(13) Bradley Braves (20-10, 11-7 MVC)
vs.
#12/13 (4) Kansas Jayhawks (25-7, 13-3 Big 12)
Fri., March 17, 2006 ? 8:30 p.m. (CST) ? Auburn Hills, Mich. ? Palace of Auburn Hills
NCAA Tournament Oakland Regional
TV: CBS (Verne Lundquist, play-by-play; Bill Raftery, analyst)
Radio: WMBD AM 1470 (Dave Snell, play-by-play; Joe Stowell, analyst)
Internet: Video streaming on demand available at http://www.ncaasports.com/mmod
The links to Bradley's 2006 NCAA Tournament Guide PDF files may be found at the bottom of this web release.
Eighth Appearance
? Bradley is making its eighth appearance in the NCAA Tournament, but its first since the 1995-96 season.
? The Braves own a 10-7 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament and have twice advanced to the national championship game -- 1950 and 1954.
? Bradley has not won a NCAA Tournament game since downing No. 10 seed UTEP in the first round of the 1986 tourney in Odgen, Utah.
? The second-round loss to eventual national champion Louisville started Bradley's current three-game NCAA Tournament losing streak, its longest tourney skid.
At-Large INvitation
? Bradley is one of three Missouri Valley Conference teams to receive an at-large invitation to the NCAA Tournament, giving the Valley a league-record four entries.
? This is the fifth time Bradley has received an at-large invitation to the NCAA Tournament (1954, 1955, 1986 and 1996).
? In the four previous years the Braves received an at-large invitation, they have accumulated a 7-4 record, advancing to the 1954 national championship game, the 1955 West Regional final and the second round in the 1986 West Regional.
History Lesson
? Bradley advanced to the 1950 NCAA Tournament championship game after playing in the NIT championship game only 10 days earlier.
? Bradley lost to C.C.N.Y. in both championship games and both contested in New York City at Madison Square Garden, marking the only time in postseason history the same two teams played in the championship games of the NIT and NCAA Tournament in the same season.
? Bradley radio analyst Joe Stowell, who was a senior on the 1949-50 Bradley team, would be happy to share his account of the remarkable two-week stretch of postseason play in 1950.
? Bradley earned its first at-large invitation to the NCAA Tournament in 1954 while competing as an independent.
? The Braves had withdrawn from the Missouri Valley Conference in 1951 in support of Drake University, following an incident involving Bulldogs star football halfback Johnny Bright during a game at Oklahoma State, and did not return to the Valley until the 1955-56 season.
? The Braves advanced to the 1954 NCAA Tournament championship game, losing to Tom Gola's La Salle squad in the first championship game to be televised nationally.
How We Got Here
? On Jan. 18 Bradley was not on the NCAA Tournament radar screen after an 80-76 loss at Creighton, its fourth loss in five games, dropped the Braves to 9-7 overall and 3-5 in the Valley.
? Since that loss in Omaha, however, the Braves have won 11 of their last 14 games.
? The hot finish included a 7-game winning streak, the team's longest since an 8-game ride in 1996-97, that carried Bradley to the MVC Tournament final.
? Among those 11 wins were victories against Missouri State (20-8), Southern Illinois (22-10), Tennessee Tech (19-12), then No. 25 Northern Iowa (23-9), Creighton (19-9) and Wichita State (24-8), six teams that have combined for a 127-56 (.694) record.
? Of Bradley's 30 games to date this season, 16 have been played against teams that are competing in either the NCAA Tournament (4-4) or the NIT (5-3).
? By comparison, Kansas has played 17 (12-5) of 32 games against teams that are playing in the postseason.
About the Jayhawks
? While Bradley enjoyed a hot finish to the season by winning 11 of its last 14 games heading into the NCAA Tournament, Kansas is arguably the hottest team in the country.
? Kansas' top seven scorers are freshmen (three) and sophomores (four).
? The youthful Jayhawks started 3-4, but have matured quickly to win 22 of their last 25 games, including 15 of the last 16.
