Game 7 ? Bradley Braves (4-2) at #12/13 Michigan State Spartans (4-2)
Dec. 7, 2008 ? Breslin Center ? East Lansing, Mich.
Game Information
TV: Big Ten Network (Michael Reghi, TBA and Lisa Byington) ? Channel 64 on Comcast in Peoria
Radio: 1470 WMBD (Dave Snell and Chuck Buescher)
Internet Video: N/A
Live Stats: www.MSUSpartans.com
Tickets: Available, $13-30
Series: Michigan State leads 3-0
Last: Michigan State, 66-61, Dec. 4, 2007 at Bradley
Bradley Braves
2008-09 Record: 4-2
MVC: 0-0
Head Coach: Jim Les (Bradley '86)
Career: 109-92 (7th year)
at Bradley: Same
Website: www.BradleyBraves.com
Michigan State Spartans
2008-09 Record: 3-2
Big Ten: 0-0
Head Coach: Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan '77)
Career: 309-132 (14th year)
at Michigan State: Same
Website: www.MSUSpartans.com
Starting Five
? For the second time in the season's first seven games, Bradley will challenge a Top 25 team on the road when the Braves visit #12 Michigan State Saturday afternoon.
? Bradley is shooting for a fourth consecutive win.
? Sunday's game will complete a three-year series between the two programs and Michigan State has won each of the first two matchups to improve to 3-0 all-time against Bradley.
? Bradley is 7-29 all-time on the road against the current Big 10 membership and the Braves have not beaten an active Big 10 member on its home floor since Dec. 1, 1960 (Minnesota).
? Michigan State is the highest ranked team the Braves have played on the road since Dec. 7, 1996 (#7 Michigan).
105th Season
? Bradley has started its 105th men's basketball season and the Braves rank 26th in NCAA Division I history with 1,520 all-time 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.
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.
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 734 3-point field goals since the start of the 2006-07 season and finish among the two highest-scoring teams in the Missouri Valley Conference each of 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.
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 is to undergo season-ending surgery.
? The absence of Egolf and Warren thins the Bradley lineup to five returning scholarship lettermen.
Scoring in Threes
? Bradley is third nationally with 734 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 58 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.
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.
About Michigan State
? Like Bradley, Michigan State has started the 2008-09 season with a 4-2 record.
? The Spartans returned 11 lettermen from last year's squad that finished 27-9 and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
? Having played the last five games away from home, Michigan State is playing its first home game since its season-opening win versus Idaho (100-62) Nov. 16.
? The Spartans are playing their second game against a Missouri Valley Conference foe, having previously downed Wichita State (65-57) Nov. 30 in the fifth-place game at the Old Spice Classic in Orlando.
? Junior forward Raymar Morgan leads the team in scoring at 17.7 points per game, while seven other players average between 5.2 and 10.7 ppg.
Bradley-Michigan State Series
? Michigan State has won each of the previous three meetings in the all-time series versus Bradley, which began with an 89-87 Spartans victory Dec. 19, 1969 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
? The teams began a three-year series in 2006 and the Spartans have won each of the first two rounds, 82-53 Dec. 3, 2006 at the Breslin Center and 66-61 Dec. 4, 2007 at Bradley's Carver Arena.
12-19-69 Salt Lake City, Utah L 87-89
12-03-06 at Michigan State L 53-82
12-04-07 Carver Arena L 61-66
Rough Big Ten Road
? Bradley owns a 23-50 all-time record against the current Big Ten Conference membership, but the Braves are just 7-29 in true road games against the nine Big Ten teams they have visited.
? Not counting its 1982 win at Penn State, which was not a member of the Big Ten at the time of the game, Bradley has not won on a Big Ten floor since a 62-58 win at Minnesota Dec. 1, 1960.
? The Braves have lost 11 consecutive road games against the Big Ten since that 1960 victory against the Gophers.
Tough Back-To-Back
? Following Sunday's game at #12 Michigan State, the Braves will host another 2008 NCAA Tournament participant Wednesday night when Butler visits Carver Arena.
