Game 13 ? Bradley Braves (7-5) at Wichita State (6-6) ? Dec. 31, 2008 ? 7:05 p.m. ? Wichita, Kan. ? Koch Arena
Bradley Closes Out the Calendar Year on The Valley Road
WICHITA, Kan. ? The Bradley men's basketball team will by shooting for its third straight victory when the Braves (7-5, 1-0 MVC) hit the Missouri Valley Conference road for the first time Wednesday night at Wichita State (6-6, 0-0 MVC). The Braves will be playing just their 10th game ever on New Year's Eve, but their first road game on the calendar's last day since Dec. 31, 1994 when they downed Northern Iowa, 84-63, in Cedar Rapids.
Game Information
TV: Comcast (Frank Bussone and Dick Versace)
Radio: 1470 WMBD (Dave Snell and Chuck Buescher)
Video Stream: BradleyBraves.com
Live Stats: BradleyBraves.com
Series: Bradley leads 68-54
Last: Bradley, 63-54, 1/26/08 at Wichita State
Bradley Braves
2008-09 Record: 7-5
Missouri Valley: 1-0
Head Coach: Jim Les (Bradley '86)
Career: 112-95 (7th year)
at Bradley: Same
Website: www.BradleyBraves.com
Wichita State Shockers
2008-09 Record: 6-6
Missouri Valley: 0-1
Head Coach: Gregg Marshall (Randolph-Macon '85)
Career: 211-109 (11th year)
at WSU: 17-26 (2nd year)
Website: www.goshockers.com
Starting Five
? Bradley will play its first Missouri Valley Conference road game of the season Wednesday when the Braves open a two-game road swing at Wichita State.
? Bradley has not won its first Valley road game of a season since the Braves knocked off Creighton (75-62) in their league opener Jan. 3, 1996 in Omaha.
? Coming off Sunday's 79-63 win against Southern Illinois, Bradley is trying to start 2-0 in The Valley for the first time since the 1995-96 Braves began 3-0 on the way to their last MVC regular-season title.
? Bradley owns a 68-54 lead in the all-time series against Wichita State, but the Shockers have won 11 of the last 17 meetings.
? Bradley has won three of its last four and the Braves will be shooting for their second three-game winning streak of the season.
105th Season
? Now in its 105th men's basketball season, Bradley ranks 26th in NCAA Division I history with 1,523 wins.
? Bradley played its first men's basketball game Jan. 1, 1903 defeating a YMCA program known as the Invincibles, 12-8.
Postseason Streak
? The Braves are attempting to reach the postseason for a fourth consecutive season, a streak the program has not enjoyed since 1994-97.
? In addition, Bradley has won at least one postseason game in each of the last three years, an accomplishment only previously achieved from 1949-51.
Three Is The Key
? Due in large part to the loss of all-star big men Patrick O'Bryant (early entry NBA lottery pick) and Marcellus Sommerville (graduation) following the 2006 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 season, head coach Jim Les installed a “spread motion” offense modeled after the Phoenix Suns' system in 2006-07.
? Bradley has recruited to the system for three years and has assembled an athletic, skilled lineup that continues to fit with the uptempo style of play.
? The system often utilizes a four-guard attack and has helped Bradley rank third nationally with 770 3-pointers the last three years and finish among the two highest-scoring teams in The Valley the last two years.
? More notably, Bradley has won at least 21 games three consecutive seasons and is tied for eighth nationally with seven postseason wins the last three years.
New-Look Braves
? While returning seven lettermen from the 2007-08 squad, Bradley is working six newcomers and a redshirt freshman into the lineup this season.
? Bradley entered the season with only two scholarship players boasting more than one year of experience in the program -- fifth-year senior center Sam Singh and junior guard Andrew Warren, both of whom have missed games this season due to injury.
Unique Staff Makeup
? Bradley's coaching staff is believed to be one of just two in the country to boast two staff members with NCAA Tournament head coaching victories.
? Seventh-year head coach Jim Les led the Braves to the 2006 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, while second-year Bradley assistant Steve Merfeld coached Hampton to the second round of the 2001 NCAA Tournament.
? North Carolina assistant Steve Robinson led Tulsa (1997) and Florida State (1998) to NCAA Tourney wins.
Graduate Players
? For the fourth consecutive year, Bradley's roster features a player who already owns his degree.
? Fifth-year senior center Sam Singh received his bachelor's degree in communications-public relations during commencement ceremonies May 17, 2008.