? The hot finish led to a share of the Big 12 Conference regular-season title and the team's current five-game winning streak carried the Jayhawks to the Big 12 Tournament championship.
? The Jayhawks average 74.9 points per game on 47.2 percent shooting from the field, while defensively, they limit the opposition to 61.3 points on 37.0 percent shooting.
? Kansas also averages 39.7 rebounds per game, outrebounds its opponents by 5.4 boards per game and forces 16.9 turnovers per game.
? Former Illinois head coach Bill Self is in his third year as the head man at Kansas, where he owns a 72-23 (.758) record heading into the NCAA Tournament.
? Self is in his 12th year overall as a collegiate head coach and sports a 281-128 (.687) career record.
Bradley-Kansas Series
? Friday's game will be the second in the all-time series between Bradley and Kansas.
? The only previous meeting also came in the NCAA Tournament -- March 20, 1950 in Kansas City, Mo. in the NCAA District 5 Playoff.
? Two days after playing CCNY in the championship game of the 1950 NIT, Bradley downed #19 Kansas, 59-57, to start a march back to Madison Square Garden in New York City for a rematch with CCNY in the 1950 NCAA Tournament championship game.
? The two 1950 championship games between Bradley and CCNY remains the only time in NCAA history the same two teams played in the final game of both tournaments in the same season.
Bradley Vs. the Big 12
? Bradley owns a 37-25 (.597) all-time record versus the current membership of the Big 12 Conference, although the Braves have played only two games -- both against Kansas State -- against the league membership since the Big 12 was formed in 1995-96.
Big 12 School Rec. Last Game Result
Baylor 1-0 March 25, 1950 W, 68-66
Colorado 4-1 Dec. 9, 1987 W, 94-78
Iowa State 6-4 Dec. 18, 1978 L, 97-99
Kansas 1-0 March 20, 1950 W, 59-57
Kansas State 2-2 Dec. 7, 1996 L, 61-73
Nov. 25, 1995 L, 72-75 (OT)
Missouri 0-2 Dec. 12, 1990 L, 60-76
Nebraska 5-2 Dec. 18, 1958 W, 85-48
Oklahoma 7-5 March 22, 1982 W, 84-68
Oklahoma State 9-8 Feb. 17, 1958 W, 57-43
Texas 0-0 N/A
Texas A&M 2-1 March 7, 1980 L, 53-55
Texas Tech 0-0 N/A
? Bradley has lost four straight versus current Big 12 programs, also losing both ends of a home-and-home series versus Missouri during the 1989-90 and 1990-91 seasons.
? Bradley's last win against a current Big 12 member was a 94-78 victory versus Colorado on Dec. 9, 1987 at Carver Arena.
Against the Other Bracket
? The winner of the Bradley-Kansas game will face the winner of Friday's first-round game between No. 5 seed Pittsburgh (24-7) and No. 12 seed Kent State (25-8).
? Bradley is 3-0 all-time versus Kent State and 4-1 all-time versus Pittsburgh.
? The last game versus Kent State resulted in an 84-72 victory Dec. 29, 1984 at Carver Arena.
? Bradley had won the first four games in the series versus Pittsburgh until the Panthers ended the streak with a 66-64 win Dec. 11, 1953 at Pitt in the most recent meeting.
Bradley vs. Pittsburgh (4-1)
12-12-38 Peoria Armory W 56-39
01-22-49 Peoria Armory W 52-50
02-04-50 Robertson Fieldhouse W 84-48
01-22-51 Robertson Fieldhouse W 82-59
12-11-53 at Pittsburgh L 64-66
Bradley vs. Kent State (3-0)
12-07-74 at Kent State W 77-76
12-27-75 Robertson Fieldhouse W 68-67
12-29-84 Carver Arena W 84-72
Motown Magic
? The last game Bradley played in Detroit wound up being a record-setting event.
? On his way to sharing national Player-of-the-Year honors with Danny Manning in 1988, Bradley senior guard Hersey Hawkins scored a school and Missouri Valley Conference record 63 points Feb. 22, 1988 at Detroit-Mercy.
