Bradley Braves (13-8, 7-6 MVC)
at
Indiana State sycamores (9-12, 2-11 MVC)
Wed., Feb. 8, 2006 ? 6:35 p.m. ? Terre Haute, Ind. ? Hulman Center (10,200)
Television: WEEK-TV, Peoria NBC 25 (Lee Hall, play-by-play; Joe Dalfonso, analyst)
Satellite Coordinates: SBS6-K13 Slot C (9 Mhz digital); D/L=12020 H; Symbol rate=6.1113; FEC=3/4
Radio: WMBD AM 1470 (Dave Snell, play-by-play; Joe Stowell, analyst)
Internet: www.bubraves.com (audio and video streams)
Road Swing Continues at ISU(s)
? Bradley will play the middle game of its season-long, three-game road swing Wednesday when the Braves visit Indiana State.
? After trailing 40-35 at the half, Bradley won the season's first meeting versus the Sycamores by an 85-63 count Jan. 21 at Carver Arena.
? Bradley will be shooting for its fourth road win of the season, a total not achieved by the Braves since the 1997-98 season (4-9).
? Bradley owns a 4-1 record versus the three teams below them in the league standings with the lone loss coming Jan. 5 at Drake (75-73).
? Following Wednesday's game, Bradley will conclude the road swing by visiting Interstate 74 rival Illinois State Saturday afternoon at Redbird Arena.
Series Notes
? Wednesday's game will be the 65th meeting in the all-time series between Bradley and Indiana State, which dates back to an 86-63 Braves victory Dec. 28, 1968 at Robertson Fieldhouse.
? Bradley owns a 42-22 lead in the all-time series, including a 15-14 advantage in Terre Haute.
? Indiana State is the only current Valley member against whom Bradley owns a winning road record.
? Bradley snapped a brief, two-game losing streak versus the Sycamores with an 85-63 victory Jan. 21 at Carver Arena and the Braves now have won seven of the last nine meetings.
? Fourth-year Bradley head coach Jim Les owns a 6-2 record versus Indiana State, while Sycamores head coach Royce Waltman is 9-11 against the Braves.
About the Sycamores
? Playing without star guard David Moss for eight games, Indiana State has lost 12 of its last 13 games, including six straight at the Hulman Center.
? The one victory stands out, though, a 63-54 win last Wednesday at Southern Illinois, snapping the Salukis' nation-best 33-game home winning streak, as well as the MVC record 42-game winning streak in league home games.
? Moss leads the Sycamores in scoring average at 16.0 points per game, and despite missing eight games with a hamstring injury, his 208 total points is second only to Tyson Schnitker's 239.
? Indiana State is tied for ninth in the league in field goal percentage (.410) and the Sycamores are ninth in field goal percentage defense (.464).
? The Sycamores also are last in the Valley in rebound margin (-4.5).
? Indiana State's six-game home losing streak is the longest since the final six home games of the 2003-04 season and the Sycamores have not lost seven straight at the Hulman Center since a nine-game home slide from Jan. 5, 1989 through
Success at Hulman Center
? Bradley is 6-27 on the Valley road the last 3+ seasons, but the Braves are 2-1 at the Hulman Center under head coach Jim Les.
? With a 15-14 all-time road record versus the Sycamores, Indiana State is the only current Missouri Valley Conference team against whom the Braves own a winning record.
Looking for Fourth Road Win
? In addition at the opportunity for a regular-season sweep versus Indiana State, Bradley will be shooting for its fourth road win of the season Wednesday night.
? Bradley, which is 3-7 on the road so far this season, has not won as many as four road games since the 1997-98 season (4-9).
? With a total of three road games remaining (Saturday at Illinois State and Feb. 22 at UNI), Bradley has not won as many as five road games since the 1996-96 MVC championship squad went 7-4 on its opponents' home floors.
Winning Record at Stake
? With only 28 games guaranteed for the 2005-06 season, a win Saturday at Indiana State would mean the Braves would finish the season no worse than .500.
? Bradley has not finished with a winning record since the 2000-01 squad went 19-12 overall and earned a spot in the National Invitation Tournament.
