The Bryant Bulldogs men's basketball team represents Bryant University in

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

men's basketball. The team currently competes in the

America East Conference The America East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I founded in 1979, whose members are located in the Northeastern United States. The conference has nine core members including eight public research ...

. They are led by head coach

Jared Grasso Jared Keith Grasso (born May 11, 1980) is an American college basketball coach. He was most recently the head coach of the Bryant Bulldogs men's basketball team from 2018 to 2023. In his fifth season, he led Bryant to the 2022 NCAA Division I men' ...

and play their home games at the Chace Athletic Center.

History

Bryant University competed in the NAIA as an NAIA independent program from 1963 until 1976 as the Bryant College Indians before the college became a member of the

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...

level in 1977. Bryant's most successful season during the college's tenure in the NAIA came in the 1966–67 season when the team recorded an undefeated regular season, going 22–0 before losing the final two games of the 1966–67 season in the District 32 Tournament. The 22–2 overall record was the team's best during the NAIA years. The 22 wins set a team high win streak that still stands as a school record as of 2012. And the 22 total wins was not eclipsed until the 2003–04 season. Within a few seasons of transitioning to NCAA Division II, the college became a charter member of the

Northeast-10 Conference The Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in the northeastern United States in the states o ...

in 1980. In 2008, Bryant began the transition to Division I with former

Ohio University Ohio University is a public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confederation and subseq ...

coach

Tim O'Shea Tim O'Shea (born January 13, 1962) is an American college basketball coach, most recently the head coach of the men's basketball team at Bryant University. He was previously the head coach at Ohio University. Playing career Born in Woodbury, ...

. The 2012–13 season marked the first year Bryant was eligible for the postseason, in which they qualified for the

2013 College Basketball Invitational The 2013 College Basketball Invitational (CBI) was a single-elimination tournament of 16 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I (NCAA), Division I teams that did not participate in the 2013 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tour ...

. O'Shea retired following the 2017–18 season and

was named head coach on April 2, 2018. Grasso orchestrated one of the nation's best turnarounds in his first season in Smithfield, improving the Bulldogs to a 10-win total after inheriting a squad that went 3–28 the prior season. Grasso was named a finalist for the Joe B. Hall Coach of the Year Award, given to the nation's top first-year head coach. The Bulldogs would continue to improve in 2019–20, rising to 15 victories including a win over Fordham in December. Grasso would then lead the Bulldogs to back-to-back

Northeast Conference The Northeast Conference (NEC) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools are members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Teams in the NEC compete in Division I for all sports; football competes in the Division I Foo ...

Championship games in 2020-21 and 2021–22, as well as winning the school's first ever NEC regular season championship in 2022. The 2022 NEC Championship game against Wagner resulted in not only Bryant winning their first ever NEC tournament championship, but they also clinched their first appearance in the NCAA Division I Tournament. This was Bryant's last season in the NEC, as the team moved to the America East Conference.

Postseason

NCAA Division I Tournament results

Bryant has made one appearance in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, with an overall record of 0–1.

NCAA Division II Tournament results

The Bulldogs have appeared in seven NCAA Division II Tournaments. Their combined record is 10–9.

NAIA Tournament results

The Bulldogs have appeared in one NAIA Tournament. Their record is 0–1.

CBI results

The Bulldogs have appeared twice in the

College Basketball Invitational The College Basketball Invitational (CBI) is a men's college basketball tournament created in 2007 by The Gazelle Group. The inaugural tournament occurred after the conclusion of the 2007–08 men's college basketball regular season. The CBI s ...

(CBI). Their record is 0–2.

Coaches

Bryant University has had eight coaches during its history:

Record Book

Year-by-year

* ''Note: From 2008–2012 Bryant was ineligible for NCAA post season play during transition to NCAA Division I.''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bryant Bulldogs Men's Basketball