? What was lost in Hawkins' 63-point performance was the 49 points tossed in by Titans star Archie Tullos, which remains the highest-scoring effort ever by a Bradley opponent.
? The Braves, who own a 6-2 all-time road record versus Detroit, have never before played at the Palace at Auburn Hills.
Detroit Connection
? Bradley has not fielded a football program since the 1970, but the Braves do boast an active NFL player -- Detroit Lions tight end Marcus Pollard.
? A junior college transfer, Pollard was a power forward at Bradley for two seasons (1992-94), averaging 7.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.
? After graduating from Bradley, Pollard tried out for the Indianapolis Colts and was signed to the franchise's practice squad in 1995 and was activated midway through the season.
? Pollard played 10 seasons in Indianapolis before signing with Detroit last spring and is now preparing for his second season with the Lions and 12th NFL season overall.
? Pollard is expected to be in attendance during Bradley's game(s) in Auburn Hills this weekend.
Bracket Friendly Braves
? In Bradley's seven previous NCAA Tournament appearances, the team that beat Bradley went on to win the national championship three times: 1950 (CCNY); 1954 (La Salle); and 1986 (Louisville).
? In fact, Bradley has never been more than one team removed from the Final Four.
? In addition to the three years listed above, Colorado downed the Braves in the 1955 West Regional final to advance to the Final Four.
? In 1980, Texas A&M beat Bradley in the first round, then knocked off No. 3 seed North Carolina in the second round, 78-61, in double overtime before losing to eventual national champion Louisville in the regional semifinals.
? In 1988, Auburn downed the Braves in the first round, then bowed to eventual national runner-up Oklahoma in the second round.
? In 1996, Bradley lost to Stanford in the first round and the Cardinal were knocked out in the second round by Marcus Camby's Final Four bound Massachusetts squad.
102nd year of BU Hoops
? Bradley is completing its 102nd season of men's basketball.
? The Braves began the season ranked 26th nationally with 1,451 all-time victories and they remain 26th entering the NCAA Tournament, now with 1,471 wins.
? Bradley is first among the Valley's 10 current members in all-time men's college basketball wins.
Best in the Les Era
? At 20-10 overall and 11-7 in the Valley, Bradley has secured its best overall and league records in Jim Les' first four seasons.
? The overall record is now Bradley's best since the 1995-96 MVC regular-season champions finished 22-7 and the 11-7 league mark is the best since the 2000-01 squad tied for second with a 12-6 record.
? Even if the Braves lose their first-round game, they will finish the year with their best winning percentage (currently .667) since the 1995-96 team finished 22-8 (.733).
? The 2005-06 season marks the third time in Les' four years he has improved the team's record compared to the previous season.
?01-02 ?02-03 ?03-04 ?04-05 ?05-06
9-20 12-18 15-16 13-15 20-10
20-Win Season
? Bradley has secured the 22nd 20-win season in program history and the first since the 1995-96 team finished 22-7.
Les Joins the Club
? Jim Les has become the fourth consecutive Bradley coach to lead the Braves to the NCAA Tournament, joining Dick Versace in 1980 and 1986; Stan Albeck in 1988; and Jim Molinari in 1996.
? Six of the 12 coaches to direct the Bradley program now have led the Braves to the NCAA Tournament -- Forddy Anderson (1950 and 1954) and Bob Vanatta (1955) are the other two.
? Les also becomes the ninth consecutive Bradley coach to lead the Braves to a postseason tournament.
Coach, Years at BU Postseason Tourneys
A.J. Robertson, 1920-48 NIT (3)
Forddy Anderson, 1948-54 NCAA (2), NIT (2), National Campus Tour. (1)
Bob Vanatta, 1954-56 NCAA (1)
Chuck Orsborn, 1956-65 NIT (7)
Joe Stowell, 1965-68 NIT (1), Commissioner's Classic (1)
Dick Versace, 1978-86 NCAA (2), NIT (2)
Stan Albeck, 1986-91 NCAA (1)
Jim Molinari, 1991-02 NIT (5), NCAA (1)
Coaching His Alma Mater
? Bradley's Jim Les joins Stan Albeck as the only individuals to both play and coach in the NCAA Tournament for the Braves.
