Bradley Braves (4-2)

Vs.

Delaware State Hornets (2-6)

Saturday, Dec. 17, 2005 ? 7:05 p.m. ? Peoria, Ill. ? Carver Arena (11,300)

 

Television:  None

Radio:  WMBD AM 1470 (Dave Snell, play-by-play; Joe Stowell, analyst)

Internet:  www.bubraves.com (audio and video streams)

 

Ticket Information

Bradley Ticket Office:...309-677-2625

Priority I:..............Sold Out

Priority II:.............$18

Priority III:............$12

Priority IV:.............$ 8

Bradley students $1; Bradley faculty/staff half-price

 

Change of Pace

?   After hosting high-scoring Western Kentucky (83.6 points per game) Wednesday night, Bradley will be in for a change of pace when the Braves host Delaware State Saturday night.

?   The defending Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion Hornets come into Saturday's game averaging just 51.9 points per game.

?   Saturday's game will be Bradley's second consecutive home game, a first for the Braves this season after alternating road and home dates for the first six contests.

?   Bradley ran its non-conference home winning streak to 15 games, a Carver Arena record, by downing Western Kentucky, 78-76, Wednesday night.

   

Series History

?   Saturday's game will be the first-ever meeting between Bradley and Delaware State on the hardwood and it is believed it will be the first-ever head-to-head meeting between the Braves and Hornets in any sport.

?   Bradley has previously played the Hornets' in-state rival Delaware in men's basketball, beating the Fightin' Blue Hens, 85-59, Dec. 1, 1952 at Robertson Fieldhouse.

?   Bradley has played only three previous games against members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, most recently downing Hampton, 87-84, in two overtimes Dec. 21, 2001 at Carver Arena.

?   The Braves also are 1-1 versus Howard, splitting a home-and-home series during the 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons.

 

Non-Con Home Winning Streaks

?   Bradley has won 15 consecutive non-conference home games, beginning with a 73-65 overtime victory versus Louisiana-Monroe Nov. 21, 2003.

?   The current non-conference is now the longest in Bradley's 24 seasons at Carver Arena, but is a long way off the all-time record for non-con home streaks, 56 consecutive wins from Dec. 29, 1962 to Dec. 15, 1969.

 

About the Hornets

?   Delaware State returned eight lettermen, including three starters from the 2004-05 team that posted a 19-14 overall record, swept the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament titles and lost to Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

?   Saturday's game will be Delaware State's ninth of the season, but the Hornets (2-6) have not yet played a home game and will play only one non-conference home game this season -- Dec. 30 versus Buffalo.

?   The Hornets are 2-4 in true road games, beating Kent State and Jacksonville State.

?   Delaware State plays a slowdown style and the Hornets average only 51.9 points per game with junior guard Jahsha Bluntt (13.4 ppg) the only Hornet scoring more than 8.0 points per game.

?   Delaware State averages 46.9 field goal attempts per game, shooting 41.1 percent, while Bradley averages 61.3 attempts per game.

 

Bradley Vs. The MEAC

?   Bradley is 2-1 all-time versus members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, splitting a home-and-home series versus Howard and most recently dropping Hampton in double overtime, 87-84, Dec. 21, 2001 at Carver Arena.

?   Bradley is 2-0 in home games versus the MEAC, the first game being a 77-53 victory versus Howard Dec. 3, 1981 at Robertson Fieldhouse.

 

Home Court Advantage

?   Bradley is enjoying its 24th season of playing its home games at Carver Arena.

?   The Braves are 247-81 (.753) all-time at Carver Arena, including a 106-27 (.797) record in non-conference games.

?   Although the Braves lost their 2004-05 regular-season home finale to Valley rival Drake, Bradley has won 15 consecutive non-conference home games dating back to a 74-71 loss to Central Michigan Dec. 18, 2002.

 

Non-Conference Success

?   Including a 4-2 record this season, Bradley owns a 21-8 (.724) record in its last 29 games against teams outside the Valley, dating back to a 95-68 victory versus Alcorn State in the second round of the 2002 Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic.

 

Assist Percentage

?   By dishing out assists on 22 of 24 field goals Dec. 3 versus Bowling Green, Bradley has twice recorded assists on all but two field goals this season (also 17-of-19 versus Chicago State).

?   Of the four unassisted baskets in the first two home games this season, two were scored by Zach Andrews on offensive rebounds.

?   After ranking seventh in the Missouri Valley Conference by averaging 13.54 assists per game last season, Bradley has averaged 16.3 assists in the first six games this year.

 

Making An Impact

?   During each game, Bradley charts the “impact” players have on the game by recording the points scored by each team while each Braves lineup is on the court.

