Game 20 ? Bradley Braves (13-6, 4-3) at Creighton Bluejays (11-6, 5-2)
Tipoff: Thur., Jan. 18, 2007 ? 7:05 p.m. (CST)
Location: Omaha, Neb. ? Qwest Center OMAHA (17,272)
Television: NETV (Nebraska PBS)
Radio: WMBD AM 1470 (www.wmbdradio.com) -- Dave Snell (play-by-play) and Joe Stowell (analyst)
Video Stream: www.bubraves.com
Bradley Faces Another Valley Leader
? For the third straight game Bradley will face a Missouri Valley Conference team that enters the game tied for the fewest losses in league play -- Southern Illinois and Indiana State both had only one league loss when they faced Bradley last week -- Thursday night when the Braves visit Valley preseason favorite Creighton.
? Bradley will be shooting for its fourth straight win overall and its third consecutive road victory.
? The Braves are coming off a 76-59 win Saturday at Indiana State, handing the Sycamores their first home loss of the season, and now head to Qwest Center OMAHA, where the host Bluejays are a perfect 7-0 this year.
Bradley-Creighton Series
? Thursday's game will be the 72nd meeting in the all-time series between Bradley and Creighton, which dates back to a 52-46 non-conference Bradley victory Feb. 13, 1941 at the old Peoria Armory.
? Bradley owns a 38-33 all-time lead in the series, including a 33-30 edge as Missouri Valley Conference rivals.
? Creighton owns a 20-13 record in home games against Bradley, including a 3-0 mark at Qwest Center OMAHA, and the Bluejays will be trying to extend an overall eight-game home winning streak against the Braves.
? Bradley's eight-game road losing streak at Creighton is the third-longest the Braves have ever experienced against another Valley rival, trailing an 11-game road skid against Louisville from 1964-65 through 1974-75 and the 9-game drought at Evansville that ended with last year's 79-76 overtime victory.
? Dana Altman is in his 13th year as the head coach at Creighton and owns a 14-12 record against Bradley, while fifth-year Braves head coach Jim Les owns a 2-7 record against Creighton.
Crouch Remains Sidelined
? For the sixth straight game, Bradley is expected to be without the services of team scoring leader Jeremy Crouch, who sprained his right knee Dec. 30 against Evansville and is out for an indefinite period of time.
? The 6-foot-5 junior is The Valley's third-best scorer at 16.4 points per game and leads the league with 3.4 3-pointers per contest.
? Working on consecutive wins at Drake, at home versus Southern Illinois and at Indiana State, Bradley now owns a 3-2 record without Crouch, as well as a 6-2 record this season when playing without one of its regular starting guards (the Braves were 3-0 in November without injured point guard Daniel Ruffin).
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 13-6 record to date and one of the nation's most prolific 3-point shooting attacks -- Bradley leads the nation in 3-pt. field goal percentage (.451) and is fourth in treys per game (10.7)
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 269 of 1480 (18.2 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 tripled their scoring averages from last season.
Returning 2005-06 2006-07
Player Pts. PPG Pts. PPG +/- Pct.
J.J. Tauai 53 1.8 133 7.0 388.9%
Danny Adams 51 1.7 118 6.2 364.7%
Jeremy Crouch 102 4.6 229 16.4 356.5%
Will Franklin 134 5.0 295 15.5 310.0%
Zach Andrews 171 5.3 204 10.7 201.9%
Daniel Ruffin 254 7.7 220 13.8 179.2%
Strength of the Valley
? The Missouri Valley Conference is celebrating its 100th men's basketball season and the league is enjoying one of its best seasons ever.
? After sending a league-record four teams to the NCAA Tournament and six overall into the postseason last year, The Valley is fourth in the current RPI rankings, trailing only the Pac-10, SEC and ACC.
? The Valley, ACC and SEC are the only three leagues in the nation whose members all have winning records and all 10 Valley members fall in the top half of the current RPI ratings.
Valley membership
? Bradley is in its 56th year as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, which is celebrating its centennial season this year.
? Although Drake (95 years) and Wichita State (62) have longer memberships in The Valley, Bradley is second all-time with 476 league wins, just nine behind Drake's record 485 all-time Valley victories.
? After originally joining the league in 1948, Bradley withdrew in 1952 in support of Drake, after Oklahoma A&M went unpunished for its assault of Bulldogs All-American halfback Johnny Bright during a football game, then returned to The Valley permanently in 1955.
