Game #25 ? Bradley (14-10, 7-5 MVC) at Illinois State (16-7, 8-4 MVC)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 9, 2008
Tipoff: 7:05 p.m.
Location: Normal, Ill. ? Redbird Arena (10,200)
Radio: WMBD AM 1470 -- Dave Snell, Joe Stowell & Chuck Buescher
TV: WMBD-TV (CBS Peoria 31) -- Kurt Pegler and Bob Morris
Web Audio & Video: www.BradleyBraves.com
Tickets: Sold Out
Coaches: Bradley -- Jim Les (Bradley ?86), Sixth year at Bradley and overall (98-83)
Illinois State -- Tim Jankovich (Kansas State ?82), First year at ISU (16-7) and seventh year overall (119-78)
Interstate 74 Rivalry: Round 2
? At least a share of second place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings will be on the line Saturday when Interstate 74 rivals Bradley and Illinois State clash at Redbird Arena.
? By grabbing its seventh consecutive win overall, Bradley would move into a three-way tie for second in the league standings with the Redbirds and the Creighton/Southern Illinois winner.
? An Illinois State victory, however, would keep the Redbirds alone in second place in The Valley race and would drop Bradley into a tie for fourth in the league standings with the Creighton/Southern Illinois loser and possibly UNI.
? Saturday's game will be the 106th meeting in the all-time series between the Braves and Redbirds, which dates back to a 39-13 Illinois State victory during the 1904-05 season.
Streaking Into Saturday's Rivalry Game
? Bradley will put several streaks on the line Saturday at Illinois State, most-notably a pair of six-game rides.
? The Braves have won a season-best six consecutive games overall and Bradley has won the last six meetings in the rivalry versus Illinois State.
? In addition, Bradley has won five consecutive Valley return games dating back to last season, as well as three straight Valley road games.
About Bradley Basketball
? Bradley ranks 26th in NCAA Division I history with 1,509 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 19 games.
? Utilizing a three-guard attack, Bradley ranked among the national leaders in both 3-point field goals made (seventh, 227) and free throw percentage (11th, .758) through Wednesday's action.
Series Information
Bradley leads 60-45
Current Streak: Bradley W6
at ISU: ISU leads 28-18, 14-5 at Redbird Arena
Jim Les vs. Illinois State: 9-3
Tim Jankovich vs. Bradley: 0-1
Last Meeting: BU 76-75 (Jan. 23, 2008 at BU)
Last ISU win: Feb. 5, 2005 at ISU (69-62)
Bradley-Illinois State Series
? Wednesday's game will be the 106th meeting in the all-time series between Bradley and Illinois State, which dates back to the 1904-05 season.
? Illinois State owns a 28-18 advantage in the games played in Normal, including a 14-5 edge at Redbird Arena.
? Bradley has won six consecutive games in the series and can equal the longest winning streak either team has enjoyed in the series with a victory Saturday.
Bradley-Illinois State Series Winning Streaks
7 Illinois State March 4, 1982-Jan. 26, 1985
7 Bradley Jan. 9, 1926-Jan. 9, 1975
6 Bradley Feb. 23, 2005-Present
6 Bradley March 2, 1985-Feb. 18, 1987
6 Bradley Feb. 21, 1921-Dec. 15, 1923
Recapping The Last Meeting
Bradley won, 76-75, Jan. 23 at Carver Arena
PEORIA, Ill. -- Thanks to some help from junior forward Theron Wilson, Bradley senior point guard Daniel Ruffin made his return to action a triumphant one by contributing 11 points and two assists in 24 minutes off the bench, leading the Braves (10-10, 3-5 MVC) to a 76-75 victory versus Interstate 74 rival Illinois State (14-5, 6-2 MVC) Wednesday night at Carver Arena.
Playing in front of the fourth-largest home crowd (11,421) in Bradley Basketball history, Bradley extended its winning streak in the series to six games, while surviving its third consecutive one-point decision. A quick review of the Bradley record book did not reveal a previous occurrence of three straight one-point decision in Bradley's 104-year men's basketball history.
Wilson's free throw with 8.0 seconds remaining broke the game's 11th tie and after Illinois State's Osiris Eldridge drove the length of the floor and put up a wild shot from the baseline, followed by a Dinma Odiakosa tip, the 6-foot-5 Wilson batted the rebound out to midcourt to end the game.
Illinois State entered the game leading The Valley in 3-point field goal percentage defense, allowing the opposition to shoot just 29.8 percent from behind the arc will surrendering just 4.9 treys per game. The Redbirds defense did not deter the Braves, however, as Bradley drained 13-of-28 (.464) attempts from behind the 3-point line. ISU was just 5-of-19 (.263) from 3-point range. Wilson followed up with his surprising 4-for-5 long-range effort Saturday against Evansville by hitting 4-of-6 Wednesday night against the Redbirds.
