Game #31 ? Bradley (17-13, 9-8 MVC) at Creighton (19-9, 9-8 MVC)
Date: Saturday, March 1, 2008
Tipoff: 7:05 p.m.
Location: Omaha, Neb. ? Qwest Center Omaha (17,272)
Radio: WMBD AM 1470 -- Dave Snell, Joe Stowell & Chuck Buescher
TV: None
Web Audio & Video: www.BradleyBraves.com
Tickets: $8 youth, $12 adults in the upper bowl (www.GoCreighton.com)
Coaches:
Bradley -- Jim Les (Bradley ?86), Sixth year at Bradley and overall (101-86)
Creighton -- Dana Altman (E. New Mexico ?80), 19th year overall (263-217) and 14th year at CU (279-150)
Red Or White In St. Louis
? The color of Bradley's jersey in the quarterfinals of next week's State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament will be determined by the outcome of Saturday night's regular-season finale at Creighton.
? Regardless of Saturday's outcome, the Braves are guaranteed a spot in Friday's 2:30 p.m. quarterfinal between the tournament's fourth and fifth seeds, while Creighton still can finish as the fourth, fifth or sixth seed.
? With a win Saturday, Bradley will wear white as the fourth seed against either Creighton, Indiana State, Missouri State or UNI.
? If Creighton wins, the Braves will be the fifth seed and will wear red against the Bluejays in Friday's quarterfinal, which would result in the third game between the two programs in 15 days.
Quick Notes
? Bradley senior point guard Daniel Ruffin was reinstated by the University Wednesday night after serving an indefinite suspension (missed two games) while Bradley conducted an investigation into the events related to his arrest last Saturday morning.
? The Braves are 13-5 (.722) this season with a healthy Ruffin in action, but 3-6 with him unavailable due to injury (sports hernia) and the suspension, as well as 4-8 with him at less than full strength or out altogether.
? Saturday's game at Creighton will be the 2,500th in Bradley Basketball history: the Braves rank 26th in NCAA Division I history with 1,512 all-time victories.
? With a win Saturday, Bradley (6-6 overall on the road, 4-4 in the MVC) would secure winning road records overall and in the Valley for the first time since 1995-96 (7-4, 7-2 MVC).
About Bradley Basketball
? 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 29 games.
? Utilizing a three-guard attack, Bradley was tied for seventh nationally with 276 3-pointers through Thursday.
Series Information
Bradley leads 39-35
Current Streak: Bradley W1
at CU: Creighton leads 21-13, 0-4 at Qwest Center
Jim Les vs. Creighton: 3-9
Dana Altman vs. Bradley: 16-13
Last Meeting: BU 87-59 (Feb. 16 at Bradley)
Last BU win in Omaha: Jan. 17, 1998 (61-58)
Bradley-Creighton Series
? Saturday's game will be the 75th meeting in the all-time series between Bradley and Creighton, which dates back to a 52-46 Braves victory Feb. 13, 1941 at the old Peoria Armory.
? Bradley owns a 39-35 lead in the all-time series, but trails 21-13 in Omaha and is 0-4 all-time at the Qwest Center.
? Bradley's nine-game road losing streak to the Bluejays equals the second-longest the Braves have ever endured against another Valley rival.
? Bradley lost 11 consecutive road games versus Louisville from 1964-65 through 1974-75 and also suffered through a nine-year drought against Evansville, which ended with last year's 72-71 win at Roberts Stadium.
Recapping The Last Meeting
Feb. 16, 2008 ? at Bradley 87, Creighton 59
? After leading by as many as 38 points with 3:07 remaining, Bradley settled for the second-largest margin of victory in the 74-game series history between the Braves and Bluejays.
? Bradley earned a 98-68 win versus Creighton Feb. 13, 1988 at Carver Arena, a year after a 95-67 victory versus the Bluejays Jan. 22, 1987 in Peoria.
? Bradley opened this season's first meeting with an 11-0 run and never looked back.
