Game 14 ? Evansville (9-4, 2-0) at Bradley (9-4, 0-1)
Tipoff: Sat., Dec. 30, 2006 ? 7:05 p.m. (CST)
Location: Peoria, Ill. ? Carver Arena (11,080)
Television: None
Radio: WMBD AM 1470 (www.wmbdradio.com) -- Dave Snell (play-by-play) and Joe Stowell (analyst)
Video Stream: www.bubraves.com
Bradley Faces Evansville In Valley Home Opener
? Bradley will begin its nine-game Missouri Valley Conference home schedule Saturday night when the Braves host Evansville at Carver Arena.
? Bradley enters Saturday's game riding both the longest overall home winning streak (14 games) and longest conference home winning streak (six) in The Valley, both of which began with 90-62 victory versus Evansville Jan. 14, 2006 at Carver Arena.
Bradley-Evansville Series
? Bradley owns a 15-13 lead in the all-time series versus Evansville, which dates back to a 77-68 non-conference Aces win Dec. 22, 1986 in Evansville.
? The series has been dominated by the home team: Bradley is 11-2 at home versus Evansville, while the Purple Aces are 10-3 against the Braves in Evansville.
? After sweeping the 2005-06 season series, Bradley will be shooting for its third straight win versus Evansville, which would be Bradley's longest series winning streak since winning seven in a row from Dec. 22, 1987 through Jan. 11, 1997.
? Fifth-year Bradley head coach Jim Les owns a 4-4 record versus both Evansville and his counterpart Steve Merfeld. Including a double-overtime loss at Carver Arena in 2001 as the Hampton head coach, Merfeld is 4-5 in his career against Bradley.
Shooting For 15 in a Row at Home
? Bradley will be shooting for its 15th consecutive home win Saturday night, which would equal the longest home court winning streak in the five-year Jim Les era and the third-longest in the 25-year history of Carver Arena.
? Bradley has always been tough at home, but since the start of the 2005-06 season, the Braves have won 20 of 21 (.952) at Carver Arena with the lone loss coming to Wichita State on Jan. 11, 2006.
The Re-Making of the Braves
? Dominated by losses to its front line, Bradley lost 66.9 percent of its scoring and 65.0 percent of its rebounding from the 2006-06 squad that went 22-11 and reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
? Bradley lost five players from last year's team -- 7-foot center Patrick O'Bryant as an early entry lottery pick in the NBA Draft, as well as graduates 6-7 power forward Marcellus Sommerville (Hungary), 6-foot-4 small forward Lawrence Wright (Harlem Globetrotters), 6-foot guard Tony Bennett (ABA) and 7-foot-1 center Brandyn Heemskerk.
? Fifth-year head coach Jim Les has re-designed the Bradley scheme, primarily utilizing an eight-man rotation built around six returning players and two newcomers in a four-guard attack.
? The changes have produced a 9-4 record to date and one of the nation's most prolific 3-point shooting attacks -- Bradley ranks among the nation's leaders in 3-point FG percentage (.473) and treys per game (11.3).
Replacement Points
? As mentioned, Bradley lost five players from last year's Sweet 16 squad who combined for 1,577 of the team's 2,359 (66.9 percent) points.
? The Braves have received only 182 of 1043 (17.4 percent) points from newcomers this year.
? The bulk of Bradley's offensive production is the result of improved contributions from six returning players, including four players who have more than doubled their scoring average from last season.
Returning 2005-06 2006-07
Player Pts. PPG Pts. PPG +/- Pct.
J.J. Tauai 53 1.8 97 7.5 416.7%
Jeremy Crouch 102 4.6 218 16.8 365.2%
Danny Adams 51 1.7 75 5.8 341.2%
Will Franklin 134 5.0 187 14.4 288.0%
Zach Andrews 171 5.3 136 10.5 198.1%
Daniel Ruffin 254 7.7 134 13.4 174.0%
Bradley Basketball History
? Bradley is participating in its 103rd men's basketball season and the Braves rank 26th all-time with 1,481 victories.
? Bradley has played in 31 postseason tournaments, the most among the 10 teams in the Missouri Valley Conference, claiming four National Invitation Tournament titles, two NCAA Tournament runner-up finishes and four trips to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
? The Braves have produced 20 All-Americans, including 1988 national player of the year Hersey Hawkins, who still ranks seventh in NCAA Division I history with 3,008 career points.
Carver Arena -- Home of the Braves
? Part of the Peoria Civic Center complex, Carver Arena has served as the gameday home to Bradley Basketball since the start of the 1982-83 season, making this the 25th season in the 11,080-seat facility.
? Following its win against Southern Miss Saturday, Bradley now boasts a 264-82 (.763) all-time record at Carver Arena.
? Bradley has won 14 consecutive home games overall and 24 straight non-conference home games, the longest non-conference streak in The Valley.
? The 24 consecutive non-conference home wins ranks as the ninth-best non-conference home winning streak in the country.