Wednesday's clash ended with 11 ties and 11 lead changes. The Redbirds grabbed a game-high eight-point lead, 11-3, in the game's opening minutes, then snared a 54-47 advantage following an Eldridge 3-pointer with 13:05 left in the game. Ruffin ignited an 8-0 Bradley run, however, by draining a deep 3-pointer with 12:58 to go. Crouch capped the run by skinking 1-of-2 free throws with 11:02 left following a technical foul on Richardson. The game featured five technical fouls, three on Illinois State and two against the Braves.
Wilson created the 11th lead change with 1:55 left by making two charity shots for a 74-73 Bradley lead. Ruffin hit 1-of-2 free throws for a 75-73 advantage with 1:15 left, but Richardson converted a tough drive down the lane to knot the score at 75-75 with 47 seconds left. Ruffin forced a tough 3-point shot to beat the shot clock on Bradley's ensuing possession, but Richardson fell to the ground after skying for the rebound and was called for a travel, giving the Braves an opportunity for the last possession with 12.5 seconds to go and setting the stage for Wilson's deciding free throw.
Strong Returns
? By knocking off Missouri State, 83-71, Wednesday Bradley improved to 4-0 in its Valley return games this season.
? Bradley has won the second matchup of the season five straight times going back to last year's regular-season finale versus Indiana State, a 74-58 win.
? Starting with Bradley's 71-59 win at Illinois State Feb. 11, 2006, the Braves boast a 13-4 record in the season's second matchup against their Valley rivals.
? Not only has Bradley won its last five Valley return games, but the Braves have done so in convincing fashion, winning by an average of 10.4 points per game in the season's second matchup.
Looking Ahead
? Bradley will visit Indiana State Tuesday in a 6 p.m. game that will be televised throughout Central Illinois by Comcast (Peoria 44) and shared with Mediacom.
? The Braves will return home to host Creighton Saturday afternoon (1:05 p.m.) for a “Redout” game -- Bradley will distribute red t-shirts to everyone in attendance.
February Record
? By knocking off Missouri State Wednesday night, Bradley now boasts the best February record, 13-4, in The Valley during the last three seasons.
Valley Schedule Toughens
? The final third of Bradley's 18-game Valley schedule shapes up as the toughest.
? Five of Bradley's final six league games will be played against the teams that enter the weekend either tied with Bradley or ahead of the Braves in the Valley standings.
? In addition to Saturday's game at Illinois State, Bradley still must visit #15 Drake and Creighton and host the Bluejays and Southern Illinois.
? The sixth game, Tuesday's visit to Indiana State, will be played against a Sycamores team that is 9-1 at home.
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 1509-984 all-time record.
Ruffin Makes History, Too
? Having helped Bradley to 66 of its 1,509 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 571 career assists, Ruffin is the fourth player in Missouri Valley Conference history, and he was the first of the nation's seven active players, to score at least 1,000 career points and dish out at least 500 career assists.
? Ruffin needs just 29 assists to become the second player in school and MVC history to record 1,100 points and 600 assists.
The Ruffin Factor
? Including a 5-0 record since his return, the Braves are 11-3 in the 14 games they have played with a healthy Daniel Ruffin: their 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 14 games with a healthy Ruffin, Bradley has averaged 74.6 ppg while shooting 46.4 percent from the field and the Braves have a positive assists-to-turnover (243-228) ratio and turnover (228-241) margin.
? In the 10 games Ruffin was either injured or unavailable, Bradley averaged 68.3 ppg on 39.7 percent shooting from the field while also suffering a negative assist-to-turnover (142-145) ratio and turnover margin (145-137).
? Perhaps the most-telling statistic regarding Ruffin's injury: 10-of-11 Braves boast a better field goal percentage in the 14 games with a healthy Ruffin compared to the 10 games he was injured or unavailable:
The Last Time Out
Wednesday: at Bradley 83, Missouri State 71
? Senior guard Daniel Ruffin scored a career-best 25 points and dished out a game-high seven assists, leading Bradley to its sixth consecutive win.
? Bradley hit Missouri State with 14-4 runs to open both halves and the Braves led by as many as 29 points, 50-21, with 15:25 left in the game.
? Both teams struggled with from the floor in the first half, but while Bradley's 8-for-27 (.296) effort was only slightly better than Missouri State's 7-for-26 (.269) percentage, the Braves forced MSU into 15 first-half turnovers.
? Benefitting from 11 total steals, Bradley ended the game with a 20-9 advantage in points off turnovers.
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., started Bradley's first 19 games.
? Wilson is the second-leading scorer (10.1 ppg) and rebounder (6.2 rpg) among Valley newcomers.
? Freshman point guard Sam Maniscalco stepped into the starting lineup to replace the injured Daniel Ruffin and averaged 11.6 ppg and 5.2 apg in his nine starts.
