2008 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament
Game #32 ? Bradley (17-14, 9-9 MVC) vs. Creighton (20-9, 10-8 MVC)
Date: Friday, March 7, 2008
Tipoff: 2:35 p.m.
Location: St. Louis, Mo. ? Scottrade Center
Radio: WMBD AM 1470 -- Dave Snell, Joe Stowell & Chuck Buescher
TV: MVC-TV ? Dan McLaughlin and Mac McCausland
Web Audio: www.BradleyBraves.com
Tickets: $100 all-session or $28 single-session available at the Scottrade Center or TicketMaster.com
Coaches:
Bradley -- Jim Les (Bradley ?86), Sixth year at Bradley and overall (101-87)
Creighton -- Dana Altman (E. New Mexico ?80), 19th year overall (363-217) and 14th year at CU (280-150)
Arch Madness Encore
? After battling through the highest-scoring league game since 1984 in Saturday's regular-season finale in Omaha, Bradley and Creighton will meet again in Friday's second quarterfinal game of the 2008 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
? The teams split their 2007-08 regular-season series: Bradley took the opener in convincing fashion, 87-59, Feb. 16 in Peoria before Creighton survived Saturday's 111-110, double-overtime thriller on Senior Night Saturday at the Qwest Center.
? The 221 combined points last Saturday were the most in a Valley game since Tulsa's 126-102 win versus Indiana State in 1984.
Familiar Foes
? Bradley and Creighton will battle for the third time in six games when they square in the quarterfinals of the State Farm MVC Tournament Friday afternoon.
? Coming off the epic regular-season finale, Bradley will be facing the same team in its regular-season finale and MVC Tournament opener for just the fifth time in the 32-year history of the event.
? Bradley is 3-1 in its previous immediate tournament return games, but that one loss was at Creighton in 1984.
About The Braves
? Bradley has 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, and the Braves are expected to be without its third-leading scorer, sophomore guard Andrew Warren (13.1 ppg), due to a broken left hand during the 2008 State Farm MVC Tournament.
? 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 games, including wins at Drake and at home versus Illinois State and Creighton.
? Despite often playing without some of its top scoring threats, Bradley led The Valley in scoring, both overall (73.4 ppg) and in league play (72.4 ppg).
? Utilizing a three-guard attack, Bradley leads The Valley with 9.35 3-point field goals per game and the Braves began the week ranked sixth nationally with 290 treys.
Bradley-Creighton Series
? Friday's game will be the 76th 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 39-36 lead in the all-time series, including a 4-2 advantage in MVC Tournament action.
? Despite Bradley's overall series lead, Creighton has won three of the last four meetings and 12 of the last 15 meetings.
? One of Bradley's three most-recent wins, however, came in the last tournament games between the two teams, a 54-47 victory as the fifth seed versus the fourth-seeded Bluejays in the quarterfinals of the 2006 State Farm MVC Tournament.
Series Information
Bradley leads 39-36
Current Streak: Creighton W1
MVC Tournament: BU leads 4-2, 2-1 in St. Louis
Jim Les vs. Creighton: 3-10, 1-0 in MVC Tourney
Dana Altman vs. Bradley: 17-13, 1-2 in MVC Tour.
Last Meeting: CU 111-110, 2OT (March 1 at Creighton)
Last MVC Tour.: BU 54-47 (3/3/06 in Quarterfinals)
Repeat Performances
Year Opponent Finale Tournament
1983 Drake W, 62-61 (H) W, 63-53 (H)
1984 Creighton W, 67-61 (H) L, 40-50 (A)
1997 Drake W, 67-60 (A) W, 66-47 (N)
1999 S. Illinois W, 58-56 (H) W, 62-59 (N)
2008 Creighton L, 110-111 (A) TBA
Recapping the Season Series
Feb. 16 ? 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 75-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 pulled to within 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 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.
March 1 ? at Creighton 111, Bradley 110 ? 2OT
? Creighton survived the highest-scoring Valley game since 1984 in the regular-season finale.
? While the Braves were paced by a trio of 20-point scorers -- Daniel Ruffin (30), Jeremy Crouch (29) and Theron Wilson (24) -- Creighton benefitted from a monumental performance from sophomore reserve guard Cavel Witter, who poured in a Valley season-high 42 points.
? Bradley once again got off to a fast start by scoring the game's first nine points and the Braves led by as many as 12 points midway through the first half.