? After Creighton had closed to 24-18 following two free throws by P'Allen Stinnett with 7:53 left in the half, Bradley closed the period on a 22-8 surge to break and took a 46-26 halftime lead when freshman Sam Maniscalco buried a running 3-pointer at the buzzer.
? Bradley also ended with a 44-31 rebounding margin, despite surrendering the final nine boards of the game.
? Box score and full recap on page 36 in PDF version of the Bradley Game Notes package.
Ruffin Cleared To Play
? Bradley senior point guard Daniel Ruffin was reinstated by the University Wednesday night after serving an indefinite suspension (missed two games) while Bradley conducted an investigation into the events related to his arrest last Saturday morning.
? The Braves are 13-5 this season with a healthy Ruffin running the show, but are 4-8 overall when he has been at less than full strength (1-2) or out altogether following his surgery (2-5) and suspension (1-1).
? Ruffin's injury woes are capsulated on the next page.
Milestone Watch
2 Senior point guard Daniel Ruffin needs two assists to become the second player (Anthony Manuel) in Missouri Valley Conference and Bradley Basketball history to score 1,000 points (1,176) and dish out 600 assists (598).
2 Freshman guard Sam Maniscalco needs two 3-pointers to break Anthony Parker's 1993-94 school record for the most 3-pointers by a Bradley freshman.
4 Senior guard Jeremy Crouch needs four steals to become the fifth Brave in the 30 years Bradley has tracked steals to accumulate 400 points (452), 100 rebounds (114), 75 assists (88) and 50 steals (46) in a single-season (see page 10 for more info).
9 With a school-record 91 treys this year, senior guard Jeremy Crouch needs nine more to become the third player in Valley history to make 100 3-pointers in a season (SIU's Troy Hudson in 1997 and Creighton's Kyle Korver in 2003 and 2001).
24 Currently 27th on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,176 points, senior point guard Daniel Ruffin needs 24 points to reach 1,200 for his career.
42 Currently 28th on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,158 points, senior guard Jeremy Crouch needs 42 points to reach 1,200 for his career.
1,500 Bradley Hall-of-Famer Joe Stowell has held an official capacity -- player (103 games), assistant coach (250), head coach (344), assistant A.D. (107) and radio analyst (694) -- for 1,498 Bradley men's basketball games ... Stowell is on schedule to work his 1,500th Bradley game when the Braves open play in the 2008 State Farm MVC Tournament.
2,500 Bradley has played 2,499 games in its 104-year men's basketball history ... The March 1 game at Creighton will be the 2,500th in program history.
Injury Bug Has Bitten Twice
? The injury bug has delivered two big bites to the Bradley men's basketball team this season.
? Senior point guard Daniel Ruffin, a preseason candidate for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year award, sustained a strained abdominal muscle prior to the Dec. 11 game at Wright State.
? Ruffin tried to continue to play, but was at less than full strength in the next three games, and ultimately re-aggravated the injury in the first half of the Dec. 22 game versus VCU.
? He underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia Dec. 28 and missed the first seven games of The Valley slate before returning to action Jan. 23 versus Illinois State.
? Sophomore guard Andrew Warren, the team's third-leading scorer at 13.1 ppg, suffered a broken bone in his left (non-shooting) hand Feb. 16 versus Creighton and had a six-screw plate inserted into his hand Feb. 18.
? Warren has missed the last three games and his status for the rest of the season will be evaluated on a game-to-game basis.
? Bradley managed only a 3-7 record with Ruffin either hurt (1-2) or out of action following his surgery (2-5), but the Braves are 2-1 without Warren, knocking off #16 Drake, 72-71, last Feb. 19 in Des Moines and Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 84-72, last Saturday in the BracketBusters.
The Ruffin Factor
? Including a 7-2 record since his return, the Braves are 13-5 in the 18 games they have played with a healthy Daniel Ruffin.
? In two of the losses, 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 18 games with a healthy Ruffin, Bradley has averaged 74.3 ppg while shooting 45.9 percent from the field and the Braves have a positive assists-to-turnover (305-275) ratio and turnover (275-296) margin.
