Bradley will resume play in the inaugural Chicago Invitational Challenge Friday by taking on Rutgers in the 5 p.m. game at the new 11,000-seat Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Ill. Friday's Bradley/Rutgers game will be followed by Illinois/Miami-Ohio and the two winners will meet in Saturday's 7:30 p.m. championship game, following the 5 p.m. consolation game between the two Friday evening losers.
Two changes regarding television and tickets have developed within the last 24 hours. WCIA in Champaign will televise both of the Illinois games at the Sears Centre and has granted permission to Peoria's CBS affiliate (WMBD 31) to air those broadcasts. If Bradley and Illinois both lose Friday, the 5 p.m. meeting Saturday will be shown on a tape-delay basis at 7:30 on WMBD. Based on availablility, the tournament organizers are prepared to make tickets available for Saturday if Bradley and Illinois wind up facing each other. To date, tickets have been available only on an all-session basis. The Sears Centre Box Office may be reached via phone at 1-888-732-7784 or on the internet at www.searscentre.com.
Setting The Scene
Date: Fri., Nov. 24, 2006
Tipoff: 5 p.m.
Location: Hoffman Estates, Ill.
Arena: Sears Centre
Arena Capacity: 11,000
Television: WCIA (Champaign) for Illinois games and will share its broadcast with WMBD (Peoria)
Radio: WMBD AM 1470 (www.wmbdradio.com)
Video Stream: None
Tickets: All-session tickets are available ($60, $80, $90, $100) at the Sears Centre Box Office and are good for all eight games to be played Friday and Saturday. If Bradley and Illinois meet in Saturday's championship game, tournament organizers will be prepared to sell additional tickets Friday night and throughout the day Saturday, based on availability.
Chicago Invitational Challenge:
? Bradley continues play in the inaugural Chicago Invitational Challenge by playing Rutgers in the third round Friday evening at the new Sears Centre.
? The Bradley/Rutgers pairing is matched up with the Miami-Ohio/Illinois pairing for Saturday's final round (losers at 5 p.m. and winners at 7:30).
? The Braves began the season with four consecutive home games and will be playing away from Carver Arena for the first time in 2006-07.
? Bradley and Rutgers have met only one previous time, an 89-70 Bradley win Dec. 30, 1953.
? Friday's game will be Bradley's second versus the Big East: the Braves downed DePaul, 78-58, in the season opener.
Regular-Season Win Streak at 9
? Bradley has won nine consecutive regular-season games, dating back to the 71-59 victory Feb. 11 at Illinois State.
? The nine-game ride is tied for the eighth-longest active regular-season winning streak in the country.
? The current win streak is Bradley's longest regular-season win streak since the the Braves won the final 20 games of the 1985-86 regular season.
4-0 Starts
? Bradley has begun with four straight wins for the 27th time in the program's 103-year history, but for the first time since the 1985-86 Braves, led by senior point guard Jim Les, opened 9-0 en route to a final 32-3 record.
? The Braves will be shooting for their 17th 5-0 start Friday when they face Rutgers.
Getting Their Feet Wet
? Fifth-year Bradley head coach Jim Les broke in his new-look Braves with four home games and the Braves will leave Carver Arena for the first time with Friday's neutral-site game versus Rutgers.
? Bradley had not started a season with four straight home games since 1975-76 (3-1).
? Friday's game versus Rutgers starts a stretch that will see the Braves play four straight, and five of their next six, away from home.
The Road is Waiting
? As mentioned, Bradley will not play a true road game until visiting Tennessee Tech Nov. 29.
? Including the three games in the 2006 State Farm MVC Tournament, followed by three games in the 2006 NCAA Tournament, Bradley will go 13 contests in between true road games.
? Bradley has not played a game on its opponent's home floor since the 71-49 win Feb. 22, 2006 at #25 Northern Iowa.
? The 13 games between true road contests will be the longest since a 14-game stretch (11 home, 3 neutral) from Feb. 16, 1955 through Dec. 17, 1955.
Schedule Will Strengthen
? Bradley's 4-0 start has not made much of an impression on the computers thus far as the Braves were ranked No. 194 at www.collegerpi.com as of Wednesday morning.
