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Bradley (12-7, 4-3) at Evansville (11-8, 4-3)
Jan. 23,
2013 – 7:05 p.m.
Evansville,
Ind. – Ford Center (11,000)
TV: None
Radio: 1470 WMBD - Dave Snell (pbp), Chad Kleine
(analyst) and Dan DiOrio (pregame)
Twitter: @BPtheBrave - #BRADvUE
Tickets: $9-23 based on location | Ford Center Box Office (812-488-2237) or
online at gopurple.com
Tip-Off
• Bradley will play
three of its next four games on the road, beginning with a Wednesday night visit
to Evansville for the 41st meeting in the all-time series.
• Bradley owns a 23-17 lead in the all-time
series against the Purple Aces, which dates back to a 77-68 Evansville victory
in a non-conference meeting Dec. 22, 1986 at the old Roberts Stadium.
• Bradley is 3-3 on the road this season, but
the Braves have managed just 53 points in their last two road games, losses
Jan. 9 at Indiana State (68-53) and Jan. 12 at UNI (84-53).
• Evansville swept the season series last year
for the first time since 2002-03, winning the two games by an average of 26.5
points.
• Wednesday's game marks the third time in four
years Bradley and Evansville will have met on Jan. 23 and the Braves earned a
74-64 victory in 2010 when entering the Jan. 23 clash on the heels of
consecutive victories against Missouri State and Southern Illinois.
Last Time Out
at Bradley 69, Missouri State 66 | Jan. 19,
2013 | Carver Arena
• Walt Lemon,
Jr. scored a game-high 20 points, including a running, 25-foot bank shot as
time expired, lifting Bradley to a 69-66 win against Missouri State Saturday
afternoon at Carver Arena.
• Bradley led by
as many as 16 points late in the first half and still held a 10-point lead,
63-53, with 3:57 remaining before Missouri State put together a late surge.
• Bradley never
trailed and Anthony Downing forced the game's only tie when he scored on a
driving, left-handed layup with 4.3 seconds remaining.
• Following a
timeout, Lemon took the inbounds pass in front of the Missouri State bench,
then quickly weaved his way up the court, eventually launching his shot from
the right wing.
• Lemon's
game-winner was selected No. 3 for the ESPN SportsCenter Top Plays segment
Saturday night/Sunday morning.
Series History
41st Meeting | Bradley leads 23-17
• Wednesday's game
will be the 41st meeting in a series that dates back to Evansville's 77-68
non-conference win Dec. 22, 1986 at the old Roberts Stadium.
• Evansville swept
the 2011-12 season series, winning the two games by an average of 26.5 points.
• The Purple Aces
will be trying to match their longest winning streak in the series, 3-game
streaks from 1997-98 and 2003-04.
A Significant Date
• Wednesday's game
will be the third Jan. 23 meeting in the last four years between the Braves and
Purple Aces.
• Evansville won,
70-67, Jan. 23, 2011, but the Braves earned a 74-64 win Jan. 23, 2010 on the
heels of consecutive victories against Missouri State and Southern Illinois
(the Braves are coming off consecutive wins against the Salukis and Bears).
• The
most-lopsided win for either team in the series was Bradley's 98-65 victory
Jan. 23, 1999.
Turnaround Among Nation's Best
• After going six
years without improving its win total from one year to the next, Bradley's
current 5-win improvement over last year is the fifth-best in the nation
through Sunday's action:
Team 2011-12 2012-13
+W's
Bryant
2-28 13-4 +11
Towson
1-31 10-9
+9
Canisius
5-25 12-7
+7
Santa Clara
8-22 14-6
+6
BRADLEY
7-25 12-7
+5
Arizona State
10-21 14-4
+4
Loyola (Ill.)
7-23 11-7
+4
Illinois-Chicago
8-22 11-8
+3
Charlotte
13-17 15-3
+2
Florida Int'l
8-21 10-8 +2
Jacksonville
8-22 10-10 +2
13 Out of 20
• Bradley will be
shooting for its 13th win in the 20th game of the season Wednesday night at
Evansville.
• The Braves have
not won as many as 13 of their first 20 games since the 2006-07 squad started
13-7 en route to a final 22-13 record and the second round of the NIT.
• In fact, in the
17 years since Bradley's 1995-96 MVC championship season, the Braves have won
as many as 13 of their first 20 games just three times:
Season 1st 20
Final Postseason
1995-96 14-6 22-8
NCAA
1998-99 13-7 17-12
NIT
2005-06 13-7 22-11
NCAA Sweet 16
2006-07 13-6 22-13
NIT 2nd Rd
21st Century in the MVC
• By improving to
4-3 in Valley play Saturday, Bradley boasts a winning record through seven
rounds of league play for just the fourth time in the 21st century (13th
season).
• As the Braves
prepare for Wednesday's game at Evansville, Bradley has won as many as five of
its first eight league games just three times in the 13 seasons of the 21st
century.
Season 1st 7 MVC
1st 8 Final Pl.
2000-01 5-2
6-2 12-6 T2nd
2006-07 4-3
4-4 10-8 4th
2008-09 5-2
6-2 10-8 4th
2012-13 4-3
TBD TBD TBD
Improved 3-Point Shooting
• During Bradley's
12 non-conference games, the Braves shot just 27.4 percent (52-190) from
3-point range and averaged only 4.3 3-pointers per game.
• Through seven
rounds of league play, the Braves rank second in The Valley by shooting 40.0
percent (42-105) from behind the arc, while averaging 6.0 treys per game.
• The Braves have
matched their season-best by making exactly eight 3-pointers in each of their
last three games.
Declining Interior Shooting
• While Bradley's
perimeter game has improved in league play, the team's interior game has
declined.
• In the 12
non-conference games, Bradley shot 51.1 percent (264-517) from inside the arc
and the Braves averaged 37.4 points per game in the paint.
• In seven Valley
games, the Braves are shooting just 44.0 percent (120-273) from inside the arc
and averaging only 25.1 points per game in the paint.
Looking Ahead
• Bradley will
continue its 2-game road swing Saturday by visiting Wichita State for a 7:05
p.m. game at Charles Koch Arena.
• Wichita State
escaped Carver Arena with a 69-63 win Jan. 6 and the Shockers will be shooting
for their seventh consecutive win in the series.
• The Braves will
return home Jan. 29 to host the first round of the I-74 Rivalry series against
Illinois State.