? Previously, Brandyn Heemskerk (?05), Danny Adams (?06) and Daniel Ruffin (?07) all earned their degrees before completing their eligibility the following season.
Injury Bug Bites Again
? For the third consecutive year, the injury bug has taken a big bite out of the Bradley lineup.
? Junior guard Andrew Warren, the team's top returning scorer (13.2 ppg in 2007-08), has yet to suit up this season as he continues to recover from offseason surgery to repair a broken foot.
? Sophomore center Will Egolf, who was making his third career start, suffered a torn ACL in his right knee with 10:02 remaining Nov. 29 versus East Tennessee State and underwent season-ending surgery Dec. 18.
? Senior center Sam Singh suffered a broken nose Dec. 14 and missed the next two games after undergoing corrective surgery Dec. 17.
? The injury losses left the Braves with just three returning scholarship players during those two games.
Newcomer Impact
? With junior guard Andrew Warren (foot) likely out and sophomore forward Will Egolf (knee) unavailable, Bradley's rotation now features six newcomers and four returning players.
? The six newcomers -- Dunson (29.3 mpg), Chris Roberts (26.6), Eddren McCain (21.8), Taylor Brown (13.3), Darian Norris (13.2) and Anthony Thompson (5.1) -- have combined for 1290 of the team's 2400 total minutes played.
? The six rookies also combine to average 34.7 points per game, compared to 33.1 ppg by the four returning players in the current rotation.
Scoring in Threes
? Bradley is third nationally with 770 total treys since the start of 2006-07.
? Bradley became the first-ever Missouri Valley Conference team to make as many as 300 3-pointers in a season with 349 during the 2006-07 season and the Braves followed with 346 more last season.
Scoring Big
? A player standing no taller than 6-foot-5 has led Bradley in scoring in 64 consecutive games, a streak dating back to Jan. 20, 2007 when 6-foot-8 Zach Andrews paced the Braves with 21 points versus Wichita State.
About Wichita State
? Wichita State lost eight lettermen, including four starters, from last year's squad that finished 11-20 overall and ninth in The Valley with a 4-14 league record.
? Wichita State's top three scorers are newcomers: junior college guard Clevin Hannah (11.7 ppg), freshman guard Toure Murry (10.2 ppg) and St. Bonaventure transfer swingman A.J. Hawkins (9.3 ppg).
? Murry is a former high school teammate of Bradley redshirt freshman center Anthony Thompson at Klein Forest in Houston.
? The Shockers have struggled shooting the ball this season, making just 42.1 percent from the field, 30.7 percent from 3-point range and 65.3 percent from the free throw line.
? Wichita State has been dominant on the glass, however, averaging 36.8 rebounds per game and boasting a +7.6 rebound margin.
Bradley-Wichita State Series
? Wednesday's game will be the 123rd meeting in the all-time series between Bradley and Wichita State.
? Bradley owns a 68-54 lead in the all-time series, which dates back to a 72-63 Braves victory in a nonc-conference matchup March 6, 1948 at the Peoria Armory.
? Wichita State owns a 38-19 home record against the Braves, including a 4-1 advantage since overhauling Charles Koch Arena prior to the 2003-04 season.
? Bradley halted a four-game road losing streak against the Shockers by earning a 63-54 win in the last meeting Jan. 26, 2008 at Koch Arena.
? Wednesday's game will be just the fourth ever December meeting in the all-time series and the last was an instant classic as the Shockers pulled out a 69-67 victory in overtime Dec. 30, 2005 at Koch Arena.
Rare New Year's Eve Game
? Bradley will be playing on New Year's Eve for the first time since 1996 -- a 64-63 overtime loss at home to Southern Illinois.
? The Braves have played only nine previous games on New Year's Eve, posting a 6-3 record on the final day of the calendar year.
? The Braves are 2-0 all-time in their only New Year's Eve road games, winning at UCLA (36-27) in 1940 and Northern Iowa (84-63) in 1994 in Cedar Rapids.
Bradley on New Year's Eve: 6-3
Home 3-2 Away 2-0 Neutral 1-1
12/31/27 Canton American Legion W 18-15
12/31/40 at UCLA W 36-27
12/31/45 Marshall L 47-54
12/31/46 Harvard W 57-43
12/31/47 Yale W 91-56
12/31/64 !vs. Notre Dame W 74-72
12/31/65 !vs. Indiana L 87-104
12/31/94 *at UNI (Cedar Rapids) W 84-63
12/31/96 *Southern Illinois ? OT L 63-64
! Chicago, Ill.
