Inaugural College Basketball Invitational
Game #33 ? Cincinnati (13-18, 8-10 Big East) at Bradley (17-15, 9-9 MVC)
Date: Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Tipoff: 6 p.m.
Location: Peoria, Ill. ? Carver Arena (11,164)
Radio: WMBD AM 1470 -- Dave Snell, Joe Stowell & Chuck Buescher
TV: Fox College Sports
Web Audio: Not Available
Tickets: $9-30, based on location
Coaches:
Bradley -- Jim Les (Bradley ?86), Sixth year at Bradley and overall (101-88)
Cincinnati -- Mick Cronin (Cincinnati ?98), Second year at Cincinnati (24-37) and fifth year overall (93-61)
Inaugural CBI
? Bradley will host one-time Missouri Valley Conference rival Cincinnati in the first round of the inaugural College Basketball Invitational Wednesday night at Carver Arena.
? Bradley now has been invited to participate in the inaugural offerings of five national men's basketball postseason tournaments: 1938 National Invitation Tournament, 1939 NCAA Tournament, 1951 National Campus Tournament, 1974 Commissioner's Classic and 2008 CBI.
? The Braves, however, turned down their 1939 bid to the NCAA Tournament in favor of a return trip to Madison Square Garden for the second NIT.
? The winner of the Bradley/Cincinnati game will play the winner of Tuesday's Ohio/Brown contest March 24. Game time and site to be determined.
Lineup In Tact
? For the first time in more than a month, Bradley is expected to have its lineup complete in tact for Wednesday's CBI opener versus Cincinnati.
? Sophomore guard Andrew Warren, the team's third-leading scorer at 13.1 ppg, has missed the last five games with a broken left hand and freshman forward Will Egolf missed the last six games with a sprained foot.
? In addition, senior point guard Daniel Ruffin, the second player in MVC history to score 1,200 career points and dish out 600 assists, has missed nine games this year due to injury and suspension, but all three players are expected to be available Wednesday night.
? Bradley is 12-5 (.706) this season in the 17 games when both Ruffin and Warren have been at full strength.
About The Braves
? Bradley played short-handed for a substantial portion of The Valley season, playing without at least one regular starter for 11 of the 18 league games, but the Braves are expected to be at full strength for the start of the CBI.
? Despite the continued shuffling of the lineup down the stretch, Bradley overcame a 1-5 start in the league race by winning nine of its last 13 regular-season games, including wins at Drake and at home versus Illinois State and Creighton.
? Despite often playing without some of its top scoring threats, Bradley leads The Valley in scoring at 73.3 points per game and the Braves rank among the national leaders in 3-point shooting by averaging 9.2 treys per game.
? The Braves are led by a pair of senior guards: Jeremy Crouch leads the team in scoring at 15.5 ppg and leads the MVC with 101 3-pointers this season, while point guard Daniel Ruffin chips in 14.8 ppg and 5.8 apg.
Series Information
Cincinnati Leads 19-13
Current Streak: Cincinnati W3
at BU: BU leads 10-5, 1st meeting at Carver Arena
Jim Les vs. Cincinnati: First Meeting
Mick Cronin vs. Bradley: First Meeting
Last Meeting: Cincy 75-73, 7 OT (12/21/81 at BU)
Last BU Win: March 3, 1970 at BU (87-83)
Series Notes
? Wednesday's game will be the 33rd meeting in the all-time series between Bradley and Cincinnati and the Bearcats own a 19-13 series record.
? The series dates back to a 96-76 Cincinnati win Dec. 4, 1954 at Robertson Fieldhouse.
? The teams played 27 games as Missouri Valley Conference rivals from 1957 through 1970.
? Cincinnati finished first and Bradley second in The Valley standings six times from 1958 and 1966, including five straight years from 1958 through 1962.
? Cincinnati has won the last three meetings as non-conference competitors, most recently an epic 75-73 decision in seven overtimes Dec. 21, 1981 at Robertson Fieldhouse.
Longest Game in NCAA History
Cincinnati 75, at Bradley 73 ? 7 OT ? 12/21/81
? Bradley and Cincinnati played what remains the longest game in NCAA history Dec. 21, 1981 at Robertson Fieldhouse when the Bearcats survived a seven overtime affair, 75-73.
? By each playing 73 of the game's 75 possible minutes, Bradley's Donald Reese and Cincinnati's Bobby Austin share the NCAA record for minutes played in a single game.
? Cincinnati center Mike Williams enjoyed his 63 minutes in Peoria so much that he eventually transferred to Bradley, scoring 843 points for the Braves from 1984 to 1986 and earning second-team All-MVC honors as a senior during Bradley's magical 1985-86 season.
