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Bradley-Creighton Game Notes

Pregame Notes in PDF format

Bradley University Men's Basketball 1/16/2006 6:00:00 AM

Bradley Braves (9-6, 3-4 MVC)

Creighton Bluejays (11-4, 5-2 MVC)

Wed., Jan. 18, 2006 ? 7:05 p.m. ? Omaha, Neb. ? Qwest Center (15,500)

Television: MVC-TV (Live - Fox Sports Net Midwest, Fox College Sports; Tape delay - Comcast SportsNet Chicago)

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

Internet: www.bubraves.com (audio streams only)

Braves & Jays on MVC-TV

? Bradley will shoot for its first season sweep versus Creighton since the 1997-98 season Wednesday when the Braves visit Qwest Center OMAHA.

? Bradley earned an 86-69 win versus Creighton Jan. 2 at Carver Arena, the most-lopsided Braves win in the series since Feb. 28, 1994 (70-49).

? The 17-point margin also was the second-most lopsided Valley loss by the Bluejays in the last eight seasons (70-46 at Missouri State Feb. 28, 2004).

? Bradley has lost 13 consecutive Missouri Valley Conference road games dating back to Feb. 28, 2004 and seven straight at Creighton.

? Creighton is 8-0 at home and has won 12 in a row at the Qwest Center, dating back to a 79-71 loss to Missouri State Feb. 5, 2005.

Series Notes

? Wednesday's game will be the 70th meeting in the all-time series, which dates back to a 52-46 non-league Braves victory Feb. 13, 1941 at the Peoria Armory.

? Bradley owns a 37-32 all-time lead in the series, including a 32-29 edge as Missouri Valley Conference rivals since the Bluejays joined the MVC for the 1977-78 season.

? Creighton owns a 19-13 series lead in Omaha, including a 2-0 mark at Qwest Center OMAHA.

? The Bluejays have won seven straight home games versus the Braves and eight of 11 at home versus Bradley in the Dana Altman era.

? Creighton had won nine straight in the series, matching the longest winning streak any Valley opponent had ever enjoyed against Bradley, until the Braves ran away with an 86-69 victory Jan. 2 at Carver Arena.

About the Bluejays

? Creighton brings an 11-4 record into Wednesday's game, but the Bluejays are 8-1 in the nine games they have played without preseason All-MVC guard Nate Funk, who will seek a medical redshirt following Jan. 5 shoulder surgery.

? Since losing a 69-64 decision Dec. 6 at Chattanooga, Creighton has won eight straight games in which Funk has not played.

? The Bluejays are 8-0 at home this season and will bring a 12-game Qwest Center winning streak into Wednesday's game, dating back to a 79-71 loss Feb. 5, 2005 versus Missouri State.

? Senior guard Johnny Mathies leads Creighton in scoring at 13.3 points per game and junior forward Anthony Tolliver adds 12.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

? Even without Funk, Creighton leads the Valley in 3-point field goals made per game (7.4) and the Bluejays are now shooting 38.4 percent from behind the arc.

Recapping the First Meeting

? In the final game of Nate Funk's season, Bradley cruised to an 86-69 victory versus Creighton Jan. 2 at Carver Arena.

? Bradley's starting front court turned in a dominating performance as Patrick O'Bryant (19 points, 9 rebounds), Marcellus Sommerville (19, 7) and Lawrence Wright (12, 9) combined for 50 points and 25 rebounds.

? The 86 points were the most Bradley had scored versus Creighton since a 101-77 victory March 6, 1988 in the second round of the MVC Tournament at Carver Arena and the 17-point margin of victory was Bradley's widest in the series since a 70-49 win Feb. 28, 1994 at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.

? Bradley limited Creighton to 35.9 percent shooting from the field, including 29.2 percent (7-24) from 3-point range, and outrebounded the Bluejays, 46-33.

? Funk (2-13) and Johnny Mathies (2-12) were a combined 4-for-25 (.160) from the field for Creighton.

In Good Company

? Wednesday's game at Creighton will be the 105th in Jim Les' four-year career at Bradley.

? Les will take a 49-55 record into Wednesday's game.

