Game 17 ? Bradley Braves (10-6) at Indiana State (4-12) ? Jan. 13, 2009 ? 6:05 p.m. ? Terre Haute, Ind. ? Hulman Center
Bradley Starts Three-Game Road Swing at Indiana State
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. ? Beginning the week tied for first in the Missouri Valley Conference standings, the Bradley men's basketball team will return to road for three straight games, beginning with a Tuesday night visit to Indiana State. The Braves have won two straight Valley road games and will be attempting for three straight MVC road wins to start the season for the first time since 1993-94. Tuesday's game will be televised throughout Central Illinois by Comcast (74) and Mediacom (78).
Game Information
TV: WTWO (Jason Pensky, Jim Waugh) -- Carried by Comcast (74) in Peoria
Radio: 1470 WMBD (Dave Snell and Chuck Buescher)
Video Stream: BradleyBraves.com
Live Stats: GoSycamores.com
Tickets: Available ($12-25)
Series: Bradley leads 45-24
Last: Indiana State, 76-66 -- Feb. 12, 2008 at Indiana State
Bradley Braves
2008-09 Record: 10-6
Missouri Valley: 4-1
Head Coach: Jim Les (Bradley '86)
Career: 115-96 (7th year)
at Bradley: Same
Website: www.BradleyBraves.com
Indiana State Sycamores
2008-09 Record: 4-12
Missouri Valley: 2-3
Head Coach: Kevin McKenna (Creighton '93)
Career: 108-61 (6th year)
at Indiana State: 19-28 (2nd year)
Website: www.gosycamores.com
Starting Five
? Beginning the week tied for first in the Missouri Valley Conference standings, Bradley begins a three-game road swing Tuesday by visiting Indiana State.
? The Braves are 2-0 on the Valley road so far this year and have won six of their last nine, as well as 10 of their last 18, conference road tilts.
? Bradley has not won its first three Valley road games of a season since the 1993-94 Braves played, and won, their first three league games away from home.
? Tuesday's game will be the 70th meeting in the all-time series against Indiana State and the Braves own a 45-24 record against the Sycamores.
? Bradley is 16-16 all-time against the Sycamores at the Hulman Center.
105th Season
? Now in its 105th men's basketball season, Bradley ranks 26th in NCAA Division I history with 1,526 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.
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 789 3-pointers the last three years and finish among the two highest-scoring teams in The Valley 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.
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, both of whom have missed games this season due to injury.
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.
Winning In The Valley
? Bradley is third in The Valley with 75 victories the last four years, just two behind leader Creighton.
? Bradley is the only Valley squad to win at least 21 games each of the previous three seasons.
Team Total ?08-09 ?07-08 ?06-07 ?05-06
Creighton 77 13 22 22 20
S. Illinois 76 7 18 29 22
Bradley 75 10 21 22 22
Drake 70 13 28 17 12
UNI 69 10 18 18 23
Missouri St. 68 7 17 22 22
Wichita St. 60 6 11 17 26
Illinois St. 53 14 25 15 9
Indiana St. 45 4 15 13 13
Evansville 44 11 9 14 10
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), will not play 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 underwent season-ending surgery Dec. 18.
? Senior center Sam Singh suffered a broken nose Dec. 14 and missed the next two games after undergoing corrective surgery Dec. 17.
? The injury losses left the Braves with just three returning scholarship players during Singh's absence and Singh is now the only scholarship player with more than one full season of experience in the program.
Newcomer Impact
? With junior guard Andrew Warren (foot) and sophomore forward Will Egolf (knee) unavailable, Bradley's rotation now features six newcomers and four returning players.
? The six newcomers -- Chris Roberts (27.7), Dodie Dunson (27.3 mpg), Eddren McCain (23.3), Taylor Brown (12.3), Darian Norris (12.0) and Anthony Thompson (5.1) -- have combined for 1670 of the team's 3200 total minutes played.
? The six rookies also combine to average 33.7 points per game, compared to 32.4 ppg by the four returning players in the current rotation.
Scoring In Threes
? Bradley is third nationally with 789 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 68 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.
? So far this season, the Braves have been led in scoring by Theron Wilson (6-foot-5) seven times; Dodie Dunson (6-foot-3) five times; Sam Maniscalco (6-foot-0) four times; Chris Roberts (6-foot-4) three times; Eddren McCain (5-foot-11) once.
Good Omen From 4-0 Start
? Bradley started 4-0 in the Valley race for the ninth time in its 57th year of league membership.