Another Epic Battle
at #4 Bradley 91, #1 Cincinnati 90 ? 1/16/60
? Bradley's 91-90 victory versus top-ranked Cincinnati Jan. 16, 1960 at Robertson Fieldhouse was voted the Greatest Game in Bradley Basketball History by a vote of fans during the school's celebration of its first 100 years of basketball throughout the 2002-03 season.
? That 91-90 victory remains Bradley's only win against the top-ranked team in the country and it made Bearcats legend Oscar Robertson 0-for-3 in his games on the raised floor at Robertson Fieldhouse.
? The 1960 loss should not be blamed on Robertson, however, as The Big O poured in an arena record 46 points and added 10 rebounds for Cincinnati.
? Bradley countered with 28 points and 12 rebounds from All-American Chet Walker, as well as 22 points and nine boards by Al Saunders and 21 points from future Harlem Globetrotter Bobby Joe Mason.
Bradley's Postseason History
? Bradley is making its 33rd overall postseason appearance in its sixth different tournament.
? In addition to making eight NCAA Tournament appearances and 21 showings in the NIT, Bradley also has played in the 1930 National AAU Tournament, the 1951 National Campus Tournament and the 1974 Commissioner's Classic.
? Bradley boasts an overall 41-29 (.586) postseason record.
22 Wins & A Postseason Victory
? Bradley is one of 14 teams in the country to win at least 22 games in each of the previous two seasons while also earning at least one postseason victory.
? The Braves went 22-11 in 2005-06, capped by a run to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
? Bradley followed with a 22-13 mark last season and advanced to the second round of the MasterCard NIT.
? In order to continue the streak for a third consecutive season, Bradley will need to win the 2008 CBI.
On The Mend
? Bradley has had to fight through injuries to two of the team's three leading scorers, but both players will be available for the CBI.
? Bradley owns a 12-5 (.706) record this season when both senior point guard Daniel Ruffin and sophomore guard Andrew Warren are at full strength (shaded areas in schedule to the right).
? Ruffin (14.8 ppg), a preseason candidate for the Bob Cousy Point Guard-of-the-Year Award and one of two players in the country with more than 600 career assists, was at less than full strength for three mid-December games (1-2) while trying to play through a strained abdominal muscle.
? After re-aggravating the injury in the first half of the Dec. 22 game versus VCU, Ruffin ultimately underwent surgery Dec. 28 to repair a sports hernia and he missed the first seven games (2-5) of the Missouri Valley Conference season.
? Bradley won six straight and 7-of-9 after Ruffin's return, only to see its third-leading scorer, Warren (13.1 ppg), go down with a broken bone in his left hand during the second half of the Feb. 16 rout of Creighton.
? Warren has missed the last five games (2-3), but he has resumed practice and will be available for the postseason.
Strong Finish
? Bradley won nine of its last 13 regular-season games.
? The Braves earned the season's only win for a visiting team at nationally-ranked Drake, downing the then No. 16 Bulldogs, 72-71, Feb. 19.
? The strong finish began with a 76-75 win against Valley runner-up Illinois State and included an 87-59 romp versus NIT qualifier Creighton.
? Even a loss in the regular-season finale proved noteworthy, as the Braves dropped a 111-110, double-overtime thriller on Senior Night at Creighton in what proved to be the fourth-highest scoring league game in the 101-year history of The Valley.
Strength of Schedule
? Bradley has played seven games against RPI Top 60 teams at less than full strength, due to injuries to Daniel Ruffin and Andrew Warren.
? Bradley's strength of schedule is ranked 72nd nationally, giving the Braves a schedule ranked among the top 21 percent in the country.
Loyal Fan Base
? Bradley has averaged 10,115 fans to its 16 home games this season.
? The average attendance is second all-time in Bradley Basketball history, trailing only the norm of 10,178 fans per game during the 1999-2000 season.
? The total of 161,839 fans for the 16 home games also is the second-best mark in school history, behind only the total of 165,376 in 17 home games last year.
? Bradley needs to draw just 3,538 Wednesday night to set the single-season record for total home attendance, but will need to attract at least 8,161 to maintain an average attendance of better than 10,000.
Strength of the Valley
? The Missouri Valley Conference has put at least five teams in the postseason for the third time in the last four seasons.
? In addition to Drake's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, Creighton, Illinois State and Southern Illinois all received home games in the NIT.
? After Bradley and Wichita State both advanced to the 2006 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, Southern Illinois reached the third round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament, while Bradley played in the 2007 NIT Sweet 16.
? The Valley is eighth among the 31 NCAA Division I conferences in the league RPI rankings.
Valley Leaders
? Bradley leads The Valley in scoring (73.3 ppg), 3-point field goals per game (9.22 3FGM/gm), assists (15.81 apg) and steals (7.72 spg).
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 (11.4 ppg), rebounding (6.4 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 48 3-pointers.
