Game 26 ? Bradley Braves (16-9, 7-6) at #20 S. Illinois Salukis (19-5, 10-3)
Tipoff: Wed., Feb. 7, 2007 ? 7:37 p.m. (CST)
Location: Carbondale, Ill. ? SIU Arena (9,628)
Television: FSN Midwest -- Mitch Holthus (play-by-play) and Charlie Spoonhour (analyst)
Radio: WMBD AM 1470 (www.wmbdradio.com) -- Dave Snell (play-by-play) and Joe Stowell (analyst)
Video Stream: Unavailable due to television contract
Looking for a Valley Sweep in a Tough Environment
? After completing a regular-season sweep against its Interstate 74 rival Illinois State Saturday, Bradley will try to repeat the feat against its other in-state Missouri Valley Conference rival Wednesday when the Braves visit league co-leader Southern Illinois.
? While Bradley has enjoyed a recent run of success against Illinois State -- five straight wins and victories in eight of the last 10 in the series -- visiting SIU Arena to take on Southern Illinois is another animal.
? Southern Illinois is 76-3 (.962) at home since the start of the 2001-02 season and the Salukis have won 50 of their last 51 Valley home games at SIU Arena.
? Bradley won the first leg of the annual home-and-home series Jan. 10 when senior guard Will Franklin banked home an off-balanced, 13-footer with five-tenths of a second remaining for a 48-46 victory.
Bradley-Southern Illinois Series
? Wednesday's game will be the 70th meeting in the all-time series between Bradley and Southern Illinois, which dates back to a 31-23 Braves victory Dec. 21, 1927 in an Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at the old Peoria Armory.
? SIU owns a 17-13 home record against Bradley and has won five straight against the Braves at SIU Arena.
? Bradley has not won at SIU Arena since a 76-65 victory Jan. 10, 2001.
? Fifth-year Bradley head coach Jim Les owns a 3-7 record against Southern Illinois, while third-year Salukis head coach Chris Lowery is 4-2 against Bradley.
Bradley Against the Top 25
? Southern Illinois broke into the top 25 of both the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll (20) and the Associated Press (21) polls this week, making the Salukis Bradley's first nationally-ranked opponent of the season.
? The last time the Braves faced a nationally-ranked Valley opponent on the road, Bradley dealt then No. 25 UNI a 71-49 Senior Night defeat Feb. 22, 2006 in the final Valley game at the UNI-Dome.
? Bradley followed up that win at UNI with NCAA Tournament wins against #12 Kansas (77-73) and #16 Pittsburgh (72-66), before falling to #3 Memphis (80-64) during last year's NCAA Tournament.
? Bradley is 45-88 all-time versus nationally-ranked opponents, including a 9-43 record in road games.
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 16-9 record to date and one of the nation's most prolific 3-point shooting attacks -- Bradley is fourth nationally in treys per game (10.3) and fifth in 3-pt. field goal percentage (.431).
Points from Within
? 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 335 of 1913 (17.5 percent) points from newcomers this year.
? The bulk of Bradley's offensive production is the result of improved contributions from six returning players, including five players who have more than doubled their scoring averages from last season.
? The other nine teams in The Valley have combined to produce seven players who have doubled their scoring averages this season.
Tough Schedule
? Bradley's strength of schedule ranks as the 27th-best in the country, according to numbers posted at www.collegerpi.com through games of Feb. 4.
? Bradley's strength of schedule is the best in The Valley, just ahead of Southern Illinois at No. 32.
Dividing Line Set at 75
? Bradley has won 22 of the last 24 games in which the Braves have held the opposition to fewer than 75 points, a stretch that dates back to Feb. 11, 2006.
? Conversely, the Braves have lost 10 of their last 13 games when allowing at least 75 points during the same time span.
? One of the two losses when allowing fewer than 75 was the 59-46 setback to Southern Illinois in the championship game of the 2006 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and the other was this year's 65-54 loss Jan. 18 at Creighton.
Recapping the First Game
? Bradley senior guard Will Franklin banked in a leaning, 13-foot jump shot from the left wing wtih 0.5 seconds remaining, lifting Bradley to a 48-46 win against Southern Illinois Jan. 10 at Carver Arena.
? Bradley came into that game leading The Valley in scoring (79.9 ppg) and the nation in 3-point field goal percentage, but the Bradley's totals of 48 points, four 3-pointers and 14 3-point attempts remain season lows.
? The Braves turned in a solid defensive effort of their own, however, forcing SIU into 20 turnovers, while committing a season-low 10 fouls.
? Bradley overcame an early 18-8 deficit, using a 17-3 run that spanned both halves to take a 25-21 lead.
? The lead changed six more times, before SIU center Randal Falker forged a 46-46 tie on an old-fashioned 3-point play with 3:37 left (box score page 26).
Resum? Builder
? In addition to the game's significance in The Valley race, Wednesday's matchup at Southern Illinois has tremendous postseason implications for the Braves.
? Although the team's current 49 RPI has the Braves on the NCAA Tournament at-large bubble, Bradey needs to improve its resum? to receive serious consideration.
? By winning, Bradley would improve to 2-0 against the Salukis and 2-2 against teams in the RPI top 25.
? The Braves are 3-8 against teams currently in the RPI top 100 and have only three more regular-season games remaining against top 100 teams (at Southern Illinois, at VCU and at home versus UNI).
