Game #18 ? Drake (14-1, 5-0 MVC) at Bradley (8-9, 1-4 MVC)
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2008
Tipoff: 7:05 p.m.
Location: Peoria, Ill. ? Carver Arena (11,164)
Radio: WMBD AM 1470 -- Dave Snell, Joe Stowell & Chuck Buescher
TV: None
Web Audio/Video: www.BradleyBraves.com
Tickets: Available ($8-18) ? Robertson Field House, Carver Arena or www.BradleyBraves.com
League Co-Leader Visits
? After snapping its season-long, six-game losing streak Saturday at UNI, Bradley will host Iowa's other Missouri Valley Conference member, Drake, Wednesday night at Carver Arena.
? The Bulldogs have been one of the surprise teams in the country this year and the Valley co-leaders have reeled off a 13-game winning streak heading into Wednesday's clash.
? Bradley can get itself back into the middle of the Valley race by defending its home court over the next two weeks: the Braves will open a three-game homestand against Drake and will play five of their next seven overall at Carver Arena.
Leading Scorers Out?
? Both of the leading scorers for Bradley (senior guard Daniel Ruffin) and Drake (sophomore guard Josh Young) have been ruled out indefinitely due to injuries and are not expected to play Wednesday night.
? Ruffin initially injured his abdomen in practice before the Dec. 11 game at Wright State and eventually underwent outpatient surgery to repair a sports hernia Dec. 28 in New Brunswick, N.J.
? Young sprained an ankle last Wednesday versus Indiana State and did not play Saturday versus Missouri State.
? 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 1,503 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 17 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-Drake Series
? Bradley owns a 73-50 lead in the all-time series against Drake and has responded from its longest-ever series losing streak (five games) by winning each of the last three meetings.
? The Braves own a 44-16 (.733) home record versus Drake, including a 21-5 mark against the Bulldogs at Carver Arena.
? The 21 wins versus Drake at Carver Arena equal the most against a single opponent (Indiana State 21-4) in the building's 26-year history.
Series Information
Bradley leads 73-50
Current Streak: Bradley W3
at Bradley: BU leads 44-16, 21-5 at Carver Arena
Jim Les vs. Drake: 5-5
Keno Davis vs. Bradley: First meeting
Last Meeting: Bradley 100-85 (Feb. 10, 2007 at BU)
Last DU win at BU: Feb. 28, 2005 (79-69)
Recapping Last Year's Series
Bradley won both, 89-86 and 100-85
? Bradley swept a pair of shootouts versus Drake last season, following an 89-86 road win Jan. 6 with a 100-85 victory Feb. 10 at Carver Arena.
? The 189 points scored by Bradley in the two games were the most in a two-game series versus an opponent in a season since the 1987-88 series versus Southern Illinois (212), while the 171 points scored by Drake equalled the 171 by Missouri State last year for the most by an opponent in a two-game set since Tulsa racked up 178. in a 1989-90 season sweep.
About The Bulldogs
? Drake has been one of the surprise teams in the nation this season and the Bulldogs are riding a program-record 13-game winning streak into Wednesday night's game at Carver Arena.
? Under the direction of first-year head coach Keno Davis, the son of former Bulldogs coach Dr. Tom Davis, Drake returned seven lettermen, but only one starter, from last year's squad that finished with a 17-15 record.
? Drake's only loss this season was in the second game to fellow mid-major upstart St. Mary's.
? Drake was picked to finish ninth in the preseason Missouri Valley Conference poll, but the Bulldogs are off to a 5-0 start in the league race.
? The Bulldogs have combined a potent offense with solid defensive play: the Bulldogs lead The Valley in scoring defense by allowing only 56.7 ppg and they rank second in offense by scoring 74.4 ppg.
? Drake also is tied for second in the league with a +5.0 rebound margin and the Bulldogs lead The Valley with a +4.93 turnover margin.
Ruff Going
? Bradley senior point guard Daniel Ruffin, the nation's active career assists leader and one of only two active players (Michigan State's Drew Neitzel) in the country with 1,000 career points (1,042) and 500 career assists (549), tried to play through an abdominal strain suffered in practice prior to the Dec. 11 game at Wright State.
