NC State hosts rebuilding Bryant

Bryant overview: The Bulldogs were expected to make a nice jump this season, but guard Nisre Zouzoua and power forward Marcel Pettway both transferred to Nevada, taking their combined 30.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game with them.

Sophomore point guard Adam Grant returns, and he averaged 13.4 points and shot 33.7 percent from three-point land. He had 24 points against Georgia in the season opener.

KenPom.com has Bryant ranked No. 319 out of 351 Division I programs, and the Bulldogs were projected to finish eighth in the Northeast Conference out of 10 teams.

Backcourt: The pass-first Ndugba and talented combo guard Grant form a solid backcourt.

The loss of Zouzoua has likely sped up the progress of Grant. He had 24 points, four rebound and three three-pointers in the 79-54 loss at Georgia last Friday. He averaged 13.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, and he shot 33.7 percent from three-point land. Grant had a career-high 32 points and went 9 of 16 from three-point land in a 112-110 triple overtime loss vs. Sacred Heart on Jan. 14, 2017.

Ndugba dished out 4.1 assists per game last year, which is the top returning mark among returning NEC players. He added 6.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, but shot just 36.2 percent from the field last year. He went 1 of 9 for four points against Georgia. Ndugba had a career-high 22 points and seven assists in the previously mentioned Sacred Heart game, and grabbed at least nine rebounds in six games.

Ware gives Bryant a three-guard alignment and he was an accomplished prep player coming out of the state of Georgia. He averaged 12.7 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, and shot 36.7 percent from beyond the arc in 2015-2016. He slumped badly last year, falling off to 1.9 points and 1.6 rebounds in 11.2 minutes per game. He shot just 31.9 percent from the field and went 5 of 30 on three-pointers. Ware scored 20-plus points four times his sophomore year, including a career-high 26 points and six three-pointers in a 96-60 loss at Michigan on Dec. 23, 2015. He also had 24 points and six three-pointers in a 113-75 loss to Duke on Nov. 14, 2015.

Junior guard Taylor McHugh comes of the bench, and he had three points, three rebounds and three assists in 26 minutes against Georgia. The 6-2, 170-pounder averaged 1.8 points and 1.7 assists per game last year.

Frontcourt: Kostur is an intriguing stretch four, but he struggled against Georgia, going scoreless in 26 minutes, shooting 0 of 8.

The Australia was top three in the Northeast Conference last year in both three-point shooting percentage (41.8 percent) and free-throw-percentage (82.8). The fifth-year senior had 26 points and six rebounds and shot 5 of 8 from three-point land in a 88-85 overtime loss to Long Island Brooklyn on Feb. 9, 2017. He cracked double figures in 17 games.

Senior center Riley is from New Zealand and has played sporadically the last four years. He averaged 2.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in 8.9 minutes per game last year.

Freshman Ryan Layman, who is 6-7 and 210 pounds, has a familiar last year. His older brother is former Maryland standout Jake Layman. The younger Layman came off the bench for 12 points and seven rebounds, and went 3 of 10 from three-point land in 28 minutes against Georgia.

Redshirt freshmen Brandon Carroll and Monty Urmilevicius both logged minutes in their debuts against UGA. The 6-8, 190-pound Urmilevicius had four points and five rebounds in six minutes against Georgia. The 6-7, 190-pound Carroll had a point in nine minutes of action.

Sophomore power forward Sabastian “Bash” Townes missed the Georgia game due to appendicitis suffered prior to the start of the season. The 6-5, 240-pounder averaged 6.2 points and 2.0 rebounds in 12.5 minutes per game last year. He scored in double figures in eight contests last year, including 16 against Notre Dame and 17 vs. Harvard.