PEORIA, Ill. -- Less than a week remains for Bradley men's basketball season-ticket holders to renew their seats for the 2007-08 campaign, and with a growing waiting list of new season-ticket requests, Rob Bogardus, Assistant Athletic Director for Ticket Operations, stresses the importance of meeting Monday's renewal deadline.
Coming off back-to-back 22-win seasons that resulted in postseason play, and with a 17-game home schedule that will feature at least five 2007 postseason qualifiers, Bogardus added that his staff already has accepted hundreds of new season-ticket applications for the upcoming season. During the first week of August, the Bradley Athletics Ticket Office staff will begin assigning seat locations to new season-ticket holders.
Prices for 2007-08 Bradley men's basketball season tickets range from $100 to $340 with additional maintenance charges, based on location and quantity. The 2007-08 season-ticket application is available to print from the Bradley athletic department's official web site -- www.bubraves.com -- within the area for men's basketball ticket information or for pickup from the Robertson Fieldhouse Box Office.
In addition to the regular season-ticket renewals, Bogardus reports student season-ticket sales also are running at a record pace. For the first time, students were given the opportunity to renew their season tickets before the end of the school year, while the incoming freshman class has the opportunity for season-ticket purchases during each of the summer orientation sessions.
Following the annual Red-White Scrimmage Oct. 26 and the exhibition game Nov. 4 versus Saint Ambrose, Bradley's 17-game season-ticket package will begin with the Nov. 4 exhibition versus Quincy University. Following the season-opener Nov. 10 at Illinois-Chicago, the Braves will open the regular-season home schedule Nov. 14 versus Big 12 Conference member Iowa State. Bradley also will welcome Big 10 Conference power Michigan State Dec. 4, Colonial Athletic Association champion VCU Dec. 22 and a BracketBuster opponent Feb. 23, as well as all nine Missouri Valley Conference rivals. The other three home games will be played Nov. 18 versus Maryland-Eastern Shore, Nov. 20 against Florida Gulf Coast and Dec. 1 versus Southeast Missouri State.
Bradley will take on its tough slate in 2007-08 with a roster that features two of the top returning players in The Valley and one of the nation's top recruiting classes. Senior guards Jeremy Crouch (Pekin, Ill./Pekin H.S.) and Daniel Ruffin (Peoria, Ill./Central H.S.), both homegrown talents, both averaged 13.8 points per game last season and are the top returning scorers in The Valley, making Bradley the first team since at least 1975 to boast the league's top two returning scorers. Both players also are national leaders: Crouch shared the nation's lead in 3-point field goal percentage (.500) last season, while Ruffin is the nation's active leader with 475 career assists. The pair of all-star guards will be supported by a 7-man recruiting class that has been ranked as high as 24th nationally (Bob Gibbons, ESPN.com).
For Bradley men's basketball ticket information, contact the Robertson Fieldhouse Box Office at 309-677-2625.
