Game #17 ? Bradley (7-9, 0-4 MVC) at UNI (10-5, 2-2 MVC)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 12, 2008
Tipoff: 7:07 p.m.
Location: Cedar Falls, Iowa ? McLeod Center (7,018)
Radio: WMBD AM 1470 -- Dave Snell, Joe Stowell & Chuck Buescher
TV: Comcast -- Frank Bussone and Chuck Buescher
Web Audio/Video: www.BradleyBraves.com
Tickets: Available (319-273-4849)
Series Information
Bradley leads 24-12
Current Streak: UNI W1
at UNI: UNI leads 9-7, 1-0 at McLeod Center
Jim Les vs. UNI: 6-6
Ben Jacoboson vs. Bradley: 3-1
Last Meeting: UNI 59-46 (Dec. 29, 2007 at Bradley)
Last BU Win at UNI: Feb. 22, 2006 (71-49)
First Valley Rematch
? Just five games into its Missouri Valley Conference schedule, Bradley will complete its regular-season series versus Northern Iowa when the Braves visit the Panthers Saturday night at McLeod Center.
? Bradley will be trying to snap a six-game losing streak, which includes a 59-46 home loss to UNI in the Valley opener Dec. 29 at Carver Arena.
? Although the Jan. 12 game will not fall on the earliest calendar date to complete a Valley season series (Wichita State, Jan. 11, 2006), the fifth league game of the year will mark the quickest completion of a Valley series by the Braves since sweeping Wichita State on Jan. 5 and Jan. 19, 2000.
Ruffin On The Mend
? Bradley senior point guard Daniel Ruffin suffered a strained abominal muscle in practice between games Dec. 4 versus Michigan State and Dec. 11 at Wright State.
? The nation's active leader with 549 career assists and now one of two players in the country with more than 1,000 career points (1,042) and 500 assists -- Michigan State's Drew Neitzel is the other -- Ruffin tried to play through the injury, but reaggravated it during the first half of Bradley's 79-64 home loss to VCU Dec. 22.
? He underwent outpatient surgery to repair a sports hernia Dec. 28 in New Brunswick, N.J., and is out indefinitely.
? The injury to Ruffin marks the third time in the last five campaigns Bradley has lost its season scoring leader going into the new year: three-time All-MVC guard Phillip Gilbert suffered a broken foot Dec. 20, 2004 at Pepperdine and missed the next 10 games (1-9), while Jeremy Crouch went down with a sprained knee Dec. 30, 2006 versus Evansville and missed the next eight games (5-3).
About Bradley Basketball
? Bradley ranks 26th in NCAA Division I history with 1,502 all-time victories.
? Bradley is one of 14 teams to win at least 22 games and earn a postseason victory in each of the last two seasons: 22-11 in 2005-06 with two NCAA Tournament wins and 22-13 last year with a trip to the second round of the NIT.
? Under the direction of sixth-year head coach Jim Les (Bradley ?86), Bradley has won at least 22 games in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1958-59 and 1959-60, as well as postseason games in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1994 (NIT 2-1) and 1995 (NIT 1-1).
? Following the graduation of four seniors -- Danny Adams, Zach Andrews, Will Franklin and J.J. Tauai -- who played prominent roles on Bradley's two postseason squads, the Braves brought in nine newcomers for the 2007-08 season, including six who have seen action through the first 16 games.
? The 2007-08 Braves are led by their three senior tri-captains: guards Jeremy Crouch and Daniel Ruffin and post player Matt Salley.
? Utilizing a three-guard attack, the Braves rely heavily on 3-point shooting and defensive ball pressure.
Bradley-UNI Series
? Bradley owns a 24-12 lead in the all-time series versus UNI, but UNI owns a 9-7 series advantage at home.
? The series began with a 117-71 Bradley win Jan. 27, 1971 at Robertson Fieldhouse and the other 35 meetings have been contested as Missouri Valley Conference rivals.
? Although Bradley owns a decided advantage in the overall series ledger, the Panthers have won eight of the last 14 meetings dating back to their first-ever win in Peoria Dec. 28, 2001.
? Second-year UNI head coach Ben Jacobson owns a 3-1 record versus Bradley, winning each of his first three regular-season meetings in the series.
Recapping The First Meeting
UNI 59, at Bradley 46 ? Dec. 29 at Bradley
? In its first game without fourth-year starting point guard Daniel Ruffin in the lineup, Bradley scored a Carver Arena record low nine points in the first half and ultimately dropped a 59-46 decision to UNI at Carver Arena in the Valley opener for both teams.
? The Braves made just 4-of-24 (.167) field goal attempts in the first half, including 1-of-12 (.083) from 3-point range.
? After trailing 25-9 at the break, Bradley did rally early in the second half to pull within five points with the ball, but could not maintain the momentum.