? Creighton head coach Dana Altman owned an identical 49-55 record following his first 104 games in Omaha.

Year Season Les Season Altman

1 2002-03 12-18 1994-95 7-19

2 2003-04 15-16 1995-96 14-15

3 2004-05 13-15 1996-97 15-15

4 2005-06 9-6 1997-98* 18-10

* Altman started 14-6 in 1997-98 to complete the 104-game start and went on to lead the Bluejays to the NIT.

? Altman now owns a 229-124 (.649) record in his 12th season at Creighton and is the third-winningest coach in Missouri Valley Conference history.

Lineup Shuffle

? Bradley started the same five players during each of the first six Valley games, but after a 2-4 league start that was capped by the 86-76 home loss to Wichita State last Wednesday, head coach Jim Les announced all five starting positions would be up for grabs during the next two practices.

? In the end, junior guard J.J. Tauai and junior forward Zach Andrews replaced senior forwards Marcellus Sommerville and Lawrence Wright among the starting five Saturday versus Evansville.

? All four players responded in the 90-62 win: Tauai turned in one of the best games of his career and the quartet combined for 37 points, 24 rebounds, 10 assists, four blocked shots and four steals and each of the four saw at least 19 minutes of action.

? While the starting lineup of Daniel Ruffin (1), Tony Bennett (2), Wright (3), Sommerville (4) and Patrick O'Bryant (5) fell to 2-4 following the Wichita State game, Bradley's other three starting lineups this season have a combined 7-2 record.

In Reality, Two Bad Halves

? Much was made of Bradley's recent three-game losing streak, but in the end, one bad 40-minute stretch ultimately cost the Braves the final two games in the streak.

? The Braves went to halftime Jan. 8 at Southern Illinois, trailing the league-leading Salukis just 29-27, but Bradley went scoreless for the first 8:15 of the second period and saw its deficit reach 19 points before eventually trying to rally.

? Then in last Wednesday's game versus Wichita State, the Shockers raced to a 15-0 lead and led 39-19 at halftime.

? In the last three halves, the Braves have averaged 49.3 points per half on 56.4 percent (57-101) shooting from the field.

Tough Valley Start

? Bradley's first six Valley games were played against five teams that begin this week with a 63-22 (.741) combined record:

Date Opponent Record Pct. RPI

Dec. 28 UNI 15-3 .833 19

Dec. 30 at Wichita State 14-4 .778 28

Jan. 2 Creighton 11-4 .733 27

Jan. 5 at Drake 10-8 .556 104

Jan. 8 at Southern Illinois 13-3 .813 22

Jan. 11 Wichita State 14-4 .778 28

Cumulative Totals 63-22 .741

? Bradley started its second third of the Valley schedule Saturday with a 90-62 home win versus Evansville.

? Following Wednesday's game versus Creighton, five of Bradley's next seven games will be played against a trio of teams that own a combined 3-17 league record: Indiana State (1-6) twice, at Evansville (1-5) and Illinois State (1-6) twice.

Defensive Streak Stopped

? Bradley had held each of its previous six opponents to less than 38 percent shooting from the field, until Wichita State ended the streak by shooting 51.9 percent in an 86-76 Shockers win last Wednesday at Carver Arena.

? The Bradley Sports Information Office has a complete archive of box scores going back to the 1971-72 season, and in the last 35 seasons, the Braves had never before held six consecutive opponents to less than 40 percent shooting from the field.

Opponent FG-FGA Pct. 3FG-A Pct.

at Southern Miss 14-47 .298 3-15 .200

Northern Iowa 20-59 .339 9-28 .321

at Wichita State 21-56 .375 6-19 .316

Creighton 23-64 .359 7-24 .292

at Drake 22-58 .379 4-14 .286

at Southern Illinois 18-52 .346 5-19 .263

6-game totals 118-336 .351 34-119 .286

? Bradley bounced back from the Wichita State game by holding Evansville to 34.9 percent in Saturday's 90-62 victory at Carver Arena.

? For the season, Bradley is holding the opposition to 40.2 percent shooting from the field and a league low 29.4 percent from 3-point territory.

Valley Defense

? Bradley's first seven league opponents have shot only 37.9 percent from the field.

