Game 18 ? Southern Illinois Salukis (12-3, 3-1) at Bradley Braves (11-6, 2-3)
Tipoff: Wed., Jan. 10, 2007 ? 7:07 p.m. (CST)
Location: Peoria, Ill. ? Carver Arena (11,080)
Television: WSIU (Carbondale PBS) -- Mike Trude (play-by-play), Craig Hagstrom (analyst) and CJ Smith (sideline)
Radio: WMBD AM 1470 (www.wmbdradio.com) -- Dave Snell (play-by-play) and Joe Stowell (analyst)
Video Stream: www.bubraves.com
Tickets: $18, $12, $8, $4 (309-677-2625)
Back Home For A Big Game
? After making up for its first home loss of the year with its first road win Saturday at Drake, Bradley will make a brief appearance at Carver Arena for Wednesday night's Missouri Valley Conference tussle versus Southern Illinois.
? The game against the Salukis is the middle game in a four-out-of-five on the road stretch for the Braves.
? Wednesday's contest will be a rematch of the championship game of the 2006 State Farm MVC Tournament, a game the Salukis won (59-46) to claim the league's automatic entry to the NCAA Tournament and a 2-games-to-1 season series victory against Bradley.
? While Southern Illinois has returned all five starters from last year's MVC Tournament championship squad, Bradley lost five players who accounted for 66.9 percent of the scoring and 65.0 percent of the rebounding on its 2006 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 squad.
Bradley-Southern Illinois Series
? Wednesday's game will be the 69th meeting in the all-time series between Bradley and Southern Illinois, which began with an Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game Dec. 21, 1927, a game the Braves won 31-23 at the old Peoria Armory.
? The teams did not meet again until Southern Illinois joined the Missouri Valley Conference for the 1975-76 season.
? Bradley owns a 22-9 home record against the Salukis, including a 17-7 advantage at Carver Arena.
? Fifth-year Bradley head coach Jim Les owns a 2-7 record against Southern Illinois, including a 1-4 mark against third-year Salukis head coach Chris Lowery.
Crouch Remains Sidelined
? For the fourth 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.
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 an 11-6 record to date and one of the nation's most prolific 3-point shooting attacks -- Bradley is second nationally in 3-pt. field goal percentage (.454) and fourth in treys per game (11.1)
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 253 of 1358 (18.6 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 1.8 121 7.1 394.4%
Danny Adams 51 1.7 105 6.2 364.7%
Jeremy Crouch 102 4.6 229 16.4 356.5%
Will Franklin 134 5.0 260 15.3 306.0%
Zach Andrews 171 5.3 180 10.6 200.0%
Daniel Ruffin 254 7.7 196 14.0 181.8%
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 second in the current RPI rankings, trailing only the Pac-10.
? The Valley and the SEC are the only two leagues in the nation whose members all have winning records and they also are the only two leagues whose entire membership ranks among the nation's top half of the RPI ratings.
MVC All-Time Team
? As part of the Missouri Valley Conferences's celebration of its first 100 years, fans have been invited to vote for the all-time teams for each of the league's sports.
? The league is currently accepting votes for the all-time MVC men's basketball team with an online ballot at www.mvc100.org.
? Fans are asked to vote for five coaches and 20 players for their all-time MVC team.
Bradley Basketball History
? Bradley is participating in its 103rd men's basketball season and the Braves rank 26th all-time with 1,484 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 Evansville Saturday, Bradley now boasts a 265-83 (.761) all-time record at Carver Arena.
? Bradley's 15-game home winning streak came to an end Jan. 2 against Missouri State, but the Braves will carry a league-best 24-game non-conference home win streak into the 2007-08 season.
Tough Schedule
? Through Saturday's action, Bradley ranked eighth nationally in strength of schedule, according to numbers posted at www.collegerpi.com.
? Bradley's strength of schedule is the best in The Valley as Southern Illinois is second with a schedule ranked 12th in the nation.
