Game Info
Game 11 - Bradley Braves (5-5, 0-0 MVC) at Drake Bulldogs (5-7, 0-0 MVC)
Tuesday, Dec. 29 - 7:05 p.m. CST - Des Moines, Iowa - Drake Knapp Center (7,002)
Series History - Bradley leads 75-52
Television: Comcast Spotlight (Central Illinois 74, Chicago 102) - Frank Bussone (play-by-play) and Dick Versace (analyst)
Radio: 1470 AM WMBD -- Dave Snell (play-by-play), Chuck Buescher (analyst) and Dan DiOrio (pregame host)
Online: BradleyBraves.com -- subscription video streams and free audio streams
Valley Opener
Bradley will play its 55th Missouri Valley Conference opener Tuesday when the Braves visit Drake in a 7:05 p.m. top at the Knapp Center ... Bradley will be trying to snap a three-game losing streak, while Drake has lost two in a row ... Bradley has dropped six straight Valley openers played on the road and the last time the Braves won a Valley opener played away from Carver Arena -- a 75-62 victory at Creighton Jan. 3, 1996 -- they went on to win their last MVC regular-season crown.
Valley's Two Winningest
Tuesday's Missouri Valley Conference opener features the league's two winningest teams in conference play ... Drake owns 512 all-time Valley wins, the most in league history ... Bradley ranks second among the 31 schools that have claimed MVC membership with 501 all-time Valley wins ... Drake is beginning its 98th year of Valley membership, however, while Bradley is opening its 55th season in the MVC
Series Notes
The series against Drake is the most-frequently contested in Bradley Basketball history ... Tuesday's renewal will be the 128th all-time meeting between the Braves and Bulldogs ... Bradley owns a 75-52 lead in the series against the Bulldogs, which dates back to a 31-30 Drake victory in a non-conference game Dec. 19, 1942 at Peoria Woodruff High School ... Although Drake owns a narrow 32-28 advantage in home games against the Braves, the teams have split the 16 all-time meetings at the Drake Knapp Center ... In addition, eighth-year Bradley head coach Jim Les is 7-7 in his 14 all-time games against Drake, while second-year Bulldogs head coach Mark Phelps is 1-1 in his two games against the Braves.
Looking Ahead
Bradley will open its 9-game Missouri Valley Conference home schedule Friday night by hosting Southern Illinois in a 7:05 p.m. tip at Carver Arena ... A limited number of tickets ($9-20) are available for Friday's Valley home opener and may be purchased at the Peoria Civic Center Box Office, any TicketMaster outlet and online through BradleyBraves.com ... The Braves will return to the road Sunday by visiting Wichita State in a 2:05 p.m. clash, which will be televised throughout Central Illinois (74) and Chicago (102) on Comcast.
