Men's Basketball Opens Calendar Year at Bryant
The Blue Devils and Bulldogs will play on Jan. 7 and 8.
Central Connecticut men's basketball returns to action on Thursday to begin a two-game set against Bryant in Smithfield, RI. The games on Jan. 7 and 8 will take place at 4:00 p.m. in the Chace Center. The matchup will feature two of the Northeast Conference's most up-tempo teams to begin play in the new year as the league heads into the final portion of its schedule. This season in Northeast Conference play, teams will play on back-to-back days to minimize travel. Although fans will not be in the stands, the games will stream for free on NEC Front Row.
GAME LINKS: GAME NOTES (CCSU) | GAME NOTES (BRYANT) | VIDEO (NEC Front Row) | AUDIO | LIVE STATS | GAMEDAY PROGRAM (HOME GAMES)
OTHER INFORMATION: 2020-21 CCSU RECORD BOOK | NORTHEAST CONFERENCE HOMEPAGE | NEC INDIVIDUAL STATS (ALL GAMES) - (NEC GAMES) | NEC TEAM STATS (ALL GAMES) - (NEC GAMES)
CCSU has split its first four conference games of the season, but has not played since Dec. 16 due to a pair of cancellations. The Blue Devils feature a much-improved offense, which among the most efficient in the league. Greg Outlaw (12.5 ppg) and Tre Mitchell (12.0 ppg) lead the balanced Central attack. In league play, CCSU is shooting a blistering .500 from the field to pace the circuit. The Blue Devils' .449 three-point accuracy trails only Bryant (.457) in NEC play and they share the ball with a league-best 18.5 assists per game. Central is averaging 72.5 possessions per 40 minutes which ranks 67th among D1. The Blue Devils are coming off their best defensive performance of the season last time out and its improved efficiency is epitomized by the play of Mitchell who has a 5.2 turnover rate to rank 33rd nationally.
Bryant has opened the season by going 7-2 overall and 3-1 in league play. The Bulldogs paced the NEC and checked in at #91 in the season's first NCAA NET rating (CCSU was 267) released on Monday. This is the best start of Bryant's D1 history and features an offense playing at 77.6 possessions per 40 minutes, the quickest in the country. The Bulldogs are scoring a league-leading 92.9 points per game and shooting .493 from the floor, .425 from the three-point arc. Michael Green III leads four players averaging double-digits at 18.7 points per game. Not to be overlooked defensively, Hall Elisias sits fourth in the country with 3.1 blocks per game.
UP NEXT:
Following its series at Bryant, Central will head to Sacred Heart for a single game on Thursday, Jan. 14. The teams will meet again for a second game at CCSU on Feb. 4.