Offensive Backcourt
? A large portion of Bradley's offensive attack comes from its backcourt rotation.
? The five-man rotation of Jeremy Crouch (15.5 ppg), Daniel Ruffin (14.82 ppg), Andrew Warren (13.1), Sam Maniscalco (7.8) and Tyrone Cole-Scott (3.8) combine for 48.1 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 29 of 32 games this year.
Milestone Watch
1 Senior guard Jeremy Crouch needs one steal to become the fifth Brave in the 30 years Bradley has tracked steals to accumulate 400 points (496), 100 rebounds (119), 75 assists (97) and 50 steals (49) in a single-season (see below for more info).
2 Freshman guard Sam Maniscalco needs two 3-pointers to become the first freshman in school history to make 50 treys in a season.
3 Senior guard Jeremy Crouch needs three assists to reach 100 dimes on the year. Daniel Ruffin (133) and Sam Maniscalco (105) already have dished 100 assists this year and the only other season in which Bradley has had three players with 100 assists was 1985-86.
4 If Jeremy Crouch can couple four points with three assists and one steal (both detailed above), he will join Hersey Hawkins as the only players in school history to achieve 500 points, 100 rebounds, 100 assists and 50 steals in a single season.
5 The only Valley team to ever make 300 3-pointers in a season with 349 last year, Bradley enters the CBI with 295 treys this year.
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.
? Second among the nation's active leaders with 608 career assists, Ruffin is 26th in school history with 1,212 points, making him the second player in Missouri Valley Conference history to score at least 1,200 career points and dish out at least 600 career assists.
All-Around Bradley Seasons
? Senior guard Jeremy Crouch is producing one of the finest all-around seasons ever by a Brave.
? In the 30 years since Bradley began tracking steals, only four individuals have scored 400 points, snared 100 rebounds, dished 75 assists and made 50 steals in the same season.
? No other player in The Valley appears to be on track to have a shot at hitting all four milestones this year.
All-Around Valley Seasons
? Senior guard Jeremy Crouch also has a chance to join an exclusive Missouri Valley Conference club for all-around great seasons.
? Crouch needs four points, three assists and one steal to join Hersey Hawkins as the only Bradley players to reach 500 points, 100 rebounds, 100 assists and 50 steals in the same season.
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 10-6 regular-season record this year, Bradley now owns a 281-91 (.755) all-time mark at Carver Arena.
? In his sixth season as Bradley head coach, Jim Les owns a 67-24 (.736) home record.
Bradley's NIT Home Crowds
Rk. Att. Opponent Date
1. 9,940 Old Dominion 3/22/94
2. 8,863 Canisius 3/20/95
3. 8,304 Providence 3/14/07
4. 8,277 Drexel 3/12/97
5. 8,095 Eastern Michigan 3/16/95
6. 7,764 Murray State 3/16/94
7. 7,428 Butler 3/10/99
8. 7,300 Tulane 3/18/82
7,300 American 3/11/82
10. 6,506 Detroit 3/14/01
Scoring Big
? Junior forward Theron Wilson scored a career-best 28 points Jan. 19 versus Evansville to become the only non-guard to lead the Braves in scoring this year.
? In a streak extended when Wilson scored 21 points versus Creighton in the quarterfinals of the State Farm MVC Tournament, 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 last season when Franklin shared game-high honors, seven different Braves standing no taller than 6-foot-5 have led the team in scoring in 46 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 13 other players in The Valley have scored at least 25 this year, no more than three on another team.
Sharing the Wealth
? Senior point guard Daniel Ruffin leads the Braves with 133 assists this season, while freshman guard Sam Maniscalco (105) has joined him with more than100 assists.
? Senior guard Jeremy Crouch (97) is closing in on the century mark himself.
? 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.
Winning The Tight Ones
? Despite the 111-110, double-overtime loss at Creighton in the regular-season finale, Bradley owns a 5-2 (.714) record in games decided by one possession (three points or less at the end of regulation) this season.
? Including a 2-1 record in overtime games, Bradley is 10-4 (.714) the last two years in games when the teams have been separated by three points or less at the end of regulation.
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 14-3 (.824) this year when it pulls down more rebounds than the opposition.
? Conversely, the Braves are 3-12 (.200) when the rebounds are equal (0-2) or they lose the rebound battle all together (3-10).
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.
? With 295 treys in the 32 games to date (9.2 3FGM/gm), Bradley needs five more to hit the 300 mark again this season.
Media Streaks
543 Consecutive games covered by beat writer Dave Reynolds for the Peoria Journal Star, dating back to the start of the 1990-91 season.
880 Consecutive Bradley Basketball broadcasts Voice of the Braves Dave Snell has participated in on WMBD.
1,500 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 1,500 Bradley men's basketball games since beginning his varsity playing career in 1947.