Finding Valley Road Success
? Bradley is an even 8-8 in its last 16 Missouri Valley Conference road games.
? More recently, the Braves are 4-3 in their last seven Valley road games.
Free Throws Could Be Key
? Bradley enters Wednesday's game leading The Valley by averaging 25.8 free throw attempts per game.
? Bradley has outscored its opposition by 34 points at the free throw line, and the Braves have made just 23 fewer free throws than their opponents have attempted.
? Although shooting 68.4 percent from the stripe for the season, the Braves are coming off a 28-for-32 (.875) performance Sunday against Southern Illinois.
EffIciency At The Line Aids The Cause
? Including Sunday's 28-for-32 performance against the Salukis, Bradley is 5-0 when shooting at least 70 percent from the free throw line this season.
? By contrast, the Braves are 2-5 when shooting less than 70 percent at the stripe.
Leading The Parade To The Line
? Senior forward Theron Wilson continues to lead the parade to the line.
? After easily pacing the Braves with 179 free throw attempts last season (4.8 FTA/gm), Wilson already has attempted 90 charity shots in the first 12 games (7.5 FTA/gm).
? Wilson already has been fouled 83 times in 12 games, drawing better than 31 percent of the total fouls (262) committed against the Braves.
Wilson Sets The Tone
? Senior forward Theron Wilson's impact has been in direct correlation with the outcome of each of Bradley's first 12 games this season.
? The Braves are 7-0 when the Braves have outscored the opposition during Wilson's time on the floor.
? Bradley also is 0-5 when the Braves have been outscored during Wilson's minutes.
? Wilson is the only Brave whose personal impact has matched the outcome of every game so far this season.
Winning The Close Games
? While eight of Bradley's first 12 games have been decided by double-digit margins, the Braves are 3-0 in games decided by six points or less.
Playing The Percentages
? Known for its 3-point shooting the last two seasons, Bradley has struggled with its long-range shooting so far this year.
? Bradley is shooting just 31.1 percent from behind the arc, while averaging only 6.3 treys per game.
? Including Sunday's 7-for-13 effort, the Braves are 4-0 when they shoot at least 30 percent from beyond the arc, but 3-5 when shooting less than 30 percent.
Getting Defensive
? Bradley is 7-0 this season when holding the opposition to less than 70 points.
? The Braves have won 12 straight when limiting the opposition to fewer than 70 points, dating back to a 69-68 loss to Drake Jan. 16, 2008 at Carver Arena.
? Bradley also is 5-0 this season, and 10-0 the last two years, when limiting the opposition to less than 40 percent shooting from the field.
Maui Jim 3-Point Challenge
? Peoria manufacturer Maui Jim is sponsoring Bradley's 3-point shooting in 2008-09, with proceeds to benefit the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research.
? For every 3-pointer the team makes throughout the season, Maui Jim will donate $10 to the Jimmy V Foundation and the company is encouraging fans to join the challenge.
? For every pledge, participants will be entered into a postseason drawing for a pair of Maui Jim Sunglasses, as well as two tickets to the 2008-09 Bradley Basketball Postseason Banquet.
? For more information and to make your pledge, visit the men's basketball page at www.BradleyBraves.com and click on the Maui Jim 3-Point Challenge graphic.
Future Braves
? Bradley signed a pair of 6-foot-8 high school players during the Early Signing Period Nov. 12.
Milos Knezevic, Henderson, Nev., Liberty H.S.
? Averaged 14 ppg and 8 rpg as a junior
? Friends with Bradley guard Darian Norris, a freshman from Las Vegas Mojave High School.
Jordan Prosser, Eureka, Ill., Eureka H.S.
? First-team all-state in 2007-08 (Illinois 2A)
? Averaged 19.5 ppg and 11.7 rpg as a junior.
Looking Ahead
? Beginning Wednesday at Wichita State, the Braves are beginning a seven-game stretch that includes five road games.
? Bradley will visit Missouri State Saturday night, before returning home to host Illinois State (Jan. 6) and Creighton (Jan. 10).
? The Braves then will face their first three-game Valley road swing since Feb. 4-11, 2006.
Upcoming Promotions
Jan. 6 Illinois State 7:05 pm
Better Banks Hand Banner Night: The first 4,000 fans in attendance will receive a Better Banks Bradley Basketball hand banner.
Jan. 10 Creighton 7:05 pm
Hall of Fame: The 2008-09 Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame Class will be inducted during a special halftime ceremony.