?   After the game, the “impact” numbers are broken down by each individual player and season totals are updated.

?   Here are some highlights:

?   Among the 10 players averaging at least 8.0 minutes per game, junior guard J.J. Tauai easily leads the team with the best “impact” number, .333, which is the scoring margin per minute he has been on the floor (Bradley has outscored the six opponents by 21 points during Tauai's 63 minutes).

?   Junior forward Zach Andrews (.271) has the next best “impact” ratio, +28 in 140 minutes, while the team average is 0.133.

 

Hitting the Boards

?   After being beat on the glass in each of the first three games this season, Bradley has won the battle of the boards in each of the last three games by an average of 9.3 rebounds per contest.

?   Most recently, Bradley outrebounded Western Kentucky 47-34 Wednesday night, an effort that was highlighted by a school-record-tying 32 offensive boards.

?   With double-digit offensive rebound totals in each of the first six games, Bradley now leads the 10-team Missouri Valley Conference by averaging 15.8 offensive boards per game.

 

Turnover Margin

?   Bradley has tried to force an uptempo pace this season, but the Braves have stayed under control in doing so.

?   Bradley is averaging 14.7 turnovers per game and the Braves are third in the Valley by forcing 19.5 turnovers per game.

?   The combination has resulted in a +4.8 turnover margin per game, compared to a -1.8 turnover margin last season.

 

Beating The Cold

?   Bradley is 4-2 this season despite shooting only 41.0 percent from the field.

?   In fact, the Braves are 2-0 when shooting less than 40 percent from the floor this year after posting a 6-23 (.207) record the previous three seasons when shooting less than 40 percent.

?   The ability to overcome the cold shooting has come from Bradley's pressure defense as the Braves have forced 25 turnovers in both the games they shot shot less than 40 percent (Nov. 26 versus Chicago State and Dec. 14 against Western Kentucky).

?   Bradley has forced more than 20 turnovers three times this season, each time resulting in a win.

 

Looking Ahead

?   Following Saturday's game, Bradley will play its final non-conference tuneup Wednesday night by visiting Southern Mississippi (2-6).

?   Wednesday's game will be televised in the Peoria area by local NBC affiliate WEEK-TV.

?   Following the game at Southern Miss, Bradley will open the 18-game Missouri Valley Conference schedule Dec. 28 by hosting league preseason favorite Northern Iowa at Carver Arena.

 

Valley at No. 5 in RPI

?   According to the numbers produced by Jerry Palm and displayed at www.collegerpi.com, the Missouri Valley Conference ranked fifth among conference RPIs among all 31 NCAA Division I leagues through games of Dec. 15.

?   The highest postseason finish in the RPI rankings by the Valley is No. 8 in 1999 and 2005, seasons that both ended with three teams advancing to the NCAA Tournament.

?   Wednesday's win versus Western Kentucky bumped Bradley up to 57th.

Conference RPI

                                             DI Non-Con Record

Rk.   Conference         W   L   Pct.    RPI

1.    Big Ten           67  21  .7614  .6030

2.    Big East          89  30  .7479  .5836

3.    Southeastern      70  19  .7865  .5759

4.    Atlantic Coast    69  18  .7931  .5729

5.    Missouri Valley   43  18  .7049  .5695

6.    Big XII           59  22  .7284  .5559

Rk.   School              W   L    Pct.     RPI

7.    Indiana State       5   0   1.000   .6733

14.   Missouri State      6   1   .8571   .6536

20.   Northern Iowa       6   1   .8571   .6455

58.   Bradley             4   2   .6667   .5921

61.   Creighton           4   2   .6667   .5894

82.   Wichita State       7   2   .7778   .5651

139.  Southern Illinois   4   3   .5714   .5130

160.  Drake               5   3   .6250   .4951

161.  Evansville          3   3   .5000   .4946

198.  Illinois State      5   2   .7142   .4732

 

EXtreme Team Saturday

?   The popular acrobatic act known as Extreme Team will perform during halftime of Saturday's game versus Delaware State.

?   Extreme Team was formerly known as the Bud Light Daredevils.

 

GAmeday Luncheons

?   The Bradley Chiefs Club will host its next men's basketball Gameday Luncheon of the year Friday, Jan. 13.

?   The Jan. 13 luncheon will be used to honor the 2006 Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame class.

?   The final luncheon will be Tuesday, Feb. 14 prior to the home game versus Southern Illinois and will feature Bradley head coach Jim Les and second-year Salukis head coach Chris Lowrey.

?   To purchase tickets or receive more information about the Gameday Luncheons, contact the Chiefs Club Office at 309/677-2667.