Bradley Meets Loyola for Midweek Matchup

Bob Hunt - Photographer

Men's Basketball 1/24/2017 11:10:00 AM

Bradley (8-13, 3-5 MVC) at Loyola Chicago (14-7, 4-4 MVC)
Game Details	Wednesday, Jan. 25 • 7 p.m. • Chicago, Ill. • Gentile Arena
Television	ESPN3
Radio	1470 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| Loyola Chicago
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb

The Bradley men's basketball team remains on the road for a midweek matchup at Loyola Chicago. The schools are set to meet on Wednesday at 7 p.m. with the game broadcast live on ESPN3.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley has lost its last three games of the season to drop to 3-5 in MVC play. The Braves are coming off a 76-62 setback at Missouri State on Saturday.
• Overall, the Braves are 8-13 this season.
• Freshman Darrell Brown leads Bradley with 12.3 points per game and 58 assists. He has raised his scoring during MVC play with 13.5 points per game.
• Junior JoJo McGlaston is second on the team with 8.5 points per game.
• Freshman Koch Bar has collected a team-leading 5.9 rebounds per game and 1.3 blocks per game. Junior Donte Thomas is also averaging 5.9 boards for BU, including a 7.1 average in MVC games.
• As a team, Bradley is making 42.8 percent of its field goals with a 36.4 percent 3-point mark.

SERIES HISTORY
• In a series that dates back to 1928, the Braves hold a 33-23 advantage against the Ramblers.
• The first 47 meetings in the series were as non-conference foes with Bradley claiming a 30-17 edge in the series.
• Loyola, however, owns a 6-3 lead against the Braves since joining the MVC prior to the 2013-14 campaign, which includes two wins in three conference tournaments versus Bradley.
• In seven regular-season MVC games between the two schools, the road team owns a 5-2 record.
• Earlier this season, the Ramblers posted a 78-62 win over BU at Carver Arena thanks to a career-best 35 points from Milton Doyle.

ABOUT THE RAMBLERS
• Loyola is 14-7 during the 2016-17 season and is tied for fourth in the MVC standings with a 4-4 mark.
• After an 0-2 start to the conference campaign, the Ramblers have won 4-of-6. Loyola won its most recent contest with a 67-61 victory over Evansville.
• Loyola has the second-ranked scoring offense in the MVC, averaging 76.5 points per game with a 50.5 shooting percentage.
• Four players average in double figures for the Ramblers with Milton Doyle leading the way at 15.8 points per game, while also adding a team-best 98 assists.
• Meanwhile, Aundre Jackson is second with 14.8 points and is shooting 70.8 percent, while Donte Ingram leads Loyola with 6.4 boards per game.

ON THIS DATE
Jan. 25 Highlight: The Braves upset No. 2 Louisville, 65-59, on Jan. 25, 1975 at Robertson Fieldhouse. Bradley used a 12-2 run over the final 4:08 to earn the four-point victory with Mike Davis scoring a game-high 18 points and Tom Les adding eight assists.

PLENTY OF WEAPONS
• While the Braves only feature one player averaging double figures, the team has a number of players capable of scoring points.
• Bradley features eight players that have scored at least 15 points in a game this season and 10 that have scored in double figures.
• The Braves last featured that many capable scorers during the 2005-06 season when they also had eight players score at least 15 in a game.
• Donte Thomas and Jayden Hodgson became the two most recent players to reach the 15-point mark as the duo scored season highs at Missouri State on Saturday with 17 and 16 points, respectively.
• BU features eight players averaging at least five points per game – the most in the MVC this season.

BENCH PRODUCTION
• The Braves are a deep team this year, evident by the production by the team's reserves.
• Bradley is averaging 26.4 points per game from the bench during the 2016-17 campaign, 9.9 points more than its average of 16.5 last season.
• Bradley has scored at least 20 bench points in 20-of-21 games and has outscored its opponent's bench in 16 contests this season.
• In fact, BU hasn't averaged as many as 20 bench points since posting a 20.5 mark in 2008-09.
• The Braves are playing their bench 42.4 percent of the time this season – the ninth-most usage in the country (national average is 32.6 percent).

FINDING THE RIGHT COMBO
• With so many capable scorers and a deep bench, it allows the Braves to play the most favorable matchup for each game.
• In 21 games this season, Bradley has featured 12 different starting lineups – tied for the second-most in the country.
• Only Evansville with 14 different starting combos has more this year.

IT ALL STARTS WITH DEFENSE
• In Missouri Valley Conference games, it has been all about the team's defense.
• In the Braves' three conference victories, BU is allowing just 58.3 points per game as teams are shooting only 28.5 percent from the floor and 19.7 percent from 3-point range versus Bradley.
• However, in BU's four MVC losses, the Braves are surrendering 80.8 points per game as foes are making 48.7 percent of their shots and 45.2 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

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