? Nick Bahe's 3-pointer at the buzzer, however, gave Creighton a 41-34 halftime lead and the Bluejays stretched their advantage to a game-high 17 points with 14:55 remaining in regulation.
? Bradley countered with a 12-0 run to get back in the game and scored on 11 consecutive possessions to ultimately forge an 84-84 tie at the end of regulation.
? Wilson was called for a charge at the buzzer to end regulation and Bradley got off open looks at the end of each overtime.
Milestone Game for Stowell
? Bradley Hall-of-Famer Joe Stowell has held an official capacity -- player (103 games), assistant coach (250), head coach (344), assistant athletic director (107) and radio analyst (695) -- for 1,499 Bradley men's basketball games dating back to 1947.
? Stowell will work his 1,500th Bradley game when the Braves face Creighton Friday afternoon.
And Milestone Watch for Crouch
? Senior guard Jeremy Crouch needs one steal to become the fifth player in school history to achieve 400 points (481), 100 rebounds (118), 75 assists (94) and 50 steals (49) in a season -- see page 10.
? Crouch needs 19 points, six assists and that steal to join Bradley legend Hersey Hawkins as the only players in school history to reach 500 points, 100 rebounds, 100 assists and 50 steals.
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.
Player, Year 400 Pts. 100 Reb. 75 A 50 S
Jeremy Crouch, 2007-08 481 118 94 49
James Gillingham, 2003-04 452 114 82 58
James Gillingham, 2002-03 450 123 98 61
Rob Dye, 1999-00 498 102 84 59
Rob Dye, 1998-99 504 125 84 79
Hersey Hawkins, 1987-88 1125 241 111 82
Hersey Hawkins, 1986-87 788 195 103 59
Hersey Hawkins, 1985-86 656 200 104 66
Mitchell Anderson, 1981-82 591 275 76 50
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 19 points, six 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.
Player, Year 500 Pts 100 Reb. 100 A 50 S
Jeremy Crouch, Bradley, 2007-08 481 118 94 49
Kyle Korver, Creighton, 2002-03 604 217 104 50
Shea Seals, Tulsa, 1994-95 601 222 127 52
Hersey Hawkins, Bradley, 1987-88 1125 241 111 82
Rod Mason, Creighton, 1987-88 651 141 109 51
Hersey Hawkins, Bradley, 1986-87 788 195 103 59
Hersey Hawkins, Bradley, 1985-86 656 200 104 66
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 four games and his status for the postseason remains questionable.
? Bradley managed only a 3-7 record with Ruffin either hurt (1-2) or out of action following his surgery (2-5).
? Although the Braves are 2-2 without Warren, they did knock off #16 Drake, 72-71, Feb. 19 in Des Moines without their third starting guard.
The Ruffin Factor
? Including a 7-3 record since his return, the Braves are 13-6 in the 19 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 19 games with a healthy Ruffin, Bradley has averaged 76.2 ppg while shooting 45.8 percent from the field and the Braves have a positive assists-to-turnover (324-293) ratio and turnover (293-311) 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 19 games with a healthy Ruffin compared to the 12 games he has been injured or unavailable:
Player Healthy Ruffin Injured/Out
Rashad Austin .630 .500
Tyrone Cole-Scott .345 .290
David Collins .711 .429
Jeremy Crouch .456 .385
Will Egolf .400 .200
Sam Maniscalco .390 .407
Ryan Phillips 1.000 .000
Matt Salley .484 .472
Sam Singh .622 .600
Andrew Warren .456 .370
Theron Wilson .453 .506
The Ruffin Comparison
Healthy Stat Injured/Out
13-6 (.684) Overall Record 4-8 (.333)
7-3 MVC (.700) Conf. Record 2-6 MVC (.250)
76.2 Points/gm 68.9
69.1 Pts. Allowed/gm 74.9
45.8% FG% 40.9%
43.9% FG% Defense 46.6%
39.8% 3FG% 36.3%
33.0% 3FG% Defense 40.0%
9.6 3FG/gm 8.9
5.9 3FG Allowed/gm 6.8
73.1% FT% 77.6%
69.6% FT% Defense 74.1%
34.7 Rebounds/gm 31.7
+1.2 Rebound margin -3.5
17.1 Assists/gm 13.8
15.4 Turnovers/gm 14.3
16.4 Turnovers Forced/gm 13.3
2.5 Blocked Shots/gm 2.4
8.9 Steals/gm 6.2
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 605 career assists, Ruffin is 26th in school history with 1,206 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.