? The Braves have gone on to finish at least second in the league standings in seven of the previous eight years they have started at least 4-0.
? Bradley also has played in either the NCAA Tournament or NIT in six of those eight years.
Bradley's Eight Previous 4-0 Valley Starts
Year Start Finish Place Postseason
1993-94 4-0 14-4 T2nd NIT (2-1)
1985-86 16-0 16-0 1st NCAA (1-1)
1981-82 5-0 13-3 1st NIT (5-0)
1980-81 4-0 10-6 T4th ---
1961-62 4-0 10-2 T1st NIT (0-1)
1960-61 4-0 9-3 2nd ---
1957-58 5-0 12-2 2nd NIT (0-1)
1956-57 6-0 9-5 2nd NIT (3-0)
Best Valley Start Since 2000-01
? When Bradley visits Indiana State Tuesday, the Braves will be trying to improve to 5-1 in the league standings for the first time since 2000-01.
? The 2000-01 Braves went on to tie for second in The Valley standings with a 12-6 league record and earned a bid to the NIT.
About Indiana State
? Under the direction of second-year head coach Kevin McKenna, a one-time Peoria resident as a youth, Indiana State returned five lettermen, including three starters, from last year's team that finished 15-16 overall and tied for seventh in The Valley with an 8-10 league record.
? The Sycamores rank ninth in the league in scoring offense (62.1 ppg) and have compounded the lack of scoring by allowing a league-high 71.2 points per game.
? Indiana State ranks last in the 10-team league with a -9.1 scoring margin, 7.8 points worse than ninth-place Southern Illinois (-1.4).
? Indiana State also is 10th in the league in rebounding margin (-3.1), turnover margin (-3.1) and rebounds allowed (36.7).
? The Sycamores, however, are coming off a 75-70 overtime victory against an Illinois State team that started the year 14-0.
Bradley-Indiana State Series
? Tuesday's game will be the 70th meeting in the all-time series between the MVC rivals and Bradley owns a 45-24 advantage.
? After Bradley swept a pair of non-conference meetings in 1968 and 1969 at Robertson Field House, the remaining 67 games in the series have been played as Valley rivals since the Sycamores joined the league for the 1977-78 season.
? Bradley is 16-16 all-time at the Hulman Center, but Indiana State has won three of the last four home meetings against the Braves.
? Bradley has won 10 of the last 14 overall meetings.
Coaching Matchup
? Bradley's Jim Les is in his seventh year with the Braves and enters Tuesday's game with a 115-96 overall record, including a 9-4 record against the Sycamores.
? Kevin McKenna is in his second year at Indiana State and his sixth year overall as a collegiate head coach.
? McKenna owns a 108-61 career record, which began with a four-year stint at Nebraska-Omaha and includes a 19-28 record with the Sycamores.
? The coaches split their first two head-to-head meetings last season by winning on their own home courts.
Finding Valley Road Success
? By winning its first two Missouri Valley Conference road games of the season, Bradley has improved to 10-8 in its last 18 Valley road games.
? More recently, the Braves are 6-3 in their last nine Valley road games.
Getting Defensive
? Bradley's 5-1 record in the last six games coincides with the team's improved defensive play.
? In the last five games, Bradley has not allowed an opponent to score better than 63 points and only Wichita State (.462) managed to shoot as well as 40 percent from the field.
Bradley's Defensive Turnaround
1st 10 Last 6
Record 5-5 5-1
Points Allowed/gm 71.4 60.7
FG% Defense .430 .387
3FG% Defense .387 .342
Rebound Margin -2.0 +3.2
Steals/gm 8.0 8.3
Blocked Shots/gm 3.8 5.8
Deflections/gm 19.3 22.7
That 70's Streak
? Bradley is 10-0 this season when holding the opposition to less than 70 points.
? The Braves have won 15 straight when limiting the opposition to fewer than 70 points, dating back to a 69-68 loss to Drake Jan. 16, 2008 at Carver Arena.
? Bradley also is 7-0 this season, and 12-0 the last two years, when limiting the opposition to less than 40 percent shooting from the field.
Winning The Close Games
? While eight of Bradley's first 16 games have been decided by double-digit margins, the Braves are 6-0 in games decided by six points or less, including each of their last two road games.
? In the last six seasons, Bradley is 36-18 (.667) in games decided by six points or less.
Free Throws Could Be Key
? Bradley enters Tuesday's game second in The Valley by averaging 24.3 free throw attempts per game.
? At roughly the halfway point of the season, Bradley has outscored the opposition by 55 points at the free throw line.
