Bradley Renews I-74 Rivalry on Wednesday at Carver Arena

Duane Zehr, Bradley University ITPS

Men's Basketball 1/17/2017 11:13:00 AM

Bradley (8-11, 3-3 MVC) vs. Illinois State (14-4, 6-0 MVC)
Game Details	Wednesday, Jan. 18 • 8 p.m. • Peoria, Ill. • Carver Arena
Television	CBS Sports Network
Radio	1470 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| Illinois State
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb
Tickets	Ticketmaster \| (309) 677-2625

Bradley and Illinois State renew their I-74 rivalry on Wednesday night with the schools set to meet at Carver Arena. The contest begins at 8 p.m. and can be seen live on CBS Sports Network.

PROMOTIONS
• During halftime of Wednesday's game, there will be a special recognition of Chillicothe native, Zach McAllister, who helped pitch the Cleveland Indians to the 2016 World Series.
• The first 600 students will receive a free T-shirt, courtesy of Red Sea, while the first 50 students will also receive free nachos in the Hy-Vee Red Zone.
• Students can also sign up to win 1-of-2 Hy-Vee gift cards and for a chance to compete to win six months free rent from Ideal Rentals.
• All fans can also visit Chick-fil-A on Sterling Ave. for a special 2-for-1 ticket promotion.
• Every home game includes Kaboom!'s Korner in the Great Hall lobby. Wednesday's contest features the Basketball Jam Bounce House, face painting from Wild Style Design Company, The Unique Twist Balloon Artist and State Farm Pop-A-Shot (starting at 6:30 p.m.).

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley is 3-3 in Missouri Valley Conference play after an 81-71 setback at Indiana State on Saturday.
• Overall, the Braves are 8-11 this season.
• Freshman Darrell Brown leads Bradley with 12.6 points per game and 51 assists. He has raised his scoring during MVC play with 14.7 points per game.
• Junior JoJo McGlaston is second on the team with 9.3 points per game (9.8 during conference play).
• Freshman Koch Bar has collected a team-leading 5.9 rebounds per game and 1.4 blocks per game. Junior Donte Thomas is also averaging 5.9 boards for the Braves.
• As a team, Bradley is making 43.6 percent of its field goals with a 36.8 percent 3-point mark.

SERIES HISTORY
• In a series that dates back to the 1904-05 season, the nearby rivals are meeting for the 123rd time on Wednesday.
• Bradley holds a slight advantage in the all-time series, 63-59, while the Redbirds hold a 41-35 edge since joining the MVC for the 1981-82 season.
• Illinois State has won the last five meetings between the two schools and 13 of the last 15.
• Last season, the Redbirds swept a pair of contests with a close 55-52 win at Carver Arena and a 76-60 victory at home.

ABOUT THE REDBIRDS
• Illinois State is in first place in the MVC standings with a perfect 6-0 record in conference play. The Redbirds defeated the other unbeaten on Saturday with a 76-62 victory against Wichita State.
• Three Redbirds are averaging more than 13 points per game with MiKyle McIntosh leading the way with 14.6 and followed by Deontae Hawkins at 14.5 and Paris Lee at 13.1
• Hawkins leads the team with 6.7 rebounds, while Lee has a team-leading 95 assists.

MOST IMPROVED A SECOND TIME
• After a slow start to the year, junior Donte Thomas has regained his form from last season that landed him on the MVC Most Improved Team.
• In starting the last 10 games, Thomas is averaging 6.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. In the team's first nine of the year, the junior posted 3.9 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
• In two games last week, he raised those numbers even higher by posting 12.0 points and 11.0 rebounds against UNI and Indiana State, including his first double-double of the year against UNI.
• The team's leader in rebounds last season, Thomas had led BU in boards in eight of the last 10 games after not doing so in any of the first nine.
• Thomas ranks fourth in the conference in MVC games with 7.7 rebounds per game.

IT ALL STARTS WITH DEFENSE
• In Missouri Valley Conference games, it has been all about the team's defense.
• In the Braves' three conference victories, BU is allowing just 58.3 points per game as teams are shooting only 28.5 percent from the floor and 19.7 percent from 3-point range versus Bradley.
• However, in BU's three MVC losses, the Braves are surrendering 86.3 points per game as foes are making 51.2 percent of their shots and 46.3 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?
• Freshman Darrell Brown has been BU's scoring leader right from the start of his rookie campaign.
• The top-scoring freshman in The Valley, Brown is averaging 12.6 points per game.
• Brown is on pace to become the first BU freshman to average double-digits since Patrick O'Bryant during the 2004-05 season.
• The Memphis native is also on pace to post the top scoring average by a Bradley rookie since Hersey Hawkins averaged 14.6 points per game during the 1984-85 season (13 years before Brown was born).

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