Numbers to Watch
? Bradley leads The Valley in scoring at 76.5 points per game, while Southern Illinois leads the league and ranks sixth nationally by allowing only 55.8 points per game.
? Both teams force more than 16 turnovers per game, but after committing just five turnovers Saturday at Illinois State, Bradley is tied for eighth nationally by averaging only 11.5 turnovers per game.
? The Salukis are ninth in The Valley by averaging 14.4 turnovers per game.
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 ranks fourth nationally by averaging 10.3 treys per game and fifth nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (.431).
? Having already broken the single-season school record for 3-pointers in a season, Bradley remains on pace to break Creighton's 2005 Missouri Valley Conference season record (293).
Bradley's Bomb Squad
? According to mid-season statistics released by the NCAA, the national average for 3-point field goal percentage was .3501.
? Eight Bradley players have combined for the team's 258 3-pointers and seven of the eight players are shooting at least 39.0 percent from long range.
Four with 50 3-Pointers
? Well on its way to breaking the Missouri Valley Conference single-season record for 3-point field goals, Bradley could have four players with at least 50 treys by the end of this week.
? Already, senior guard Will Franklin has made 71 3-pointers and junior guard Jeremy Crouch has made 54, marking just the third time in school history Bradley has had two players with at least 50 treys (1988-89 and 1987-88).
? Bradley has never had more than two players with 50 3-pointers in a season, but that is about to change as senior guard Danny Adams owns 49 and junior guard Daniel Ruffin has made 46.
Other Records in Sight
? The already-broken team record for 3-pointers in a season is not the only mark in sight for the Braves this year.
? The Braves also are on pace to challenge the single-season school records for 3-point field goal percentage, steals and turnover margin.
? Individually, senior guard Will Franklin is ahead of pace to break Aaron Zobrists 1997 record for individual 3-point field goals and junior guard Jeremy Crouch is primed to break Zobrist's mark for 3-point field goal percentage.
Let Me Assist You
? For just the fifth time in school history, and still with at least six games remaining, Bradley boasts two players with triple-digit assist totals: Daniel Ruffin with 122 and Will Franklin with 102.
Two Braves with 100 Assists
Season Player (Assists) Player (Assists)
2006-07 Daniel Ruffin (122) Will Franklin (102)
1995-96 Billy Wright (166) Anthony Parker (105)
1987-88 Anthony Manuel (373) Hersey Hawkins (111)
1986-87 Anthony Manuel (237) Hersey Hawkins (103)
1985-86 Jim Les (275) Trevor Trimpe (127)
Hersey Hawkins (104)
Spreading the Wealth
? Junior forward Matt Salley led the Braves with a career-best 18 points Jan. 18 at Creighton, becoming the seventh player to lead Bradley in scoring this year: Will Franklin (seven times), Daniel Ruffin (six), Jeremy Crouch (five), Zach Andrews (three times), Danny Adams (twice), J.J. Tauai (twice) and Salley (at Creighton).
20-Somethings
? The Braves also have featured six different 20-point scorers in the first 25 games: Jeremy Crouch (four times), Will Franklin (four times), Danny Adams (Florida A&M), Zach Andrews (Illinois-Chicago), Daniel Ruffin (at UNI) and J.J. Tauai (SIU-Edwardsville).
Possessions Game
? Ranked ninth in The Valley in scoring defense (71.1) and field goal percentage defense (.468), Bradley's defensive success has been based on turnovers.
? Leading the league with 8.8 steals per game, Bradley also leads The Valley with a +4.9 turnover margin.
? The turnover differential has allowed Bradley to get off 132 more field goal attempts than their opponents.
? The added shots has allowed the Braves to outscore their opponents by an average of 5.4 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: Will Franklin (15.4), Jeremy Crouch (14.9 ppg), Daniel Ruffin (14.0), J.J. Tauai (6.6), Danny Adams (6.6) and Andrew Warren (4.5).
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.
? Bradley leads The Valley by averaging 76.5 ppg.
? Despite the uptempo style, Bradley is tied for eighth nationally for fewest turnovers per game, committing just 11.5 miscues per contest.
? Bradley is the only team in the nation averaging at least 76 points and fewer than 12 turnovers per game.
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 a league-worst 6.8 boards per game and has lost the rebound fight in 19 of the 25 games to date.
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.
? Bradley is 14-1 when the Braves are at least within six rebounds of their opponent, but 2-8 when the Braves are outrebounded by more than six boards.
? The trend played out Saturday when Bradley lost the rebound battle, 36-31, for the sixth straight game. The Braves kept the deficit under six, though, en route to the 70-62 victory.
? One of the two exceptions to the six-rebound deficit came in the first meeting against Southern Illinois, when the Salukis outrebounded Bradley, 36-21.
Deja Vu All Over Again?
? As Bradley prepared for Saturday's game at Illinois State, the Braves faced a familiar scenario.
? Last season, the Braves entered the game at ISU with a 13-9 record and reeling from a two-game losing streak, which started with a loss at Missouri State immediately after a home rout of the Redbirds.
? Heading into this past Saturday's game at Illinois State, the Braves were 15-9 and had lost two straight, a slide that began at Missouri State immediately after a 21-point victory against the Redbirds at Carver Arena.
? Last year, Bradley followed a 71-59 victory at Illinois State with a 72-60 home win against Southern Illinois, triggerring a seven-game winning streak that carried the Braves to the championship game of the MVC Tournament.
