PEORIA, Ill. - The Bradley men's basketball team will host two non-conference opponents on either end of 2-for-1 agreements when the Braves welcome Texas-Arlington and Central Michigan to Peoria during the 2013-14 season.
Bradley will tip off the 2014-15 season Nov. 14 by starting a 3-year arrangment against UT-Arlington. In addition to a home game this season, Bradley will visit the Mavericks during the 2015-16 season then welcome UTA back to Peoria during the 2016-17 season. The Mavericks were 15-17 overall in 2013-14 and tied for fifth (9-9) in the Sun Belt Conference standings with another potential 2013-14 Bradley opponent, Arkansas-Little Rock. Texas-Arlington graduated its top two scorers from last year's squad, but the Mavericks do return a pair of senior guards who scored in double-figures during the 2013-14 campaign: Lonnie McLanahan is the team's top returning scorer by averaging 14.0 points per game last year and Jamel Outler made 79-of-201 (.393) 3-point field goal attempts while averaging 11.2 points.
Bradley is 3-1 all-time against UT-Arlington, sweeping the first three meetings on campus at Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse, before dropping a 61-60 decision to the Mavericks Dec. 5, 2001 at Carver Arena in the most-recent series meeting.
The Braves will attempt to complete a 3-game sweep against Central Michigan when the Chippewas return to Peoria Dec. 2 for the final game in a 3-year agreement. Bradley improved to 3-1 all-time against the Mid-American Conference program with an 80-70 win against the Chippewas last year at Carver Arena, its third straight win in the series. The Braves started the current agreement with an 82-65 win Nov. 28, 2012 at CMU.
Although Central Michigan is coming off a 10-21 campaign and fifth-place finish in the MAC West division, the Chippewas return their top seven scorers from last season, a group that combined for 2055 of the team's 2246 points (.915) in 2013-14. Central Michigan begins its third year under the direction of head coach Keno Davis, who led Bradley's Missouri Valley Conference rival Drake to a sweep of the 2008 MVC regular-season and postseason tournament titles during a national coach-of-the-year season.
Central Michigan also was the starting school for Bradley senior forward Auston Barnes, who spent two years with the Chippewas as a walk-on, redshirting in 2010-11 before averaging 1.0 point and 1.3 rebounds in 29 games in 2011-12. Barnes, who averaged 8.6 points and 5.6 rebounds in his first season with the Braves last year, recorded the first of his three double-doubles with 13 points and 10 rebounds in last year's win against Central Michigan.
The games against Texas-Arlington and Central Michigan are the first two home games to be announced as part of Bradley's 13-game non-conference schedule for the 2014-15 season. Earlier this week, Bradley announced a Dec. 9 road game at Big 12 Conference member Kansas State, as well as a pair of neutral site games versus defending Big West Conference champion UC Irvine and either Horizon League champion Green Bay or UALR Dec. 21-22 during the 2014 South Point Holiday Hoops Classic in Las Vegas. The remaining eight non-conference opponents will be announced individually throughout the summer and the 18-game Valley schedule is expected to be released in late August or early September.
2014-15 Bradley Basketball Schedule
updated June 12, 2014
Nov. 14 UT-ARLINGTON
Dec. 2 CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Dec. 9 at Kansas State
Dec. 21 vs. UC Irvine (South Point Holiday Hoops Classic)
Dec. 22 vs. Green Bay or UALR (South Point Holiday Hoops Classic)
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