Bryant loves the 3-point line. The Bulldogs have made the 10th most 3s in the country shooting 42.5 percent from deep, the eighth-best mark in the nation. They make just over 10 per game.
The 3-point line has rewarded that love. Bryant (6-2) scores 92.9 points per game, eighth in the country.
So when the UMass men’s basketball team hosts the Bulldogs at 4 p.m. on Monday, the Minutemen will be paying extra attention to the modified arc drawn 22 feet, 1¾ inches around the basket.
“We want to take 3s away, that needs to be our main focus,” UMass coach Matt McCall said. “They’re taking 25 a game. They’re going to make some, and they’re going to make some difficult ones.”
The key is to not become seduced by the long ball. Bryant’s defense will bait teams into taking 3-pointers early in the shot clock to try and force its opponents to play the game on the Bulldogs’ terms. McCall emphasized ball movement and unselfishness, attributes that led to the Minutemen’s first two wins of the season. UMass (2-1) averaged 17.5 assists per game in its two wins and had just eight in its loss.
“We cannot get three-happy. We can’t come down without the ball moving, without the ball touching the paint and start cranking 3s,” McCall said. “We have to get the ball moving before we take 3s.”
The best way to establish the paint is through sophomore center Tre Mitchell. Passing him the ball is one of UMass’ best options in any situation. He’s averaged 26.3 points per game this season.
Mitchell should have an advantage down low against Bryant. The Bulldogs only have two players taller than 6-foot-8 to guard the 6-foot-9 Mitchell. One averages 3.5 minutes per game and the other hasn’t hit the floor yet. Most of their roster skews smaller.
“They don’t have any shot blockers, ant rim protection, so I think playing inside out is going to be key for us,” UMass sophomore point guard Noah Fernandes said.
Mitchell isn’t taking the Bulldogs lightly, though. He understands what it means to play against high-caliber opponents and what that can bring out.
“I’m never going to underestimate my opponent. I’ve been in that position. I’ve matched up against ranked guys,” Mitchell said. “That’s my mentality, it’s not going to change going forward because of a jersey or who’s lined up in front of me.”
The Minutemen will line up against four guards averaging more than 14 points per game. Peter Kiss leads Bryant at 17 ppg followed by Michael Green III (16.9), Chris Childs (15.1) and Charles Pride (14.4). All of them make at least a 3 per game and shoot better than 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.
“They’ve got terrific guards,” McCall said. “They’re a confident basketball team.”
Bryant’s two losses are by a combined three points: 85-84 at Syracuse to open the year and 93-91 at St. Francis Brooklyn in a conference game.
“We’ve got to be ourselves. That second game (against Northeastern) we got caught up in some other things, whether it be on the court, on the court, we were worried about the wrong things,” Fernandes said. “When we play together and we play like ourselves, nobody in the country could really mess with us.”
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.