? Bradley's strength of schedule should continue to climb as the Braves' next four games are at home against Southern Illinois (12-3), followed by road games at Indiana State (10-4) and Creighton (9-5) and a home game against Wichita State (10-5).
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 this year.
? Aided by a Valley record-tying 20 3-pointers Nov. 21 versus Florida A&M, Bradley is second nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (.454) and fourth with 11.1 3-point field goals per game.
? 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 189 3-pointers and each of the eight players is shooting at least 38.7 percent from long range.
Player 3FGM-A Pct.
Andrew Warren 15-29 .517
Brian Lavin 1-2 .500
Jeremy Crouch 47-95 .495
Will Franklin 48-101 .475
Danny Adams 31-71 .437
Daniel Ruffin 31-73 .425
Matt Salley 4-9 .444
J.J. Tauai 12-31 .387
Still Bombing Without Crouch
? In the three games the Braves have played without team scoring leader Jeremy Crouch and his 16.4 points per game, Bradley's scoring average has dropped only slightly to 76.7 points per game.
? The Braves still have relied heavily on its 3-point shooting in Crouch's absence, averaging 9.7 treys per game on a cooler 38.2 percent accuracy.
? Bradley has also gotten better offensive production from its two primary post players in three games without Crouch, getting a combined 23.3 points on 59.6 percent shooting from Matt Salley and Zach Andrews.
Defense Lacking
? Since holding Wright State to 32.8 percent field goal shooting in an 88-49 victory Dec. 5 at Carver Arena, Bradley has gradually seen its defense soften the last eight games.
? In the last seven games, the Braves have surrendered 79.4 points on 53.4 percent shooting by the opposition.
? Bradley's opponents have scored at least 80 points in each of the last three games and hit at least 48 percent of their field goal attempts in seven straight.
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 (15.3), Daniel Ruffin (14.0), J.J. Tauai (7.1), Danny Adams (6.2) and Andrew Warren (5.7).
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 Jan. 6 Bradley ranked first in The Valley and 29th nationally in points per game (79.9).
? Averaging only 12.1 turnovers per game, Bradley is the only team in the nation averaging better than 79 points and fewer than 12.2 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.
? Averaging 16.4 assists per game as a team, four Braves are averaging better than 2.0 assists per game, led by junior point guard Daniel Ruffin (5.3) and senior combo guard Will Franklin (4.4).
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.
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 6.5 boards per game and has been outrebounded in eight straight.
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 Saturday's 89-86 win at Drake when the Braves were outrebounded by just two caroms, Bradley is 10-1 when the final rebound totals are within six, but 1-5 when the Braves are outrebounded by more than six boards.
By The Numbers
11 The number of seniors who have played for current head coach Jim Les. All 11 seniors have earned their Bradley degrees, including current fifth-year Brave Danny Adams, who earned a bachelor's degree in management and administration in May and now is pursuing a second degree in business marketing.
20 Three-pointers made by the Bradley Nov. 21 versus Florida A&M to tie The Valley single-game record.
24 Consecutive non-conference home wins. The streak is the ninth-longest in the nation, the longest in the Valley and the longest in Carver Arena's 25 years.
356 Bradley is on pace to make 356 3-pointers in 32 games this season, well ahead of the pace to break Creighton's 2005 MVC record (293).
377 Career assists by junior point guard Daniel Ruffin. The Bob Cousy Award candidate is the Valley's active leader with 377 career assists.
493 Consecutive games covered by beat writer Dave Reynolds for the Peoria Journal Star, dating back to the start of the 1990-91 season.
829 Consecutive Bradley men's basketball radio broadcasts on WMBD AM 1470 by play-by-play man Dave Snell. Now in his 28th season, Snell (49) began his Bradley broadcasting career Nov. 30, 1979.
1,450 Bradley men's basketball games witnessed in an official capacity by current radio analyst Joe Stowell. Stowell played for the Braves from 1947 to 1950, served as the assistant coach from 1956 to 1965, head coach from 1965 to 1978, Assistant A.D. from 1978 to 1985 and as radio analyst since 1985.