? Bradley's first three Division I opponents have combined for a 1-10 record against fellow Division I competition through Nov. 21.
? After Friday's game versus Rutgers (0-2 vs. DI), the schedule strength will quickly rise as the remainder of Bradley's opponents have combined for a 39-17 (.696) DI record through Nov. 21.
Picking on the Big East
? Including the season-opening 78-58 victory versus DePaul, Bradley improved to 8-3 all-time verus teams that were members of the Big East Conference at the time of the game (the league formed in 1979).
? The Braves have won four straight versus Big East competition, beginning with an 83-82 victory versus then Big East member Miami-Fla. Nov. 26, 2003 in Las Vegas.
? The Braves, who lost to Villanova (63-62) in overtime during the second round of the 1999 Rainbow Classic, will try for their fifth straight win versus the Big East when they take on Rutgers Friday in the third round of the Chicago Invitational Challenge.
Blistering 3-Point Pace
? Utilizing a four-guard lineup in each of the first four games, it should not come as a surprise that Bradley has been bombing away from 3-point land in the early going.
? Aided by Tuesday's Valley record-tying effort of 20 3-pointers, Bradley was fifth nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (.505) and eighth with 51 3-pointers made through games of Nov. 21.
? With 31 regular-season games on tap this year, the Braves are on pace to shatter the school single-season record for 3-point field goals and already are just 10 shy of the 1991-92 entire season total (61).
Bradley's Bomb Squad
? The Braves enter Friday's game boasting five players who are averaging at least one 3-point field goal per game and all five are shooting better than 40 percent from long range.
? Overall, seven Braves have combined for the 51 3-pointers.
? Junior guard Jeremy Crouch made only 15-of-62 3-point field goal attempts during his rough sophomore season, but already has made 19 treys in exactly half as many attempts through the first four games.
? Through Nov. 21, Crouch was tied for ninth nationally with his 19 treys.
Spreading the Wealth
? Through the season's first four games, four different Braves have scored at least 20 points in a game, twice by Jeremy Crouch and once each by Danny Adams, Zach Andrews and J.J. Tauai.
? Crouch (twice), Adams and Tauai all have led the team in scoring thus far.
Sharing the Rock
? Bradley's 30 assists Tuesday versus Florida A&M were the most since recording 31 Dec. 29, 2002 versus Alcorn State and were one off the Carver Arena record.
? Through Nov. 21, Bradley was tied for 24th nationally by averaging 19.5 assists per game, despite playing the last three games without The Valley's active career assists leader, junior point guard Daniel Ruffin.
Keeping Them Fresh
? Head coach Jim Les does not have a deep bench to draw from -- only 10 available scholarship player -- but he has done a masterful job of spreading the minutes.
? Working primarily from an 8-man rotation, Bradley has eight players averaging between 17.8 and a team high of 32.8 (Will Franklin) minutes per game.
Deep Backcourt
? Seven of Bradley's nine returning lettermen are backcourt players and six guards are playing prominent roles for the Braves in the early going.
? Six of Bradley's top seven scorers are guards -- Jeremy Crouch (19.3 ppg), Will Franklin (13.3), Daniel Ruffin (12.0), J.J. Tauai (10.0), Danny Adams (8.8) and Andrew Warren (6.8).
Pressure Defense
? Bradley has used its advantage in quickness to extend its defense and pressure the ball on the perimeter.
? As a result, Bradley has forced 68 turnovers (17.0 per game), including 42 off of steals.
? Bradley is second in the Valley by averaging 10.5 steals per game.
Taking Care of the Ball
? With several capable ball-handlers on the floor at all times, Bradley has taken good care of the ball early on.
? The Braves average only 12.3 turnovers per game.
? Seven Braves boast a positive assists-to-turnover ratio and three have at least as many steals as turnovers.
Andrews Playing Big
? After losing the team's top three rebounders to graduation and the NBA, senior center Zach Andrews has become a rebounding machine for the Braves.
? Andrews sports two double-doubles and has ripped down at least 10 boards in three of the first four games.
? Including a career-best-tying 15 boards Sunday afternoon, Andrews leads The Valley by averaging 10.5 boards per contest.
