PEORIA, Ill. --
Bradley (7-4) will play its first home game in more than two weeks Saturday night and only a limited number of tickets remain for the showdown against defending Colonial Athletic Association champion VCU (7-3), a rematch of last year's entertaining matchup in the O'Reilly/ESPNU BracketBusters series.
Bradley won last year's meeting, 73-64, at Alltel Pavilion in Richmond behind the stellar play of the backcourt duo of Jeremy Crouch and Daniel Ruffin, who combined for 41 points on 10-of-16 shooting from 3-point range. The Braves will need a similar performance from their senior stars as they prepare for the return game against the Rams. VCU also features an all-star backcourt: junior guard Eric Maynor (17.1 ppg) and senior guard Jamal Shuler (15.8) combine to average 32.9 points per game this season and are a combined 41-of-92 (.446) from behind the arc.
A limited number of tickets, ranging from $8-18, remain for Saturday night's contest against the Rams and are available for purchase in person from the Robertson Fieldhouse Box Office, the Carver Arena Box Office or online at www.bubraves.com. Bradley has planned several promotions for Saturday night's game:
Stripe the Arena: The athletic department will distribute 10,000 red t-shirts and white t-shirts throughout the arena to create a holiday candy cane look to Carver Arena.
Bucket Boys: The popular percussion group will perform pregame and at halftime.
Salvation Army Coats for Kids: Representatives of the Salvation Army will be collecting new and gently used winter coats for distritbution to needy children in the area.
District 150 Perfect Attendance Initiative: Peoria Public Schools District 150 students with perfect attendance during the 2007 Fall semester have received vouchers which will be redeemable throughout the day Saturday at the Carver Arena Box Office for free tickets to Saturday night's game.
Following a record turnout of 11,597 for the last home game Dec. 4 versus #9 Michigan State, Bradley appears to be in position to record consecutive non-conference crowds in excess of 11,000 for the first time in the program's history. Bradley has topped 11,000 in home attendance in consecutive games on just two previous occassions: Feb. 17, 2001 versus Indiana State (11,006) and Feb. 21, 2001 versus Illinois State (11,309), as well as Jan. 20, 2007 versus Wichita State (11,080) and Jan. 24, 2007 against the rival Redbirds (11,444).
While Bradley is expecting a full house at Carver Arena, the Braves also should boast an above average television viewing audience. Saturday's game will be televised throughout Central Illinois by Insight Communications, but the telecast also will air in the Mid-Atlantic region. The Insight telecast, featuring Frank Bussone (play-by-play) and Chuck Buescher (analyst), will by available to Comcast cable subscribers on channel CN8 in Baltimore; Harrisonburg, Pa.; Pittsburgh; Richmond, Va.; and Washington, D.C.