Winning Valley Record
? Missouri State snapped Bradley's four-game winning streak Saturday night, leaving the Braves with a 7-6 league record.
? The Braves have not been better than .500 in league play this late in the season
since tying for second in the 2000-01 Valley race with a 12-6 league record.
? Bradley's next Valley win will be its eighth and equal the most for Jim Les in his four years as the Braves' head coach.
Tough on League Leaders
? Bradley has played seven games versus teams that began the week sitting atop their respective conference standings.
? The Braves are 4-3 in those seven games with victories versus Valley co-leaders Northern Iowa (68-60) and Creighton (86-69), as well as Sun Belt East Division leader Western Kentucky (78-76) and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference leader Delaware State (68-46).
? Bradley's losses were an 80-76 loss at Creighton and a sweep by the third Valley co-leader Wichita State.
? The Braves still have a single game remaining Feb. 22 at UNI.
Fouls Tell The Story
? More than any other stat, the foul count has the most-accurate factor in determining the outcome of Bradley's games this season.
? The Braves are 7-0 this season and 38-11 (.776) in Jim Les' four years as head coach when they commit fewer fouls than their opponents.
? During the recent four-game winning streak, the Braves were whistled for a total of just 58 fouls, an average of only 14.5 per game.
? In Saturday's 70-62 loss at Missouri State, Bradley was called for 10 more fouls (26-16) than the Bears.
More Free Throws=More Wins
? In Bradley's 13 wins this season, the Braves have converted 200-of-278 (.719) free throw attempts.
? In the wins, Bradley has averaged 21.4 free throw attempts per game and outscored the opposition by an average of 4.1 points per game at the line.
? In the eight losses, the Braves have made only 92-of-137 (.672) attempts.
? In those eight losses, Bradley has averaged only 17.1 free throw attempts per game and the opposition has outscored the Braves by 12.3 points from the stripe.
Wins Losses
Team FTM FTA Pct. FTM FTA Pct.
Bradley 200 278 .719 92 137 .672
Opponents 147 209 .703 190 249 .763
Let Me Assist You
? Bradley leads the Missouri Valley Conference by averaging 17.14 assists per game.
? Bradley averaged 21.8 assists during the four-game winning streak and has recorded at least 20 assists in four of its last five wins.
? Bradley reached 20 assists in a game only one time last season, while averaging just 13.5 assists per game.
? In Bradley's 13 wins this season, the Braves have averaged 19.8 assists, setting up 70.6 percent of their field goals.
Two point Guard Look
? In the last six games, junior reserve point guard Will Franklin has joined sophomore starting point guard Daniel Ruffin on the court for extended periods of time.
? In the last six games, the Braves have outscored their opponents by 39 points during the time the two point guards have been on the floor together.
Four Ball-Handlers
? The increased minutes for junior guards J.J. Tauai and Will Franklin of late has given the Braves an impressive collection of ball-handling combinations.
? The quartet of Tony Bennett, Franklin, Daniel Ruffin and Tauai has combined for a 1.91 assists-to-turnover ratio:
Player A TO A/TO Ratio
Tony Bennett 59 41 1.44
Will Franklin 44 19 2.32
Daniel Ruffin 110 56 1.96
J.J. Tauai 34 13 2.62
4-Player Totals 247 129 1.91
? Franklin (1st), Ruffin (3rd) and Bennett (10th) all rank among the Valley's top 10 in assists-to-turnover ratio, while Tauai would lead the league if he had enough assists (2.5/game) to qualify.
Accurate Bennett Equals Wins
? Including each of Bradley's last three home wins, the Braves are 17-4 (.810) the last two seasons when senior guard Tony Bennett shoots at least 50 percent from the field.
? Bennett has made 17-of-33 (.515) shots during the last three home games, giving the Braves a 15-0 record in his two seasons when he shoots at least 50 percent at Carver Arena.
O'Bryant's Block Party
? Since Bradley sophomore center Patrick O'Bryant made his season debut in the Valley opener Dec. 28, the Braves are averaging 5.5 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 the 13 games since O'Bryant's return, the opposition is shooting only percent 43.8 percent (217-496) from inside the arc.
