Bradley (9-14, 4-6 MVC)
at
Loyola Chicago (8-14, 3-7MVC)
When: Thursday, Feb. 6, 2014 | 7 p.m.
Where: Chicago, Ill. | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (4,486)
Tickets: $10-27 | www.LoyolaRamblers.com or (773) 508-9653
Alumni Pregame Party: Bar 63 | 5-6:30 p.m. | More Info
Game Coverage
TV: N/A
Radio: 1470 WMBD | Dave Snell (play-by-play), Chad Kleine (analyst) and Dan DiOrio (Braves Plus pregame)
Video Streaming: ESPN3 | Watch Live through WatchESPN
Audio Streaming: 1470wmbd.com (free)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter: @BradleySIDLive | #BRADvLUC
Bradley Pregame Notes (PDF) | Loyola Basketball Website
Coaches
Bradley: Geno Ford | 34-56 in 3rd year at Bradley; 153-125 in 9th year overall
Loyola: Porter Moser | 30-53 in 2nd year at Loyola and 135-154 in 10th year overall
Series History
48th all-time meeting | Bradley leads 30-17 overall | Series tied 10-10 at Loyola
Trends: Loyola has won two straight, but Bradley has won the last two at Loyola
Tip-Off
Bradley will play its first-ever Missouri Valley Conference game in Chicago Thursday when the Braves visit first-year MVC member Loyola Chicago ... Thursday's game will be the 48th all-time meeting in the series, which dates back to 1928, and the Braves boast a 30-17 all-time record against the Ramblers ... Bradley is 0-10 away from home this season and has dropped 13 consecutive games away from home since its last visit to the Windy City, where the Braves earned a 63-62 win at UIC Feb. 23, 2013 ... Bradley is playing its first game against a first-year MVC member for the first time since Evansville joined The Valley in 1994-95 ... The Braves are 10-5 all-time in their first Valley games against league newcomers since joining the league in 1948, including 2-3 when those first matchups were played on the road.
Series History
Thursday's game will be the 48th meeting in the all-time series between in-state rivals Bradley and Loyola Chicago ... The Braves own a 30-17 lead in the all-time series, while the teams have split 20 all-time meetings in Chicago ... The road team has won each of the last four meetings, including double-digit margins of victory by the Braves at Loyola in 2007 (64-47) and 2009 (86-75) ... The Ramblers have won the last two meetings, most-recently a 56-44 decision Feb. 18, 2012 at Carver Arena in a matchup created by the BracketBusters series ... Third-year Bradley head coach Geno Ford is 0-1 all-time against Loyola, while third-year Ramblers head coach Porter Moser is 3-7 all-time against Bradley ... Moser was 2-7 against Bradley while serving as Illinois State head coach from 2003-07.
First-Time Valley Meetings
Loyola becomes Bradley's 21st MVC opponent in 62 years of league membership ... Bradley is 13-7 all-time in first-ever Valley meetings against an opponent, including the 3-2 record in its first league games versus Drake (W), Oklahoma State (L), Saint Louis (L), Tulsa (W) and Wichita State (W) during Bradley's first season of Valley membership in 1948-49 ... The 47 previous games against Loyola are the most Bradley has played against an opponent before their first MVC meeting, one more than the 46 games in the Illinois State series before the Redbirds joined The Valley in 1981-82.
Milestone Game
Bradley enters Thursday's game with 1,599 all-time victories, the most of any team in the Missouri Valley Conference and 28th in NCAA Division I history ... Villanova (1,603) became the lastest program to win 1,600 games when the Wildcats earned a 94-85 overtime win at Marquette Jan. 25.
The Road Skids
Bradley is 0-10 away from home this season and the Braves have dropped 13 consecutive games played outside Peoria since their 63-62 win Feb. 23, 2013 at Illinois-Chicago ... The 13-game slide outside Peoria matches the longest in program history, equaling a 13-game road (0-10) and neutral (0-3) slide during the 1991-92 season ... That skid, coincidentally, ended when the Braves earned a 69-64 win Dec. 9, 1992 at Loyola in their first road game of the 1992-93 season ... The Braves also have dropped 13 consecutive Valley road games since their 66-60 win at Southern Illinois Jan. 2, 2013 ... A loss Thursday at Loyola would equal the longest Valley road losing streak in program history, a 14-game drought from Feb. 28, 2004 through Jan. 18, 2006 ... Bradley is 2-32 in its last 34 Valley road games since an 83-63 win at Evansville Feb. 6, 2010 -- both of those two wins came at Southern Illinois (2011, 2013).
Exclusive Club
Senior guard Walt Lemon, Jr. has joined an exclusive Bradley Basketball club, sharing the company of just two other players in program history ... Lemon has became the third player in program history to eclipse both 1,500 career points and 300 assists ... He currently boasts 1,540 career points and 340 career assists assists, joining all-time Bradley greats Hersey Hawkins and Anthony Parker as the only Braves to produce both 1,500 career points and 300 assists.
Trio of Top 10's
Averaging 17.1 points, 4.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game, senior guard Walt Lemon, Jr. is on a pace to crack Bradley's career top 10 in all three categories ... Already tied for sixth in Bradley history with 192 career steals, Lemon needs 81 points and 24 assists to move into 10th place on both the career scoring and assists lists ... Lemon is on pace to join the legendary Hersey Hawkins - 1st in scoring, 8th in assists, 1st in steals - as the only players to rank among Bradley's top 10 in all three categories.
MVC 1,500 Club
Bradley senior guard Walt Lemon, Jr. has become the 78th player in Missouri Valley Conference history to score at least 1,500 career points ... Lemon enters Thursday's game 69th on the league's all-time scoring list with 1,540 points and can jump four more spots by reaching his season scoring average Thursday night.
Big Media Numbers
Dave Snell has served as the radio Voice of the Braves the last 34 seasons and has worked on 1,074 Bradley Basketball game broadcasts, all in succession, on 1470 WMBD since taking over play-by-play duties for the 1979-80 season ... Peoria Journal Star beat writer Dave Reynolds has covered 738 consecutive Bradley games since taking over the beat for the start of the 1990-91 season ... In his 38th season, public address announcer Paul Herzog has been at the mic for 554 Bradley Basketball home games.
Looking Ahead
Following Thursday's game at Loyola, Bradley will return home for two games against The Valley's two Indiana members - Sunday against Evansville and Feb. 12 against Indiana State ... Fans were allowed to select Sunday's start time through a social media promotion and the game against the Purple Aces will tip off at 3 p.m. at Carver Arena ... Sunday's game also will be Bradley's annual Pink Game - breast cancer survivors will be recognized at halftime and may receive free tickets in the Red seating sections or $8 group rate pricing in the White seating sections and pink bracelets will be available by signing up for Team Bradley in May's Peoria Race for the Cure.
