For the Michigan men’s basketball team, it may be tough to focus on Thursday’s matchup against Bryant University.
The Wolverines are finished with finals, winter break has started, a matchup against No. 14 Purdue lingers around the corner and the only thing standing in between Michigan and Christmas is a game against the Bulldogs at Crisler Arena.
But the Wolverines need to watch out with Bryant coming to town because this might be the Bulldogs’ biggest game of the season.
The 1-9 team from the Northeast Conference will make the trip to Ann Arbor at a time when it will be tough to fill up the stands. The Michigan Athletic Department is offering special ticket packages to encourage fans to come to Crisler Arena.
“A run-for-the-bus-game, as we call it,” Michigan coach John Beilein said on Wednesday about his Wolverines possibly overlooking the Bulldogs. “We have done everything in the last couple of days to make sure that our guys are aware of that trap.”
Not only do the Bulldogs have a poor record, but Bryant has only been a Division-I program for one year — just another reason that the Bulldogs could be easily overlooked.
Michigan and the Bulldogs have never played one another in men’s basketball. The last time that Bryant squared off against a Big Ten team was Dec. 28, 2009 when it lost to Indiana, 90-42.
“Bryant does not have a good record, they’re in their first year as Division I,” Beilein said. “I am really impressed with watching them on tape. And I know that sounds like coach speak and respecting opponents, but this one is concerning. They can really shoot the ball.”
The Bulldogs have lost their last seven games and are 0-4 on the road. But they have suffered some close defeats this season, losing to Harvard by only three points. Michigan earned a narrow victory over the Crimson, 65-62, on Dec. 4.
Bryant is led by sophomore guard Frankie Dobbs and freshman forward Alex Francis, who have combined for 47 percent of Bryant’s scoring this season. Francis leads the team in rebounding, tallying eight per game, and Dobbs is the Bulldogs leading scorer, posting 14.6 points a game.
“So far we haven’t watched too much film,” redshirt freshman forward Jordan Morgan said on Wednesday. “But we have worked a lot on what we need to improve on as a team.”
Regardless of how much film the Wolverines watch, they are heavily favored in this contest. But as much as winter break and the conference season approaching may be a distraction, Michigan continues to take it one game at a time.
“Of course I get nervous about (Big Ten) games,” sophomore guard Darius Morris said. “I want to see how I match up with some of the best competition in the country. But right now we play Bryant. I always tell the team that we have to treat every game equally, especially with all the mid-major upsets that have happened this season.”