Current Home Winning Streaks
Rk. School Stk. Next
1. Gonzaga 47 1/6 vs. Loyola Marymount
2. Connecticut 29 1/2 vs. South Florida
3. Air Force 23 1/6 vs. UNLV
4. BYU 21 12/29 vs. Oral Roberts
5. Memphis 21 1/4 vs. Cincinnati
6. George Washington 19 1/3 vs. Fordham
7. Northwestern State 18 1/11 vs. Texas A&M C.C.
Texas 18 1/2 vs. Texas-Arlington
UAB 18 1/10 vs. UCF
10. Washington 16 1/4 vs. Arizona
11. Butler 15 1/6 vs. Wright State
Lipscomb 15 1/7 vs. Stetson
Ohio State 15 12/30 vs. Coppin State
Texas A&M 15 1/2 vs. Winthrop
15. Bradley 14 12/30 vs. Evansville
Michigan 14 12/30 vs. Georgetown
17. Missouri State 13 1/7 vs. Wichita State
Winthrop 13 1/6 vs. VMI
19. Belmont 12 1/7 vs. Mercer
Current Non-Con Home Winning Streaks
Rk. School Stk. Next
1. Duke 49 12/31 vs. San Jose State
2. Sam Houston State 34 12/30 vs. Non-DI
3. Air Force 31 Next season
4. Arizona 29 Next season
5. Washington 27 Next season
6. Gonzaga 26 2/17 vs. Memphis
Michigan State 26 12/30 vs. Loyola (Md.)
8. Ohio State 25 12/30 vs. Coppin State
9. Bradley 24 Next Season
10. Colorado State 22 2006-07
Florida 22 12/30 vs. UAB
12. Winthrop 21 2006-07
13. Georgia Southern 20 1/2 vs. Pikeville
Northern Iowa 20 Next season
Short Turnaround
? Bradley is starting the Missouri Valley Conference portion of its schedule by playing its first five league games in a span of just 11 days.
? The Braves have not played five regular-season Valley games in a span of only 11 days since the 1994-95 season.
? Bradley went 4-1 during that busy period, beginning with a 61-54 win Jan. 11 against Drake, but concluding with a 73-53 loss to Tulsa Jan. 21.
Tough Schedule
? Through Thursday's action, Bradley ranked 17th nationally in strength of schedule, according to numbers posted at www.collegerpi.com.
? Bradley's strength of schedule is easily the best in The Valley as Southern Illinois is second with a schedule ranked 60th in the nation.
Spreading the Wealth
? Through 13 games, six different Bradley players have led the team in scoring: Jeremy Crouch (five times), Will Franklin (twice), Daniel Ruffin (twice), J.J. Tauai (twice), Danny Adams (Florida A&M), Zach Andrews (at Tennessee Tech).
20-Somethings
? The Braves also have featured six different 20-point scorers in the first 13 games: Jeremy Crouch (four times), Will Franklin (twice), Danny Adams (Florida A&M), Zach Andrews (Illinois-Chicago), Daniel Ruffin (at UNI) and J.J. Tauai (SIU-Edwardsville).
Blistering 3-Point Pace
? Utilizing a four-guard lineup, it should not come as a surprise that Bradley has been bombing away from 3-point land in the early going.
? Aided by a Valley record-tying 20 3-pointers Nov. 21 versus Florida A&M, Bradley leads the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (.473) and third in 3-point field goals per game (11.3).
? During one 40-minute stretch -- second half versus Florida A&M (10-15) and the first half against Rutgers (13-17) -- Bradley sank 23-of-32 (.719) 3-point tries.
? With 32 games guaranteed this year, the Braves are on pace to shatter the school (224) and MVC (293) single-season records for 3-point field goals and could challenge Duke's 2000-01 NCAA Division I record (407) by playing in four more postseason games.
Bradley's Bomb Squad
? Eight Bradley players have combined for the team's 147 3-pointers and each of the eight players is shooting better than 41 percent from long range.
? By comparison, only 19 of the 336 NCAA Division I teams are shooting better than Daniel Ruffin's group low 41.7 percent from 3-point range.
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.
? Bradley's top three scorers, as well as six of the top eight, are guards: Jeremy Crouch (16.8 ppg), Will Franklin (14.4), Daniel Ruffin (13.4), J.J. Tauai (7.5), Danny Adams (5.8) and Andrew Warren (5.8).
Up Tempo, But Under Control
? In addition to its proficiency from long range, another advantage of Bradley's four-guard lineup is the ability to play at a quick pace, but under control.
? Through Dec. 28 Bradley ranked first in The Valley and 31st nationally in points per game (80.2).
? Averaging only 11.8 turnovers per game, Bradley is the only team in the nation averaging better than 80 points and fewer than 12 turnovers per game.
Let Me Assist You
? Bradley's hot start from behind the 3-point line is largely attributed to the team's ability to move the ball.
? As evidence, the Braves are second in The Valley by averaging 17.1 assists per game.
? Four Braves are averaging better than 2.0 assists per game, led by junior point guard Daniel Ruffin (5.4) and senior combo guard Will Franklin (4.5).
Records Watch
? Bradley junior point guard Daniel Ruffin, a preseason candiate for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award, cracked Bradley's career top 10 assists list with his six dish off Wednesday at UNI.
? The Valley's active leader, Ruffin now boasts 357 career assists and needs just eight more to move into the ninth spot.
? Junior guard Jeremy Crouch has made 107 career 3-pointers and now needs just one more trey to move into Bradley's career top 10.
Keeping Them Fresh
? Head coach Jim Les does not have a deep bench to draw from -- only 10 available scholarship players -- but he has done a masterful job of spreading the minutes.
? Working primarily from an eight-man rotation, Bradley has eight players averaging between 16.8 and a team high of 32.6 (Will Franklin) minutes per game.
Disadvantage On The Boards
? The most glaring disadvantage of Bradley's four-guard attack has been the team's inability to consistently keep the opposition off the boards.
? Bradley is being outrebounded by 4.7 boards per game, including a 45-28 disadvantage in Wednesday's loss at Northern Iowa.
