Braves Wrap Up Non-Conference at TCU

Bradley University Marketing

Men's Basketball 12/20/2016 5:25:00 PM

Bradley (5-7, 0-0 MVC) at TCU (10-1, 0-0 Big 12)
Game Details	Wednesday, Dec. 21 • 8 p.m. • Fort Worth, Texas
Television	FSN
Radio	1470 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| TCU
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb

The Bradley men's basketball teams plays its final non-conference game of the regular season on Wednesday with a road tilt at TCU. The schools are set to meet at 8 p.m. with the game shown on FOX Sports Network.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley plays its final non-conference game of the season with a 5-7 record so far.
• The Braves have lost their last two games, falling to UT Arlington on Friday and Ole Miss on Monday.
• Freshman Darrell Brown leads BU with 12.3 points per game and 31 assists this year, making 48.9 percent of his 3-pointers.
• Junior JoJo McGlaston ranks second with 9.3 points per game, while sophomore Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye is third with 8.8
• Freshman Koch Bar has collected a team-leading 5.9 rebounds per game.
• As a team, BU is making 43.7 percent of its field goals with a 36.1 mark beyond the 3-point line.

SERIES HISTORY
• In a series that dates back to 1945, the Braves and Horned Frogs have split 10 all-time meetings.
• TCU has won the last four games but by an average margin of 5.0 points per game. The schools are meeting for the third time in the last seven seasons with TCU winning by an average of 6.3.
• While Jamie Dixon is in his first year at TCU, the Braves do own a win over the head coach when he was leading the Pitt program, claiming a second-round victory in the 2006 NCAA Tournament.

BRAVES VERSUS THE BIG 12
• Bradley is 37-29 all-time against current members of the Big 12.
• BU has lost its last six matchups against the conference with the team's last victory coming against Iowa State during the 2007-08 season.

ABOUT THE HORNED FROGS
• TCU is 10-1 during the 2016-17 campaign. The Horned Frogs have won their last two games after suffering their only loss of the season to SMU and is coming off a 96-59 win against Texas Southern.
• Four players are averaging double-digits for TCU.
• Jaylen Fisher leads the team with 11.5 points per game, while Alex Robinson is second with 11.3 to go with a team-best 62 assists. Kenrich Williams averages a double-double with 10.4 points and a Frogs-leading 10.2 rebounds per game.
• Overall, TCU is outscoring its opponent by an average of 80.5 to 65.2 this season.

ON THIS DATE
Record on Dec. 21: 13-11
Dec. 21 Highlight: In the longest game in NCAA history, Cincinnati posted a 75-73 victory over BU in seven overtimes on Dec. 21, 1981. After heading to overtime tied at 61, the Braves trailed only once in the first six extra sessions before Doug Schloemer scored the only points of the seventh for the two-point Bearcats victory.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
• The focus for the Braves as of late has been on the defensive side of the ball.
• After allowing 75.7 points during the season's first nine contests, the Braves have lowered that number by 19 points the last three contests with BU surrendering just 56.7 during that stretch.
• The Braves are limiting their opponents to 34.9 percent shooting and 25.9 percent from 3-point range throughout the three-game stretch.

SEASON LOWS VERSUS THE BRAVES
• During the three-game defensive stretch, Bradley has held its opponent to a season low or its second-lowest point total of the year.
• In fact, each of the team's last three opponents scored at least 15 points fewer than their season average. The schools entered averaging 78 points per game before the Braves held them to 56.7 in the three contests.

TWO OF MOST IMPROVED OFFENSES
• Don't expect the same 53-49 game featured a year ago between the two schools as both Bradley and TCU rank as the most improved offenses in the country.
• Bradley enters the game ranked as the 13th-most improved offensive unit, averaging 69.3 points per game and 13.3 more than last year.
• Meanwhile, TCU is the 11th-most improved unit, averaging 13.6 more points with a scoring offense of 80.5 points pr game.

THREE IS THE KEY
• The biggest reason for the Braves' offensive improvement this season is the team's increase in 3-point percentage.
• Last year, Bradley made just 28.0 percent of its attempts from beyond the arc. However, the Braves are making 36.1 percent during the 2016-17 campaign.
• The team's 8.1 percent increase in 3-pointers mirrors the team's improvement in points per game as Bradley ranks as the 14th-most improved 3-point shooting team.
• Freshman Darrell Brown leads the team in 3-point percentage, making 48.9 percent of his attempts – ranking third in The Valley.
• Additionally, the team's top 3-point shooters from a year ago – Luuk van Bree, Antoine Pittman and Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye – have all increased their percentage from beyond the arc.

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