? In the 12 games Ruffin has been either injured or out, Bradley is 4-8 and has averaged 68.9 ppg on 40.9 percent shooting from the field while also suffering a negative assist-to-turnover ratio (166-172) and turnover margin (172-160).
? Perhaps the most-telling statistic regarding Ruffin's injury: 9-of-11 Braves boast a better field goal percentage in the 18 games with a healthy Ruffin compared to the 11 games he has been injured or unavailable.
Ruffin Makes History
? Having helped Bradley to 68 of its 1,512 all-time wins as the team's starting point guard the last four years, senior Daniel Ruffin boasts some historically significant numbers.
? The nation's active leader with 598 career assists, Ruffin is 27th in school history with 1,176 points, making him the fourth player in Missouri Valley Conference history to score at least 1,000 career points and dish out at least 500 career assists.
? Ruffin needs just two assists to become the second player in school and MVC history to record 1,100 points and 600 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- 1,176 598
Strong Finish
? Despite Tuesday's loss to Southern Illinois, the Braves still have recovered from a 1-5 start in the MVC race by winning nine of their last 12 games.
? A win Saturday would give Bradley a 10-3 record in its last 13 games for the second time in three years.
? The 2005-06 Braves finished with a 10-3 record in the final 13 games of the regular season and road the momentum into the MVC Tournament championship game, as well as the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
Road Improvement
? A win Saturday at Creighton would give the Braves a winning overall road record (7-6) and a winning Valley road record (5-4).
? Bradley has not achieved a winning overall mark on the road or on the Valley road since the 1995-96 Braves went 7-4 overall and 7-2 in the league.
? A seventh road win would equal the most (1995 and 1996) since the 1987-88 Braves compiled a 10-3 road record.
? Bookmarked by its last two visits to the Drake Knapp Center, Bradley owns an 11-10 road record dating back to its 89-86 win at Drake Jan. 6, 2007.
February Record
? Despite the Tuesday's loss to Southern Illinois, Bradley is tied with the Salukis and Missouri State for the best February record in the Missouri Valley Conference the past three seasons.
Team Total ?07-08 ?06-07 ?05-06
Bradley 16-7 5-3 5-2 6-2
Missouri State 16-7 4-4 5-2 7-1
Southern Illinois 16-7 7-2 7-0 3-5
Creighton 13-9 5-3 4-3 4-3
Drake 10-13 5-3 4-3 1-7
Illinois State 10-13 6-2 3-4 1-7
Wichita State 10-13 2-6 2-5 6-2
Evansville 9-13 3-5 2-5 4-3
Indiana State 9-14 4-4 1-6 4-4
UNI 8-14 3-5 2-5 3-4
Winning The Tight Ones
? With the 72-71 win Feb. 19 at #16 Drake, Bradley improved to 5-1 in games decided by one possession (three points or less at the end of regulation) this season.
? Including a pair of overtime wins, Bradley is 10-3 (.769) the last two years in games when the teams have been separated by three points or less at the end of regulation.
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 second among Valley newcomers in scoring (10.6 ppg), rebounding (6.1 rpg) and steals (1.3 spg).
? Freshman point guard Sam Maniscalco has stepped into the starting lineup for injured starters Daniel Ruffin and Andrew Warren and has responded as the team's fourth-leading scorer (7.8 ppg).
? Maniscalco also leads all MVC newcomers with 3.3 assists per game and 46 3-pointers.
Offensive Backcourt
? A large portion of Bradley's offensive attack comes from its backcourt rotation.
? The five-man rotation of Jeremy Crouch (15.1 ppg), Daniel Ruffin (14.5 ppg), Andrew Warren (13.1), Sam Maniscalco (7.8) and Tyrone Cole-Scott (3.8) combine for 48.0 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 28 of 30 games this year.
Scoring Big
? Junior forward Theron Wilson scored a career-best 28 points Jan. 19 versus Evansville to become the first non-guard to lead the Braves in scoring this year.