? After reaggravating the injury in the first half Dec. 22 versus VCU, however, Ruffin had outpatient surgery in New Jersy to repair a sports hernia and he has been ruled out indefinitely.
? Bradley is 2-6 since Ruffin originally suffered the injury and 1-4 since his surgery.
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 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 eight games since Ruffin's initital injury, Bradley has averaged 67.2 ppg on 38.7 percent shooting from the field while also suffering a negative assist-to-turnover (101-117) ratio and turnover margin (117-108).
? 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 eight games since his injury.
Player Healthy Ruffin Injured Ruffin
Rashad Austin 1.000 .375
Tyrone Cole-Scott .333 .222
David Collins .714 .500
Jeremy Crouch .436 .384
Will Egolf .417 .250
Sam Maniscalco .444 .373
Ryan Phillips 1.000 .000
Matt Salley .488 .462
Sam Singh .706 .563
Andrew Warren .457 .374
Theron Wilson .478 .463
Crouch Joins 200 Club
? Bradley senior guard Jeremy Crouch drained six 3-pointers Saturday night at UNI to become the third player in school history to make at least 200 3-pointers: Aaron Zobrist (233), Phillip Gilbert (223), Crouch (200).
? Already with 56 3-pointers this season, Crouch leads The Valley by averaging 3.3 treys per game and is on pace to set the single-season (90) and career school records for 3-point field goals made.
Bradley Career 3FGM
1. 233 Aaron Zobrist 1993-97
2. 223 Phillip Gilbert 2000-04
3. 200 Jeremy Crouch 2004-Active
Stepping Up
? Two young players in particular have stepped up their offensive contributions during the absence of leading scorer Daniel Ruffin.
? Prior to Ruffin's absence, sophomore guard Andrew Warren was the team's third-leading scorer at 11.9 ppg, while freshman guard Sam Maniscalco was contributing 4.8 ppg.
? In the five games without Riffun, Warren is averaging a team-best 16.0 ppg, while Maniscalco has stepped into Ruffin's starting spot to average 12.6 ppg.
? After averaging 4.1 ppg as a freshman last season, Warren is one of the most-improved players in The Valley, having increased his scoring average by 319.5 percent to 13.1 ppg so far this year.
The Last Time Out
Saturday: Bradley 75, at UNI 73
? Senior guard Jeremy Crouch scored 23 of his game- and season-high 28 points in the second half, including 20 of Bradley's last 26, leading the Braves to the 75-73 win Saturday at UNI.
? Led by Crouch's 6-for-8 effort, the Braves tied a season-best with 14 3-pointers, hitting 53.8 percent of their 26 attempts from behind the arc.
? Following a first half that saw eight ties and five lead changes, Bradley turned a 36-34 halftime lead into a 44-34 lead by opening the second half with an 8-0 run.
? The Panthers pulled to within one possession nine times during the second half, but the Braves had the answer each time, including points from Crouch five times.
Slow Starters
? By dropping their first four Valley games, Bradley got off to an 0-4 start in the league race for just the fourth time in the program's 54-year league membership.
? Bradley's 1-4 record marks the seventh consecutive year the Braves have been under .500 through the first five Valley games: 2001-02 (2-3), 2002-03 (2-3), 2003-04 (1-4), 2004-05 (2-3), 2005-06 (2-3) and 2006-07 (2-3).
? In each of the last two years, however, the Braves have picked up the pace after their slow start, going 9-4 in the final 13 league games in 2005-06 and 8-5 in the last 13 last season.
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 (14.0 ppg), Andrew Warren (13.1), Sam Maniscalco (7.1) and Tyrone Cole-Scott (3.6) combine for 47.8 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 17 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 8-2 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 2-7 when it is whistled for at least as many fouls as the opponent.
Odd Field Goal Percentage
? Bradley equaled its season-best by making 14 3-pointers Saturday night at UNI and enjoyed a season-best 3-point field goal percentage (.538) against the Panthers.
