Game 14 ? Bradley Braves (8-5) at Missouri State (7-6) ? Jan. 3, 2009 ? 7:05 p.m. ? Springfield, Mo. ? JQH Arena
Bradley Starts New Year in New Building at Missouri State
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. ? Coming off December wins against Southern Illinois and Wichita State, the Bradley men's basketball team will be shooting for its first 3-0 start in the Missouri Valley Conference since its 1995-96 championship season when the Braves (8-5, 2-0 MVC) visit Missouri State (7-6, 0-2 MVC) Saturday night at the new John Q. Hammons Arena. Missouri State is the only MVC team with a winning record against the Braves and Bradley was just 3-14 all-time in the old Hammons Student Center. Saturday's game will be televised in Central Illinois by Comcast (Channel 74, 44).
Game Information
TV: Comcast (Frank Bussone and Dick Versace) -- Peoria channels 74 & 44
Radio: 1470 WMBD (Dave Snell and Chuck Buescher)
Video Stream: BradleyBraves.com
Live Stats: missouristatebears.com
Tickets: Available $15
Series: Missouri State leads 25-14
Last: Bradley, 83-71, Feb. 6, 2008 at Carver Arena
Bradley Braves
2008-09 Record: 8-5
Missouri Valley: 2-0
Head Coach: Jim Les (Bradley '86)
Career: 113-95 (7th year)
at Bradley: Same
Website: www.BradleyBraves.com
Missouri State Bears
2008-09 Record: 7-6
Missouri Valley: 0-2
Head Coach: Cuonzo Martin (Purdue '00)
Career: 7-6 (1st year)
at MSu: Same
Website: www.missouristatebears.com
Starting Five
? When it visits Missouri State Sunday night, Bradley will be trying for its first 3-0 start in The Valley since the 1995-96 Braves also opened 3-0 en route to their last league title.
? Coming off Wednesday's 60-58 win at Wichita State, Bradley has not won its first two Valley road games of a season since that same 1995-96 team opened the league season by winning at Creighton (75-62) and UNI (60-51).
? Bradley will be playing its first-ever game at the new, 11,000-seat John Q. Hammons Arena at Missouri State.
? Missouri State is the only Valley team with a winning record against Bradley, as the Bears will bring a 25-14 series advantage into Saturday night's game.
? Bradley has won four of its last five games and the Braves will be shooting for their first four-game winning streak of the season.
105th Season
? Now in its 105th men's basketball season, Bradley ranks 26th in NCAA Division I history with 1,524 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 771 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 ranks third in The Valley with 72 victories the last four years, just three 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 76 12 22 22 20
S. Illinois 74 5 18 29 22
Bradley 73 8 21 22 22
Missouri St. 68 7 17 22 22
Drake 67 10 28 17 12
UNI 66 7 18 18 23
Wichita St. 60 6 11 17 26
Illinois St. 52 13 25 15 9
Indiana St. 44 3 15 13 13
Evansville 42 9 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), has yet to suit up 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 those two games.
Newcomer Impact
? With junior guard Andrew Warren (foot) likely out and sophomore forward Will Egolf (knee) unavailable, Bradley's rotation now features six newcomers and four returning players.
? The six newcomers -- Dunson (28.6 mpg), Chris Roberts (27.1), Eddren McCain (22.4), Taylor Brown (12.8), Darian Norris (13.2) and Anthony Thompson (5.1) -- have combined for 1381 of the team's 2600 total minutes played.
? The six rookies also combine to average 33.8 points per game, compared to 33.3 ppg by the four returning players in the current rotation.
Scoring In Threes
? Bradley is third nationally with 771 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 65 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.
About Missouri State
? Missouri State lost six lettermen, three starters and its head coach (Barry Hinson) off last year's team that finished 17-16 overall and tied for seventh in The Valley with an 8-10 league record.
? The Bears are under the direction of first-year head coach Cuonzo Martin and also have opened a new home facility, 11,000-seat John Q. Hammons Arena.
? The Bears have had plenty of opportunities to get used to their new home as Saturday's game will be their 10th home contest in 14 outings this season.