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- 1,206 605
1,200-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 year.
? Senior point guard Daniel Ruffin (1,206 points) has climbed to 26th on the school's scoring list, trailed immediately by senior guard Jeremy Crouch (1,187) in the 27th spot.
? If Crouch scores 13 more points, the current duo will become the third in school history to each reach 1,200 points in the same season.
? Most recenlty, junior Anthony Parker (1,335) joined Deon Jackson (1,491) in the 1,200-Point Club during the 1995-96 season.
? Jim Caruthers (1,425) and Greg Smith (1,215) were the first Bradley teammates to hit 1,200 points each in the same season in 1975-76.
Strong Finish
? Despite back-to-back losses to end the regular season, Bradley still have recovered from a 1-5 start in the MVC race by winning nine of its last 13 games.
? Bradley's strong finish, which included a road win Feb. 18 at #16 Drake (72-71), a home win Jan. 23 versus league runner-up Illinois State (76-75) and a home rout of No. 4 seed Creighton (87-59) Feb. 16, helped the Braves earn the No. 5 seed for this week's State Farm MVC Tournament.
? The last time Bradley earned the No. 5 seed, the Braves advanced to the championship game of the 2006 MVC Tournament.
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 (11.1 ppg), rebounding (6.3 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 (7.7 ppg).
? Maniscalco also leads all MVC newcomers with 3.2 assists per game and 47 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 (15.2 ppg), Andrew Warren (13.1), Sam Maniscalco (7.7) and Tyrone Cole-Scott (3.8) combine for 48.7 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 31 games this year.
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 Daniel Ruffin scored 30 points Saturday at Creighton, 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 45 consecutive games.
Player Height Scoring Leader
Tyrone Cole-Scott 5-foot-10 1
Jeremy Crouch 6-foot-5 16
Will Franklin 6-foot-0 5
Daniel Ruffin 5-foot-10 13
J.J. Tauai 6-foot-3 1
Andrew Warren 6-foot-5 8
Theron Wilson 6-foot-5 3
? 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.
MVC 25-Point Scorers
Bradley (4): Jeremy Crouch, Daniel Ruffin, Andrew Warren, Theron Wilson
Creighton (2): Dane Watts, Cavel Witter
Drake (1): Josh Young
Evansville (3): Shy Ely, Jason Holsinger, Darin Granger
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 130 assists this season, while freshman guard Sam Maniscalco (100) has joined him with 100 assists.
? Senior guard Jeremy Crouch (94) 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 Saturday's 111-110, double-overtime loss at Creighton, 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 3-11 (.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.
? With 290 treys in the 31 regular-season games (9.4 3FGM/gm), Bradley needs 10 more to hit the 300 mark again this season.
Media Streaks
542 Consecutive games covered by beat writer Dave Reynolds for the Peoria Journal Star, dating back to the start of the 1990-91 season.
879 Consecutive Bradley Basketball broadcasts Voice of the Braves Dave Snell has participated in on WMBD.
1,499 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 1,499 Bradley men's basketball games since beginning his varsity playing career in 1947.
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 (481), 100 rebounds (118), 75 assists (94) and 50 steals (49) in a single-season (see page 11 for more info).
1 With 47 3-pointers this season Sam Maniscalco has tied Anthony Parker's 1993-94 school record for the most 3-pointers made by a Bradley freshman and needs one more trey to claim the record outright.
2 With a school-record 98 treys this year, senior guard Jeremy Crouch needs just two 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).
6 Senior guard Jeremy Crouch needs six assists to reach 100 dimes on the year. Daniel Ruffin (130) and Sam Maniscalco (100) 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.
10 The only Valley team to ever make 300 3-pointers in a season with 349 last year, Bradley enters the State Farm MVC Tournament with 290 treys this year.
13 Currently 27th on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,187 points, senior guard Jeremy Crouch needs 13 points to reach 1,200 for his career.
19 If Jeremy Crouch can couple 19 points with six 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.
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 (695) -- for 1,499 Bradley men's basketball games ... Stowell will work his 1,500th Bradley game when the Braves open play in the 2008 State Farm MVC Tournament.