? By shooting only 25.0 percent (8-32) from inside the arc at UNI, Saturday's game marked the third time in the last eight games -- at Wright State and at Missouri State -- Bradley shot a better percentage from 3-point range than from inside the arc.
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 10 games.
? For the season, Bradley has 284 deflections (16.7 per game), compared to 262 (15.4) 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 10 games, going 3-7 in that span.
Carver Arena -- Home of the Braves
? The 2007-08 campaign is the 25th anniversary season of the Peoria Civic Center's Carver Arena, which has served as the home court for the Braves since the start of the 1982-83 season.
? Bradley played its first game at Carver Arena Nov. 27, 1982, downing in-state rival Loyola Chicago, 90-82.
? Including a 4-4 start at home this year, Bradley now boasts a 275-89 (.755) all-time mark at Carver Arena.
? In his sixth season as Bradley head coach, Jim Les owns a 61-22 (.735) home record, including a 30-17 (.638) record in Valley games at Carver Arena.
Home Skid
? Bradley will be trying to snap a four-game home skid Wednesday when the Braves host Drake and the Braves have not won at Carver Arena since dumping Southeast Missouri State, 90-72, Dec. 1.
? Looking ahead to Wednesday's game, Bradley has not lost five in a row at Carver Arena since a six-game slide the spanned the 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons.
? Already 0-2 at home in The Valley, Bradley has never lost its first three Valley home games and the Braves have their first three conference home games in any league only once: the 1934-35 squad dropped their first four home games in the old Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference during a 1-13 season (1-11 IIAC).
? Overall, this is Bradley's 54th season of Valley membership and 87th year in one of the two leagues.
Early Crowds
? Bradley traditionally ranks among the nation's top 50 in average home attendance, but the Braves are well ahead of their typical attendance pace as they start the new year.
? Through the first seven home games, Bradley was averaging 10,004 fans per game at Carver Arena, marking the first time ever the Braves have averaged more than 10,000 fans per game prior to the start of the new year.
? Last season, Bradley averaged 9,248 fans during its seven non-MVC games and finished the year by drawing a program-best 165,376 total fans to Carver Arena.
New Look Braves
? Following the graduation of four seniors -- Danny Adams, Zach Andrews, Will Franklin and J.J. Tauai -- who were major contributors to Bradley's back-to-back 22-win seasons, Bradley welcomed nine newcomers to the roster and head coach Jim Les is working six of the newbies into the playing rotation.
? Junior forward Theron Wilson, a 6-5 transfer from Seward County C.C., is the only newcomer to start all 16 games this season.
? Wilson is the team's second-leading rebounder (6.1 rpg) and is the squad's fourth-leading scorer at 8.5 ppg.
? Freshman point guard Sam Maniscalco has stepped into the starting lineup to replace Daniel Ruffin and has averaged 12.6 ppg and 4.6 apg in the first five Valley games.
Media Streaks
528 Consecutive games covered by beat writer Dave Reynolds for the Peoria Journal Star, dating back to the start of the 1990-91 season.
865 Consecutive Bradley Basketball broadcasts Voice of the Braves Dave Snell has participated in on WMBD.
1,485 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 1,485 Bradley men's basketball games since beginning his varsity playing career in 1947.
Tough Schedule
? Bradley's schedule-to-date is ranked 65th nationally, third-best in The Valley.
? Southern Illinois (4) has played the toughest schedule in the league so far this year, followed by Missouri State at #31.
? Bradley's non-conference opponents have combined for a 117-79 (.597) record through games of Jan. 13.
Looking Ahead
? Bradley's three-game home stand has an extreme look to it as far as The Valley standings are concerned.
? Following Wednesday's visit by league unbeaten Drake, the Braves will host the MVC's only remaining winless team, Evansville, Saturday night, followed by the first installment of the Interstate 74 Rivalry next Wednesday against the other Valley co-leader, Illinois State.
? Bradley will induct a five-person class into the school's Athletics Hall of Fame during halftime of Saturday's game versus Evansville.