? Les is the 45th coach nationally to play in the NCAA Tournament, then lead his alma mater back to the Big Dance as its coach.
? Bradley is one of just six schools that boast two alums who have both played and coached in the NCAA Tournament for the same institution.
School Individual Played Coached
Bradley Stan Albeck 1955 1988
Jim Les 1986 2006
Miami (Ohio) Dan Hedric 1953, '55 Four times
Jerry Peirson 1966 1985-86
Penn State John Egli 1942 1955, ?65
Elmer Gross 1942 1952, ?54
St. Joseph's Jim Boyle 1962-63 1982, ?86
Jim Lynam 1962-63 1981
UCLA Gary Cunningham 1962 1978-79
Larry Farmer 1971-73 1983
Walt Hazzard 1962-64 1987
VMI Bill Blair 1964 1976
Charlie Schmaus 1964 1977
The Turning Point
? On Jan. 11 visiting Wichita State dealt Bradley its third consecutive defeat and dropped the Braves to 8-6 overall and 2-4 in the Valley by running out to a 15-0 lead on the way to an 86-76 victory at Carver Arena, Bradley's only home loss in 14 games this season.
? Bradley head coach Jim Les announced in his postgame press conference that only senior guard Tony Bennett was assured of starting the next game and the other four starting assignments would be determined by the team's next two practices.
? Junior guard J.J. Tauai, who earned his first start of the season after not playing in four of the previous five games, and Zach Andrews replaced Marcellus Sommerville and Lawrence Wright among the starting five for Bradley's next game Jan. 14 versus Evansville.
? Bradley responded by drilling the Purple Aces, 90-62.
? Sommerville has returned to the starting lineup and Tauai has held his spot, helping the Braves to an 12-4 record in their last 16 games.
Fouls Tell The Story
? More than any other stat, the foul count has been the most-accurate factor in determining the outcome of Bradley's games this season.
? The Braves are 13-0 this season and 44-11 (.800) in Jim Les' four years as head coach when they commit fewer fouls than their opponents.
? During their last 11 wins, the Braves have been whistled for a total of just 165 fouls, an average of only 15.0 per game.
? Bradley has been whistled for more fouls in each of its 10 losses this season, committing an average of 8.4 more personal fouls per game than the opposition (240-156) in those losses.
High-Scoring Offense
? During the 18-game conference season, Bradley was the highest-scoring team in the Valley by averaging 74.4 points per game (second-highest overall at 71.5 ppg).
? In its 11 Valley wins, Bradley averaged 78.8 points, eclipsing 70 points in every league win except the 68-60 overtime victory in the league opener versus Northern Iowa Dec. 28 at Carver Arena.
? During the regular-season's final four Valley games, Bradley faced the top three scoring defenses in the league, but hit Illinois State (71), Southern Illinois (72) and Northern Iowa (71) for an average of 71.3 points on 51.7 percent shooting from the field.
Opponent (Pts. Allowed/GM) Score FG%
at Illinois State (59.1, 3rd) 71-59 .389
Southern Illinois (56.2, 1st) 72-60 .595
at #25 UNI (57.9, 2nd) 71-49 .596
And On Defense...
? In addition to its play on the offensive end, Bradley has developed into a strong defensive team this year.
? The Braves now lead the Valley in field goal percentage defense (.398), rebound average (37.7 rpg), blocked shots per game (4.83) and steals per game (9.20) and are second in turnovers forced (16.7) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.305).
? Bradley allowed only 158 points (52.7 ppg) during its three MVC Tournament games and during its last eight games, the Braves have allowed only 56.8 points per game.
Let Me Assist You
? Bradley leads the Missouri Valley Conference by averaging 16.5 assists per game.
? The team's 496 assists are the most in a season by the Braves since the 1987-88 MVC championship squad finished with 634 assists in 31 games (20.5 apg).