? Despite its offensive struggles, Bradley remained in the game by turning in one of its better defensive performances of the season, limiting the Panthers to 59 points on 41.3 percent shooting from the floor.
? Freshman point guard Sam Maniscalco scored a then-career-best 15 points in 38 minutes to highlight his first career start, but team scoring leaders Jeremy Crouch and Andrew Warren were a combined 6-for-26 from the floor.
? UNI also outrebounded Bradley, 45-27.
About The Panthers
? Northern Iowa returned eight letterman, including three starters, from last year's squad that recorded an 18-13 overall record and finished fifth in The Valley with a 9-9 league record.
? Under the direction of second-year coach Ben Jacoboson, UNI is off to a 10-5 start, but the Panthers enter Saturday's game on a two-game losing skid.
? UNI has played a stout halfcourt defense so far this year, limiting its opponents to just 56.0 points per game on 36.7 percent shooting from the field and 29.9 percent from 3-point range.
? The first two defensive stats lead The Valley and the 3-point field goal percentage defense is second.
? UNI began the week fifth nationally in field goal percentage defense and seventh in scoring defense.
? Senior forward Eric Coleman leads the Panthers in both scoring (11.8 ppg) and rebounding (8.6 rpg), despite coming off the bench in 14 of the team's first 15 games.
Tale Of The Three
? Bradley remains one of the most proficient 3-point shooting teams in the country, leading The Valley with 142 3-pointers made this season.
? UNI is one of the top teams at defending the 3-pointer in the nation, allowing only 5.9 treys per game and 29.9 percent shooting from behind the arc.
Bradley Joins The 1,500-Club
? Bradley overcame an 11-point first half deficit en route to a 64-47 win Nov. 28 at Loyola Chicago to earn the 1,500th win in program history.
? Bradley became the 26th program in NCAA Division I history to achieve 1,500 wins and now boasts a 1502-983 all-time record.
Ruffin Makes History, Too
? Having helped Bradley to 64 of its 1,502 all-time wins as the team's starting point guard the last four years, senior Daniel Ruffin made some history of his own in the 90-72 victory Dec. 1 against Southeast Missouri State.
? Finishing with 10 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals against the Redhawks, Ruffin became the 41st member of Bradley's 1,000-Point Club.
? The nation's active leader with 549 career assists, Ruffin is the fourth player in Missouri Valley Conference history, and one of the nation's two active players, to score at least 1,000 career points and dish out at least 500 career assists.
1,000 Points, 500 Assists in MVC History
Player, School, Years Points Assists
Rick Fields, Indiana State, 1981-85 1,142 551
Anthony Manuel, Bradley, 1984-89 1,221 855
Ryan Sears, Creighton, 1997-01 1,309 570
Daniel Ruffin, Bradley, 2004- 1,042 549
The Ruffin Factor
? In the nine games before All-MVC point guard Daniel Ruffin first suffered his abdominal injury, Bradley was 6-3 with its only three defeats at UIC (84-75), at a neutral-site to still undefeated Vanderbilt (95-86) and a home to #9 Michigan State (66-61).
? Bradley led Michigan State with four minutes remaining and the Braves had five shots to either tie or take the lead against Vanderbilt in the game's final 2:40.
? In the nine games with a healthy Ruffin, Bradley averaged 76.4 points per game while shooting 46.4 percent from the field and the Braves had a positive assists-to-turnover (164-160) ratio and turnover (160-167) margin.
? In the seven games since Ruffin suffered his abdominal injury, the Braves are 1-6, including 0-4 since his surgery.
? In those seven games, Bradley has averaged 66.1 ppg on 38.8 percent shooting from the field while also suffering a negative assist-to-turnover (91-104) ratio and turnover margin (104-93).
? Perhaps the most-telling statistic regarding Ruffin's injury: every Brave had a better field goal percentage in the nine games with a healthy Ruffin compared to the seven games since his injury.
Player Healthy Ruffin Injured Ruffin
Rashad Austin 1.000 .400
Tyrone Cole-Scott .333 .225
David Collins .714 .500
Jeremy Crouch .436 .347
Will Egolf .417 .250
Sam Maniscalco .444 .411
Ryan Phillips 1.000 .000
Matt Salley .488 .486
Sam Singh .706 .583
Andrew Warren .457 .379
Theron Wilson .478 .457
The Last Time Out
at Southern Illinois 77, Bradley 64
? Bradley committed 14 of its 18 turnovers in the first half, allowing Southern Illinois a 19-2 advantage in points off turnovers en route to a 45-27 halftime lead.
? Southern Illinois also shot 66.7 percent (20-30) from the field in the first half and got the offfensive rebound on five of those 10 first-half misses, outscoring Bradley 11-2 in second-chance points before the break.
