Game 17 ? Bradley Braves (10-6, 1-3) at Drake Bulldogs (9-5, 0-3)
Tipoff: Sat., Jan. 6, 2007 ? 7:05 p.m. (CST)
Location: Des Moines, Iowa ? Knapp Center (7,002)
Television: WTVP (Peoria PBS, 47) -- Kurt Pegler (play-by-play) and Chad Kleine (analyst)
Radio: WMBD AM 1470 (www.wmbdradio.com) -- Dave Snell (play-by-play) and Joe Stowell (analyst)
Video Stream: www.bubraves.com
The End OF A Busy Start
? Bradley will complete its busiest 11-day stretch of Missouri Valley Conference play in 12 years Saturday when the Braves visit Drake for a 7:05 p.m. clash at the Knapp Center.
? Saturday's game will be Bradley's fifth in the first 11 days of its Valley schedule, which marks the first time since Jan. 11-21, 1995 that the Braves have played five league games in an 11-day period.
? The 1994-95 Braves, which featured Saturday's television analyst Chad Kleine as a starting forward, posted an impressive 4-1 record during that 11-day stretch, but the fifth game resulted in a 73-53 loss to Tulsa at Carver Arena to end Bradley's arena record 27-game home winning streak.
? The 2006-07 Braves have not enjoyed as much success during this 11-day stretch, dropping three of the first four games while also losing team scoring leader Jeremy Crouch to a sprained knee in the process.
Bradley-DRake Series
? Saturday's game will be the 122nd meeting in the all-time series between Bradley and Drake, which dates back to a 31-30 Drake win Dec. 19, 1942 at Peoria Woodruff High School.
? Of the first 121 games, 111 have been played as Missouri Valley Conference rivals.
? Drake owns a 31-26 record in home games versus Bradley and the Bulldogs have won three straight versus the Braves at the Knapp Center.
? Drake had equaled its longest-ever winning streak in the series at five, before Bradley ended the skid with an 86-66 victory Feb. 25, 2006 at Carver Arena in last year's regular-season finale.
? Both head coaches are in their fifth years at their respective schools and Drake's Dr. Tom Davis sports a 5-3 advanatage in the head-to-head matchup against Bradley's Jim Les.
Crouch Remains Sidelined
? For the third straight game, Bradley is expected to be without the services of team scoring leader Jeremy Crouch, who sprained his right knee last Saturday 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. .
Looking Ahead
? Bradley will make a brief home appearance Wednesday when the Braves host Southern Illinois for a 7:05 p.m. clash at Carver Arena. .
? Bradley is making Priority IV tickets available for half-price ($4) for Wednesday's game, but the discounted tickets must be purchased at the Robertson Fieldhouse box office (309-677-2625).
? A similar ticket discount will be put in place for the Feb. 20 game against Northern Iowa.