? Bradley has won seven regular-season league titles, most recently in 1996.
Tough Schedule
? Bradley's strength of schedule ranks as the eighth-best in the country, according to numbers posted at www.collegerpi.com through games of Jan. 16.
? Bradley's strength of schedule is the best in The Valley, just ahead of Southern Illinois at No. 9.
? Bradley's strength of schedule should continue to climb as the Braves' next two games are at Creighton (11-6), followed by a home game against Wichita State (12-6).
20-Somethings
? The Braves also have featured six different 20-point scorers in the first 19 games: Jeremy Crouch (four times), Will Franklin (three times), Danny Adams (Florida A&M), Zach Andrews (Illinois-Chicago), Daniel Ruffin (at UNI) and J.J. Tauai (SIU-Edwardsville).
Blistering 3-Point Pace
? Often utilizing a four-guard lineup, it should not come as a surprise that Bradley has been bombing away from 3-point land this year.
? 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 (.451) and ranks fourth with 10.7 3-point field goals per game.
? Bradley has made at least 10 3-pointers in 14 of the team's 19 games, while The Valley's other nine teams have made at least 10 treys 22 times in 158 combined games.
? 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 204 3-pointers and each of the eight players is shooting at least 38.2 percent from long range.
Player 3FGM-A Pct.
Andrew Warren 15-30 .500
Brian Lavin 1-2 .500
Jeremy Crouch 47-95 .495
Will Franklin 54-112 .482
Danny Adams 35-78 .449
Matt Salley 4-9 .444
Daniel Ruffin 35-85 .412
J.J. Tauai 13-34 .382
Getting Defensive
? Bradley has ranked among The Valley leaders in forcing turnovers and steals all season, but the Braves often have struggled with their field goal percentage defense and points allowed this year.
? In the two games last week, however, the Braves downed Southern Illinois, 48-46, and Indiana State, 76-59, by allowing an average of 52.5 points on 37.9 percent shooting from the floor.
? Holding Southern Illinois scoreless over the game's final 3:37, senior guard Will Franklin banked home the winning basket with an off-balanced leaner with five-tenths of a second remaining.
Possessions Game
? Bradley ranks ninth in The Valley in points allowed per game (71.3) and field goal percentage defense (.467), but the Braves' defensive success has been based on turnovers.
? Leading the league with 8.8 steals per game, Bradley also leads The Valley with a +4.6 turnover margin.
? The turnover differential has allowed Bradley to get off 80 more field goal attempts than their opponents.
? The added shots has allowed the Braves to outscore their opponents by an average of 6.7 points 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.
? Bradley's top three scorers, as well as six of the top eight, are guards: Jeremy Crouch (16.4 ppg), Will Franklin (15.5), Daniel Ruffin (13.8), J.J. Tauai (7.0), Danny Adams (6.2) and Andrew Warren (5.4).
Up Tempo, but Under Control
? In addition to its proficiency from long range, another advantage of Bradley's deep backcourt is the ability to play at a quick pace, but under control.
? Through Jan. 15 Bradley ranked second in The Valley and 39th nationally in points per game (78.0).
? Averaging only 11.8 turnovers per game, Bradley is 13th nationally in fewest turnovers per contest, making the Braves the only team averaging at least 78 points and fewer than 12 turnovers per game.
Let me assist You
? Bradley's hot shooting from behind the 3-point line is largely attributed to the team's ability to move the ball.
? Averaging 15.8 assists per game as a team, four Braves are averaging better than 2.0 assists per game, led by junior point guard Daniel Ruffin (5.0) and senior combo guard Will Franklin (4.2).
Disadvantage on the Boards
? The most glaring disadvantage of Bradley's small lineup has been the team's inability to consistently keep the opposition off the boards.
? Bradley is being outrebounded by 6.0 boards per game.
Managing the Deficit
? Bradley has shown this season that it does not have to win the battle of the boards to succeed, however, but the Braves must remain in the fight.
? Including each of the last two road wins, Bradley is 11-1 when the Braves are at least within six rebounds of their opponent, but 2-5 when the Braves are outrebounded by more than six boards.
Experience Matters
? Bradley may have a new look in 2006-07, but the Braves are playing with experienced players.
? The average age of the top seven players in Bradley's regular rotation is 21.3 years old and junior forward Matt Salley, who will turn 21 Jan. 28, is the “baby” of the group.