? The last four seasons the Braves have outscored their opponents by at least 100 points from the stripe have coincided with the team's last four Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championships.
Season BU FTM Opp. FTM Margin MVC
2008-09 272 217 + 55 4-1, T1st
1995-96 502 381 +121 15-3, 1st
1987-88 580 472 +108 12-2, 1st
1985-86 536 412 +124 16-0, 1st
1981-82 562 410 +152 13-3, 1st
Efficiency At The Line Aids The Cause
? Bradley is 8-0 when shooting at least 70 percent from the free throw line this season.
? By contrast, the Braves are 2-6 when shooting less than 70 percent at the stripe, including Saturday's 18-for-26 (.692) effort against Creighton.
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 already has attempted 119 charity shots in the first 16 games (7.4 FTA/gm).
? Wilson already has been fouled 109 times in 16 games, drawing better than 32 percent of the total fouls (339) committed against the Braves.
Wilson Sets The Tone
? Senior forward Theron Wilson's impact has been in direct correlation with the outcome of all but one of Bradley's first 16 games this season.
? Bradley is 9-0 when the Braves have outscored the opposition during Wilson's time on the floor.
? Conversely, Bradley is just 1-6 when the Braves have been outscored during Wilson's minutes.
? The lone victory was the 60-58 win Dec. 31 at Wichita State when the Braves were outscored by one during Wilson's time on the floor.
? Among the Bradley roster, Wilson's “impact” has most closely simulated the outcome of the games.
Changing Gears
? Bradley entered the season as one of the nation's most proficient 3-point shooting teams the last two years and the Braves still rank third nationally with 789 3-pointers since the start of the 2006-07 campaign.
? During a 5-5 start to the season, the Braves were averaging 21.3 3-point field goal attempts per game, but were shooting just 28.6 percent from behind the arc.
? During the last six games, however, the Braves have become more selective with their long range shooting, averaging only 14.0 3-point attempts per game but connecting on 39.3 percent of those tries.
Bradley's 3-Point Shooting Breakdown
1st 10 Last 6
Record 5-5 5-1
3FGA/gm 21.3 14.0
3FGM/gm 6.1 5.5
3FG% .286 .393
FG% .412 .471
3-Point Percentage Plays Role
? Saturday's loss to Creighton was Bradley's first this year when the Braves shot at least 30 percent from 3-point range (6-18, .333(.
? The Braves are 6-1 this season when they shoot at least 30 percent from beyond the arc, but 4-5 when shooting less than 30 percent.
Maui Jim 3-Point Challenge
? Peoria manufacturer Maui Jim 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.
? 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.
? Recently became the all-time leading scorer in Eureka boys basketball history.
Big Media Numbers
? Now in his 30th year as the radio Voice of the Braves, Dave Snell has participated in 901 Bradley Basketball game broadcasts, all in succession, on WMBD AM 1470 since taking over play-by-play duties for the 1979-80 season.
? Snell's longtime radio sidekick, Joe Stowell has been witness to 1,514 Bradley Basketball games in his various roles as player (103, 1947-50); assistant coach (250, 1956-65); head coach (344, 1965-78); assistant athletic director (107, 1978-85); and radio analyst (710, 1985-present).
? Peoria Journal Star beat writer Dave Reynolds has covered 565 Bradley Basketball games, all in succession, since taking over the beat for the start of the 1990-91 season.
Looking Ahead
? Following Tuesday night's visit to Indiana State, Bradley will continue its three-game road swing Sunday evening at Southern Illinois.
? Sunday's game will be televised nationally on ESPNU.
? The road swing will conclude Jan. 21 at UNI.
Get Used To The Early Starts
? Bradley fans are reminded that three of Bradley's next four games will tip off at 6:05 p.m. (CST).
? Terre Haute, Ind., is located in the Eastern Time Zone, so the standard weeknight 7:05 p.m. tip will be an hour earlier in Peoria.
? Both of the 6:05 p.m. tip times Sunday at Southern Illinois (ESPNU) and Jan. 24 at home against Indiana State (FS Midwest) were determined by television.
Upcoming Promotions
Jan. 24 Indiana State 6:05 pm
Throwback Night: Everyone in attendance will receive a Bradley Basketball “Throwback” t-shirt, sponsored by Maui Jim, Methodist and Country Inn & Suites, and the Braves will wear special “Throwback” uniforms.
Jan. 28 Wichita State 7:05 pm
Associated Bank Ice Scraper Night: The first 5,000 fans in attendance will receive an Associated Bank Ice Scraper.