? Bradley has recorded at least 20 assists 10 times this season (10-0).
? Bradley reached 20 assists in a game only one time last season, while averaging just 13.5 assists per game.
? In Bradley's 20 wins, the Braves have averaged 18.5 assists, setting up 68.8 percent of their field goals.
? In the 10 losses, Bradley has averaged 12.6 assists per game, setting up 51.4 percent of its field goals.
More FTs=More Wins
? In Bradley's 20 wins this season, the Braves have converted 308-of-414 (.744) free throw attempts.
? In the 20 wins, Bradley has averaged 20.7 free throw attempts per game and has outscored the opposition by an average of 4.3 points per game at the line.
? In the 10 losses, the Braves have made only 105-of-161 (.652) attempts.
? In those 10 losses, Bradley has averaged only 16.1 free throw attempts per game and the opposition has outscored the Braves by 11.9 points per game from the stripe.
Wins (20) Losses (10)
Team FTM FTA Pct. FTM FTA Pct.
Bradley 308 414 .744 105 161 .652
Opponents 222 309 .718 224 294 .762
Ball-Handling Quartet
? Bradley boasts three of the Valley's top seven individuals in assists-to-turnover ratio this season.
? Entering the postseason, point guard Daniel Ruffin ranks second in the Valley by boasting a 1.95 assists-to-turnover ratio, while combo guard Will Franklin is fourth (1.73) and shooting guard Tony Bennett is seventh (1.51).
? In addition, junior guard J.J. Tauai, who is 18 assists shy of qualifying for the stat (2.5 apg), would top the Valley with his 2.14 assists-to-turnover ratio.
strength of the valley
? The second-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the nation (Big Ten), the Missouri Valley Conference is enjoying arguably the best men's basketball season in its 98-year history.
? For the first time in NCAA Tournament history, the Valley has sent four teams to the “Big Dance” and two more members, Creighton and Missouri State, received first-round byes and are No. 2 seeds in the National Invitation Tournament.
? The six total postseason participants also is a record for the Valley.
? The Valley ended the regular season ranked sixth among all 31 NCAA Division I conferences in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI).
? All 10 Valley members finished the regular season within at least one game of .500 in non-conference play and have combined for a 73-28 (.723) non-conference record entering the national postseason tournaments.
MVC Postseason Participants
School Tournament Seed
Bradley NCAA Oakland Regional 3
Creighton NIT 2
Missouri State NIT 2
Northern Iowa NCAA Minneapolis Regional 10
Southern Illinois NCAA Atlanta Regional 11
Wichita State NCAA Washington D.C. Regional 7
? The six postseason teams have combined for a 128-54 (.703) overall record, which includes a 49-13 (.790) record against teams outside the Valley.
Only Bradley and SIU
? Bradley and Southern Illinois are the only two teams to beat each of their nine Valley rivals this season.
? Southern Illinois did no worse than a split with its nine league rivals during the regular-season.
? Bradley was swept during the two-game regular-season series versus Wichita State, but the Braves advanced to MVC Tournament championship game by downing the regular-season champion Shockers, 60-52, in the semifinals.
Record-Setting Performances
? Bradley's previous seven appearances in the NCAA Tournament has produced some record-setting performances:
? In the 1996 first-round game versus Stanford, then junior guard Anthony Parker connected on 8-of-10 tries from 3-point range to set the school record for 3-pointers made in a game.
? Parker's eight treys are still tied for the eighth-most ever in a NCAA Tournament game.
? In the 1988 first-round game versus Auburn, Hersey Hawkins pumped in 44 points, the most-ever by a collegian in Atlanta's old Omni arena.
? Hawkins' 44 points are still tied for 14th on the NCAA Tournament all-time single-game scoring list and remain the last 40-point effort in school history.
? In the 1955 regional semifinal versus Colorado, Bob Carney sank 23 free throws.
? Carney's 23 free throws are still tied for the most-ever in a NCAA Tournament game and remain the school single-game record.