? Bradley cleaned up its play in the second half and closed to within 64-56 with 4:16 left, but the Salukis hit 10-of-11 free throw attempts down the stretch to hold off the Braves.
? Sophomore guard Andrew Warren led the Braves with 18 points, sinking all 12 of his free throw attempts, equalling the fifth-most makes in a game without a miss in program history.
Slow Start
? The 2007-08 season is just the fourth in Bradley's 54 years of Missouri Valley Conference membership that the Braves have lost their first four league games.
? The Braves also started 0-4 in 1978-79 and 1972-73 and 0-5 in 1991-92.
Offensive Backcourt
? A large portion of Bradley's offensive attack comes from its backcourt rotation.
? The five-man rotation of Daniel Ruffin (14.2 ppg), Jeremy Crouch (13.1 ppg), Andrew Warren (13.1), Sam Maniscalco (7.0) and Tyrone Cole-Scott (3.6) combine for 47.4 points per game.
? Each of the five backcourt players has at least shared team-high scoring honors at least once this season and at least one member of the quintet has led the team in scoring in all 16 games this year.
Two Telling Statistics
? Two stats that appear to be the best result predictors for the Braves this season are rebounding and fouls.
? After posting a 6-1 record the entire 2006-07 season when winning the rebound fight, Bradley is 7-2 this year when it pulls down more rebounds than the opposition.
? Conversely, the Braves are 0-7 when the rebounds are equal (0-2) or they lose the rebound battle all together (0-5).
? Nearly equally telling, Bradley is 6-2 when it commits fewer fouls than the opposition, but 1-7 when it is whistled for at least as many fouls as the opponent.
Is Ruffin The Difference?
? In the 12 games Ruffin played this season, Michigan State (48-29) was the only team to outrebound the Braves and Bradley boasted a +2.0 rebound margin.
? In the four games the Braves have played without their 5-foot-10 point guard, Bradley has been outrebounded by double-digit margins three times and by an average of 11.7 boards per game.
? The Braves have been particularly weak on the defensive glass, allowing the opposition to snare 49 offensive boards in the three games, leading to 57 second-chane points.
Losing The Deflections
? One of the keys to Bradley's defense is to disrupt the opposition by getting defelections, a stat the Braves have been losing of late.
? The opponents have had more deflections in six of Bradley's last nine games.
? For the season, Bradley has 270 deflections (16.9 per game), compared to 254 (15.9) for the opposition.
? Bradley is 5-1 when it gets at least 20 deflections with the one loss to Vanderbilt in the championship game of the South Padre Island Invitational, but the Braves have not recorded at least 20 deflections since Nov. 28 at Loyola.
? The Braves have averaged just 14.4 deflections in the last nine games, going 2-7 in that span.
Looking Ahead
? Following Saturday's game, Bradley will host a season-long, three-game home stand, beginning Jan. 16 vesus redhot Drake.
? The home stand will continue Jan. 19 versus Evansville and will conclude Jan. 23 versus Interstate 74 rival Illinois State.
? Bradley's 2007-08 Athletics Hall of Fame Class will be inducted during halftime of the Evansville game.
Media Streaks
527 Consecutive games covered by beat writer Dave Reynolds for the Peoria Journal Star, dating back to the start of the 1990-91 season.
864 Consecutive Bradley Basketball broadcasts Voice of the Braves Dave Snell has participated in on WMBD.
1,484 Although he has not attended the games in one singlular streak, Bradley Hall-of-Famer Joe Stowell has held some sort of official capacity -- player (1947-50), assistant coach (1956-65), head coach (1965-78), assistant athletic director (1978-85) and radio analyst (1985-present) -- for 1,484 Bradley men's basketball games since beginning his varsity playing career in 1947.
Tough Schedule
? Bradley's schedule-to-date is ranked 36th nationally, second-best in The Valley.
? Southern Illinois (5) has played the toughest schedule in the league so far this year, while Missouri State's schedule dropped to third-best in the league at #46.
? Bradley's non-conference opponents have combined for a 112-70 (.615) record through games of Jan. 10.
Schedule Has Stiffened
? Not that there would be a good time to lose one of the top point guards in the country, but the injury to Ruffin has come during perhaps the toughest stretch of games on Bradley's schedule.
? Starting with the 90-72 win Dec. 1 against Southeast Missouri State, Bradley completed its non-conference schedule (unknown BrackterBuster opponent TBD) against five teams that now boast a combined 59-17 (.776) record.
? Southeast Missouri State is currently leading the Ohio Valley Conference with a 6-1 league record, Michigan State was the preseason favorite to win the Big Ten and Wright State (Horizon), Butler (Horizon) and VCU (Colonial) are all defending conference champions.
? Meanwhile, The Valley is eighth in the RPI rankings of leagues and Evansville and defending champ Southern Illinois are Bradley's only league foes currently with losing records.
