STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Bradley men's basketball team provided a “Spring Break” bonus for its students last night by downing Providence, 90-78, in the first round of the MasterCard National Invitation Tournament.  Students heading to Florida or the Gulf Coast for Spring Break now have the opportunity to see the Braves again as Bradley will visit Mississippi State in an 11:05 a.m. game Saturday at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Miss.

After drawing a crowd of 5,501 in the 10,500-seat Humphrey Coliseum for Mississippi State's first-round NIT win against Mississippi Valley State, plenty of tickets are expected to be available for any Bradley fans heading south this weekend.  Bradley students presenting a valid ID at the door may purchase tickets for $4, while the general public cost will be $18 for Saturday's game.  For more information, contact the Mississippi State ticket office at (636) 325-2600 or toll-free at (888) 463-2946.

Bradley earned the trip to Starkville by pulling out the overtime win against Providence Wednesday night at Carver Arena.  Senior guard Will Franklin scored a team-high 23 points, including six on short jumpers in the extra period to help the Braves pull away, and his fellow senior guard J.J. Tauai enjoyed a career-night with 17 points and 17 rebounds.  Although Bradley struggled with its 3-point shot (5-17) Wednesday night, the Braves outworked the Big East's top rebounding team for a 47-37 advantage on the boards and forced 23 Providence turnovers, 17 from steals.

Mississippi State (19-13) is the top seed in the NIT North Bracket after winning a share of the Southeastern Conference West Division title with an 8-8 league record.  The Bulldogs are 14-3 at Humphrey Coliseum this season, including home wins against six postseason participants.  Although Bradley has never met Mississippi State on the hardwood, the Braves are 6-0 all-time against MSU's in-state rivals Ole Miss (3-0) and Southern Miss (3-0), including a road win against both schools.