? With two Horizon League games on the docket before visiting Peoria, Butler (5-0) is currently undefeated and receiving votes in both the AP and Coaches polls.
? The Bulldogs lost four starters, however, from last year's squad that went 30-4 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Heating Up
? After a cold start from the floor, particularly from 3-point range, Bradley's offense has heated up in the last two games.
? The Braves have scored at least 80 in each of the last two games, while combining to shoot 54.8 percent (51-93) from the field and 51.3 percent (20-39) from 3-point range.
Category 1st 4 Games Last 2 Games
Scoring 61.0 ppg 81.0 ppg
FG Percentage .387 .548
3FG Percentage .229 .513
3FGM/Game 4.8 10.0
FT Percentage .670 .816
Assists/Game 10.3 19.5
Assists/FGM .532 .765
Newcomer Impact
? Through the first six games, Bradley has primarily utilzied a nine-man rotation made up of five newcomers and four returning players.
? The returning player portion of the rotation took a hit with the news that sophomore Will Egolf will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.
? Junior college transfer Dodie Dunson (13.7 ppg) is the team's top scorer.
? The five newcomers -- Dunson (32.5 mpg), Chris Roberts (27.7), Eddren McCain (17.8), Taylor Brown (12.8) and Darian Norris (12.2) -- have combined for 618 of the team's 1200 total minutes played.
Category Returners (5) Newcomers (6)
Points Per Game 32.4 35.3
Rebounds Per Game 17.2 13.5
Assists Per Game 6.8 6.5
Turnovers Per Game 8.7 8.7
Blocks Per Game 2.5 0.5
Steals Per Game 3.7 2.5
Minutes Per Game 97.0 103.0
Getting To The Line
? Bradley enters the weekend second in The Valley with 155 free throw attempts and the Braves are averaging 25.8 free throw attempts per game.
? By comparison, the 2007-08 Braves averaged 20.4 free throw attempts per game.
? Through the first six games, Bradley has made 111-of-155 (.716) free throw attempts.
? Bradley's number of made free throws are three more than the number of attempts by its opponents.
? The Braves have outscored the opposition by 31 points, 111-80, at the charity stripe through six games.
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 has attempted 46 charity shots in the first five games (7.7 FTA/gm).
? Wilson already has been fouled 47 times in six games, drawing better than 35 percent of the total fouls (132) committed against the Braves.
Hitting The Boards
? Bradley has been criticized for its lack of rebounding during the first two years of the “spread motion” system, but the Braves have beaten on the boards in just one of the season's first six games.
? Through six games, the Braves are averaging 33.8 rebounds per game and boast a +2.2 rebound margin.
Turnovers Slow The Offense
? Bradley has committed 104 turnovers (17.3 tpg) in the first six games.
? On the defensive end, the Braves have forced just 88 turnovers (14.7 tpg).
? The disparity has helped the opposition to a 109-81 advantage in points off turnovers.
Carver Arena - Home of the Braves
? The Peoria Civic Center's Carver Arena has served as the Bradley men's basketball program's home arena since the start of the 1982-83 season.
? Now in its 27th year playing in downtown Peoria, Bradley Wednesday game versus Butler with a 286-91 (.759) record at Carver Arena.
? The Braves own a 126-29 (.813) non-conference record at Carver Arena, where Bradley has won six consecutive non-conference games.
? Seventh-year head coach Jim Les owns a 38-4 (.905) non-conference home record.
Maui Jim 3-Point Challenge
? Peoria manufacturer Maui Jim Sunglasses 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.
? All pledge gifts,which will be tax deductible, will be invoiced at the conclusion of the season and should be made payable to The Jimmy V Foundation.
? 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
? Following Sunday's game at Michigan State, Bradley will play four of its next five games at home, beginning with the Wednesday night clash against Butler.
? The Braves also will host Southeast Missouri State Sunday, Dec. 14 at 1:05 p.m., giving the Braves consecutive home games for the first time this season.