Offensive Backcourt
? A large portion of Bradley's offensive attack comes from its backcourt rotation.
? The five-man rotation of Daniel Ruffin (14.4 ppg), Jeremy Crouch (14.0 ppg), Andrew Warren (13.1), Sam Maniscalco (7.6) and Tyrone Cole-Scott (3.4) combine for 47.9 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 22 of 24 games this year.
1,000-Point Teammates
? For just the fourth time in program history, Bradley's roster features two players who have reached the 1,000-Point milestone in the same season.
? Senior point guard Daniel Ruffin (1,117 points) has climbed to 30th on the school's all-time scoring list and senior guard Jeremy Crouch (1,042) has climbed to 39th on the list.
? Two Bradley teammates had not joined the 1,000-Point Club in the same season since Donald Reese (1,113) and David Thirdkill (1,261) both hit the mark during the 1981-82 NIT championship season.
? In addition, Billy Mann (1,128) and Charles Grover (1,054) joined the club together in 1950-51, while Eddie Jackson (1,178) and Ernie Thompson (1,032) joined the club together in 1965-66.
The 25-Point Club
? When senior guard Daniel Ruffin scored a career-best 25 points Wednesday versus Missouri State, he became the fourth Brave to score at least 25 points in a game this season.
? 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 seven 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 (0): N/A
Evansville (2): Shy Ely, Jason Holsinger
Illinois State (2): Levi Dyer, Osiris Eldridge
Indiana State: N/A
Missouri State (2): Dale Lamberth, Deven Mitchell
Southern Illinois: N/A
UNI (0): N/A
Wichita State (0): N/A
Again Without Leading Scorer
? 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.
Milestone Watch
90 Aaron Zobrist's school record for 3-pointers in a season ... Senior guard Jeremy Crouch has 71 treys so far this season and by averaging 3.0 per game, he is on pace to break Zobrist's mark during the March 1 game at Creighton.
100 Sixth-year head coach Jim Les enters Saturday's game versus Illinois State with 98 career wins ... Les needs two more wins to become the seventh coach in program history to win 100 games at Bradley.
233 Aaron Zobrist's school record for 3-pointers in a career ... Senior guard Jeremy Crouch has 215 career treys and also is on pace to break Zobrist's career mark during the March 1 game at Creighton.
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 (688) -- for 1,492 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 2,493 games in its 104-year men's basketball history ... The March 1 game at Creighton will be the 2,500th in program history.
About the Streaks
Six-Game Overall Winning Streak: Bradley's current six-game winning streak is the team's longest since a seven-game ride carried the Braves to the championship game of the 2006 State Farm MVC Tournament.
Six-Game MVC Winning Streak: Bradley's current six-game Valley winning streak is its longest since a seven-game streak to end the 1996-97 regular season.
Five-Game MVC Return Streak: Bradley's current streak of five consecutive wins in the second games of its MVC return matchups is the longest since a similar five-game streak that spanned the final four return games of 2005-06 and the first return game of the 2006-07 campaign ... Bradley has not won six straight MVC return games since six games in its 1996-97 seven-game overall winning streak were return matchups.
Three-Game MVC Road Streak: Bradley's three-game Valley road winning streak is its longest since the seven-game overall streak in 1996-97 included three road games ... The Braves have not won four straight road games, regardless of conference affiliation, since the final four road games of the 1987-88 season.
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 by Daniel Ruffin's 25-point effort Wednesday versus Missouri State, 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 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 38 consecutive games.
? With 21 points, Andrews was the outright team scoring leader Jan. 20, 2007 at Wichita State.
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 12-2 this year when it pulls down more rebounds than the opposition.
? Conversely, the Braves are 2-8 (.200) when the rebounds are equal (0-2) or they lose the rebound battle all together (2-6).
Getting Defensive
? Bradley has turned up the defensive pressure in the last four games, holding Wichita State (54), Indiana State (44), Evansville (59) and Missouri State (71) to an average of 57.0 points per game.
? The last four opponents have combined to shoot 37.4 percent (80-214) from the field, including just 28.6 percent (22-77) from 3-point range.
? Bradley also has made 35 steals in the last four games, an average of 8.8 thefts per game.
On Pace for 300
? 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.
? Through Wednesday's action Bradley ranked seventh nationally with 227 triples and the Braves are averaging 9.5 3-pointers per game this season.
? Bradley will need to average 9.1 treys during its next eight games to guarantee consecutive seasons with at least 300 3-pointers.
Media Streaks
535 Consecutive games covered by beat writer Dave Reynolds for the Peoria Journal Star, dating back to the start of the 1990-91 season.
872 Consecutive Bradley Basketball broadcasts Voice of the Braves Dave Snell has participated in on WMBD.
1,492 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 1,492 Bradley men's basketball games since beginning his varsity playing career in 1947.