? Bradley's road defense has been particularly impressive as the first three Valley road opponents have managed to shoot just 36.7 percent (61-166) from the field and a frigid 28.8 percent (15-52) from 3-point range.

Valley Foul Trouble

? Foul trouble in Bradley's first seven Valley games has prevented the Braves from taking full advantage of their historic run of defense.

? In the first seven league games, the Braves have been whistled for 151 personal fouls, an average of 21.6 per game and 35 more than their seven league opponents.

? The result has been a -52 scoring margin at the free throw line in the first seven Valley games (87 made free throws by the Braves, compared to 139 by their opponents).

? Bradley has not attempted more free throws than its opponent since the Valley opener Dec. 28 versus UNI, when the Braves were 13-for-18 and the Panthers were 11-for-16.

Get Back on the Glass

? Bradley had won the battle of the boards in eight consecutive games (by an average of +10.3 rpg) until Drake ended the streak Jan. 5 in Des Moines.

? The Braves were outrebounded during each of the three games in the recent losing streak, including a 42-30 deficit Wednesday versus Wichita State.

? Bradley beat Evansville by 10 on the boards Saturday, 42-32.

? Bradley is 7-2 when it wins the rebound battle this season, leaving the Braves with a 2-4 record when they lose the board battle.

The Andrews Factor

? Including Saturday's 90-62 win versus Evansville, Bradley is 5-1 this season when junior post player Zach Andrews starts, but 4-5 in the other nine games.

? In the six games Andrews has started, the Braves have won the rebound battle all six times and by an average of 9.7 boards per game.

? In the nine games Andrews has come off the bench, Bradley has been outrebounded six times.

? Andrews has averaged 11.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in his six starts, compared to 4.8 points and 5.1 rebounds in his nine games as a reserve.

Let Me Assist You

? Bradley recorded 29 assists on the 36 baskets Saturday versus Evansville, the team's largest assist total since recording 31 Dec. 29, 2002 versus Alcorn State in the second round of the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic.

? Bradley reached 20 assists in a game only one time last season, while averaging only 13.5 assists per game.

? Including a 22-assist effor in the first meeting Jan. 2 versus Creighton, Bradley has dished out at least 20 assists five times this season and the Braves are averaging 16.5 assists per game.

? In Bradley's nine wins the season, the Braves have averaged 18.9 assists, setting up 70.7 percent of their field goals.

O'Bryant's Block Party

? Including six rejections by sophomore center Patrick O'Bryant, Bradley set the single-season school record with 12 blocked shots Saturday versus Evansville.

? Since O'Bryant made his season debut in the Valley opener Dec. 28, the Braves are averaging 5.4 blocked shots per game.

? In the eight games without O'Bryant, Bradley's opponents were shooting 48.0 percent (142-296) from inside the 3-point line.

? In O'Bryant's seven games, the opposition is shooting only percent 42.2 percent (113-268) from inside the arc.

Opponents Hot at the Line

? Compounding Bradley's foul trouble through the first seven Valley games, the seven opponents have combined to shoot 76.8 percent from the line.

? In the last five games, Creighton (16-21), Drake (27-30), Southern Illinois (26-33), Wichita State (23-26) and Evansville (15-20) have combined to shoot 82.3 percent (107-130) from the stripe.

? During the same five games, Bradley has shot just 67.4 percent from the free throw line, making 60-of-89 attempts.

Valley Holding at No. 5 in RPI

? According to the numbers published at www.collegerpi.com, the Missouri Valley Conference continues to hold at No. 5 among the 31 NCAA Division I leagues.

Conference RPI (Through Jan. 15)

DI Non-Con Record

Rk. Conference W L Pct. RPI

1 Big Ten 103 24 .8110 .5960

2 Atlantic Coast 111 27 .8043 .5868

3 Southeastern 112 35 .7619 .5832

4 Big East 143 41 .7772 .5818

5 Missouri Valley 61 22 .7349 .5641

6 Big XII 102 32 .7612 .5519

7 Pac-10 71 28 .7172 .5502

Rk. School W L Pct. RPI

19 Northern Iowa 13 3 .8125 .6208