look to take the all-time series lead, as the series sits 3-3 all-time between the two.

All home games will be played inside the Chace Athletic Center. All Bryant home games can be streamed free-of-charge and watched on-demand on NECFrontRow.com.