? In a streak extended when Jeremy Crouch scored 21 points Tuesday versus Southern Illinois, no Brave taller than 6-foot-5 has led the team in scoring since 6-foot-8 Zach Andrews (15 points) shared game-high honors with 6-foot guard Will Franklin Feb. 3, 2007 at Illinois State.
? Including that game at ISU when Franklin shared game-high honors, seven different Braves standing no taller than 6-foot-5 have led the team in scoring in 44 consecutive games.
? With 21 points, Andrews was the outright team scoring leader Jan. 20, 2007 at Wichita State.
The 25-Point Club
? When senior guard Daniel Ruffin scored 25 points Feb. 6 versus Missouri State, he became the fourth Brave to score at least 25 points in a game this year.
? Sophomore guard Andrew Warren hit for 25 Nov. 18 versus Maryland-Eastern Shore, senior guard Jeremy Crouch scored 25 Dec. 1 versus Southeast Missouri State and junior forward Theron Wilson torched Evansville for 28 points Jan. 19.
? Only 11 other players in The Valley have scored at least 25 this year, no more than two on another team.
MVC 25-Point Scorers
Bradley (4): Jeremy Crouch, Daniel Ruffin, Andrew Warren, Theron Wilson
Creighton (1): Dane Watts
Drake (1): Josh Young
Evansville (2): Shy Ely, Jason Holsinger
Illinois State (2): Levi Dyer, Osiris Eldridge
Indiana State (1): Gabe Moore
Missouri State (2): Dale Lamberth, Deven Mitchell
Southern Illinois: N/A
UNI (1): Eric Coleman
Wichita State (1): P.J. Couisnard
Sharing The Wealth
? Senior point guard Daniel Ruffin leads the Braves with 123 assists this season, while freshman guard Sam Maniscalco (98) and senior guard Jeremy Crouch (88) each are closing in on the century mark themselves.
? Bradley has tracked assists every year since 1965-66 and the 1985-86 campaign is the only season in which the Braves have boasted three players with 100 assists: Jim Les (275), Trevor Trimpe (127) and Hersey Hawkins (104).
Again Without Leading Scorer
? Daniel Ruffin's injury marked the third time in five years Bradley's leading scorer had gone down with an injury heading into the new calendar year.
? During the 2003-04 season, three-time All-MVC guard Phillip Gilbert was averaging 20.2 ppg when he suffered a stress fracture in his foot Dec. 20 at Pepperdine.
? The 2003-04 Braves, who were 7-3 at the time of the injury and went 14-7 on the year in the games Gilbert played, managed just a 1-9 record in the 10 games Gilbert missed.
? Last season, guard Jeremy Crouch was averaging 16.4 ppg when he suffered a sprained right knee toward the end of Bradley's Dec. 30 victory versus Evansville.
? Bradley was 10-4 at the time of Crouch's injury and finished with a 15-7 record in the 22 games he started, but the Braves were a modest 7-6 in the games he was out of the starting lineup.
Rebounds Tell The story
? The stat that appears to be the best predictor for the Braves this season is rebounding.
? After posting a 6-1 record the entire 2006-07 season when winning the rebound fight, Bradley is 14-2 (.875) this year when it pulls down more rebounds than the opposition.
? Conversely, the Braves are 3-11 (.214) when the rebounds are equal (0-2) or they lose the rebound battle all together (3-9).
Chasing 300 Treys, Again
? Bradley became the first Missouri Valley Conference team to make 300 3-pointers in a season by draining 349 in 35 games (10.0 per game) last year.
? Averaging 9.2 treys per date this year, Bradley will need to average to 12.0 treys in its next two games to guarantee consecutive seasons with at least 300 3-pointers.
Media Streaks
541 Consecutive games covered by beat writer Dave Reynolds for the Peoria Journal Star, dating back to the start of the 1990-91 season.
878 Consecutive Bradley Basketball broadcasts Voice of the Braves Dave Snell has participated in on WMBD.
1,498 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 1,498 Bradley men's basketball games since beginning his varsity playing career in 1947.