? The Bears are 6-3 at home so far this year, but dropped their final two games of a five-game homestand to Middle Tennessee State (63-51) and Illinois State (72-69), the latter in overtime.
? Missouri State can claim the unofficial Arkansas state championship, sweeping four of the state's five NCAA Division I programs: Arkansas (62-57), Arkansas-Little Rock (59-37), Arkansas State (52-47) and Central Arkansas (63-46) -- MSU did not play Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Bradley-Missouri State Series
? Saturday's game will be the 30th meeting in the all-time series between Bradley and Missouri State, which dates back to MSU's entry into the Missouri Valley Conference for the 1990-91 season.
? Missouri State owns a 25-14 lead in the all-time series and remains the only active Valley member with a winning record against the Braves.
? Bradley won just three of the 17 meetings at the Hammons Student Center and the Braves have not won in Springfield since a 64-60 victory Jan. 10, 2002, a streak of six consecutive road losses to the Bears.
Familiar Foe To Start The New Year
? Bradley and Missouri State are meeting in the first game of the New Year for the third consecutive season and for the fifth time in nine years.
? The Bears have gotten the best of the last three calendar openers against Bradley since the Braves earned a 64-51 home win against Missouri State Jan. 2, 2001.
Bradley vs. Missouri State to Start the Year: 1-3
Home: 1-1 Away: 0-2
1/2/01 Carver Arena W 64-51
1/4/03 Hammons Student Center L 45-67
1/6/07 Carver Arena L 78-86
1/2/08 Hammons Student Center L 80-91
Finding Valley Road Success
? By winning at Wichita State Wednesday, Bradley improved to 9-8 in its last 17 Missouri Valley Conference road games.
? More recently, the Braves are 5-3 in their last eight Valley road games.
Getting Defensive
? Bradley is 8-0 this season when holding the opposition to less than 70 points.
? The Braves have won 13 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 5-0 this season, and 10-0 the last two years, when limiting the opposition to less than 40 percent shooting from the field.
Free Throws Could Be Key
? Bradley enters Wednesday's game second in The Valley by averaging 24.9 free throw attempts per game.
? Bradley has outscored its opposition by 42 points at the free throw line, and the Braves have made just 20 fewer free throws than their opponents have attempted.
? Although shooting 69.4 percent from the stripe for the season, the Braves have made 41-of-46 (.891) attempts in the last two games.
Efficiency At The Line Aids The Cause
? Including a 41-for-46 (.891) combined effort in the first two Valley games, Bradley is 6-0 when shooting at least 70 percent from the free throw line this season.
? By contrast, the Braves are 2-5 when shooting less than 70 percent at the stripe.
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 98 charity shots in the first 13 games (7.5 FTA/gm).
? Wilson already has been fouled 91 times in 13 games, drawing better than 32 percent of the total fouls (278) committed against the Braves.
Wilson Sets The Tone
? Senior forward Theron Wilson's impact has been in direct correlation with the outcome of each of Bradley's first 13 games this season.
? The Braves are 8-0 when the Braves have at least matched the opposition in scoring during Wilson's time on the floor.
? Bradley also is 0-5 when the Braves have been outscored during Wilson's minutes.
? Wilson is the only Brave whose personal impact has matched the outcome of every game so far this season.
Winning The Close Games
? While eight of Bradley's first 13 games have been decided by double-digit margins, the Braves are 4-0 in games decided by six points or less.
Playing The Percentages
? Known for its 3-point shooting the last two seasons, Bradley has struggled with its long-range shooting so far this year.
? Bradley is shooting just 30.5 percent from behind the arc, while averaging only 5.8 treys per game.
? Including Sunday's 7-for-13 effort against Southern Illinois, the Braves are 4-0 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.
Upcoming Promotions
Jan. 6 Illinois State 7:05 pm
Better Banks Hand Banner Night: The first 4,000 fans in attendance will receive a Better Banks Bradley Basketball hand banner.
Halftime: The Amazing Christopher will perform during halftime.
Jan. 10 Creighton 7:05 pm
Hall of Fame: The 2008-09 Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame Class will be inducted during a special halftime ceremony.