? And despite the four-guard starting lineup, Andrews' effort has helped Bradley to at least a draw in the battle of the boards in three of the first four games.
Stepping Up in Ruffin's Absence
? Bradley has played the last three games without junior point guard Daniel Ruffin, a preseason candidate for the Bob Cousy Award who is nursing a strained hip flexor.
? Senior combo guard Will Franklin has stepped up his game in Ruffin's absence, averaging 14.0 points, 7.0 assists and 2.3 steals in the last three games.
? Likewise, senior guard J.J. Tauai has averaged 11.0 points, 4.3 assists and 1.7 points in the last three games.
? Franklin and Tauai, the two primary ball-handlers in Ruffin's absence, have combined for 34 assists and 12 turnovers (2.8 a/to ratio) the last three games.
What's At Stake
? The winner of Friday's 5 p.m. Bradley/Rutgers game will advance to Saturday's 7:30 p.m. championship game of the inaugural Chicago Invitational Challenge and will face the winner of Friday's 7:30 p.m. game between Illinois and Miami-Ohio.
? Friday's two evening session losers will meet in Saturday's 5 p.m. consolation final.
Bradley-Miami Series Notes
? It is somewhat surprising, given their relative proximity, but Bradley and Miami-Ohio have never before met as men's basketball opponents.
? The Braves also have played relatively few games versus the current membership of Miami's Mid-American Conference, posting a 26-14 all-time record against nine of the neighbor league's 12 teams.
? Most recenlty, the Braves took 2-of-3 games from Bowling Green during a 2-for-1 series that extended over the last three seasons.
Bradley-Illinois Series Notes
? Despite being separated by just 94 miles on Interstate-74, Bradley and Illinois have played only 14 times and only just times since 1936.
? The Illini hold a 12-2 advantage versus Bradley, most recenlty sweeping a three-game series from 1997 through 1999.
? Two of the four meetings since 1936 were played in Chicago: a 105-88 Bradley win Jan. 24, 1974 at Chicago Stadium and a 53-58 Illinois victory Dec. 5, 1998 at the United Center.
Weber Knows the Braves
? While Bradley and Illinois have not met since 1999, current Illini head coach Bruce Weber is certainly familiar with the Bradley program.
? Weber was the head coach at Bradley's Missouri Valley Conference rival Southern Illinois from 1998 through 2003.
? Including a season series split during Jim Les' first year at Bradley in 2002-03, Bradley won seven of the 12 meetings versus Weber's Salukis.
Against the Big Ten
? Big Ten Conference schools boast a 48-22 all-time record against Bradley, including a 9-3 record versus the Braves at neutral sites.
? A potential matchup Saturday versus Illinois would be Bradley's first game against a Big Ten member since Bradley hosted the 15th-ranked Illini Nov. 22, 1999 at Carver Arena (Illinois won 72-62).
? Bradley has not beat a Big Ten school since dumping Penn State, 63-54, Dec. 12, 1998 at Carver Arena.
? That game versus the Nittany Lions capped a streak of three straight games versus the Big Ten -- Dec. 2 at Michigan (L, 44-74) and Dec. 5 versus Illinois (L 48-53) at the United Center.
Les Likes the Tourney Setting
? In addition to Bradley's relative success in the postseason last year, advancing to the championship game of the State Farm MVC Tournament and the third round of the NCAA Tournament, Jim Les has enjoyed a decent amount of success in regular-season tournaments with the Braves.
? Including the two home wins earlier this week to start the Chicago Invitational Challenge, Bradley is 7-2 in exempted tournaments under Les.
? The Braves bounced back from an opening loss at host Hawai'i with blowout wins versus Alcorn State and Chicago State to finish fifth in the 2002 Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic.
? Although Bradley lost to NAIA Lubbock Christian in the third round, Bradley tied for first in the 2003 Las Vegas Tournament with a 3-1 record.
Consecutive Postseasons
? Coming off last year's run to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, Bradley will be trying to reach consecutive postseason tournaments for the first time since a four-year run from 1994 through 1997 (1 NCAA, 3 NITs).
? Bradley has not played in consecutive NCAA Tournaments since the Braves followed up a 1954 national runner-up finish by reaching the Elite Eight of the 1955 NCAA Tournament.
