Braves Host Little Rock Wednesday

Men's Basketball 12/12/2017 11:10:00 AM

Bradley (7-2) vs. Little Rock (2-7)
Game Details	Wednesday, Dec. 13 • 7 p.m. • Peoria, Ill. • Carver Arena
Television	ESPN3
Radio	1470 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| Little Rock
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb
Tickets	Ticketmaster \| (309) 677-2625

After a 10-day layoff for finals, the Braves return to action on Wednesday with its final home non-conference game of the season against Little Rock. The schools are set to meet at Carver Arena, starting at 7 p.m.

PROMOTIONS
• Wednesday is Coach Wardle Group Night as single-game tickets are available at the group rate of half off - deal expires Tuesday night (CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE).
• The Central Illinois Independents of Special Olympics Illinois will play a halftime game.
• In Kaboom!'s Korner is a Bounce House and additional inflatables from Fun on the Run.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley has matched its best start in the last 32 years with a 7-2 record.
• Sophomore Darrell Brown leads the Braves with 12.8 points and 3.1 assists per game.
• Nate Kennell and Donte Thomas are second and third on the team in scoring with 9.0 and 8.2 points, respectively.
• Freshman Elijah Childs leads Bradley with 7.4 rebounds, while Thomas is second at 6.4.
• BU is averaging 66.0 points, shooting 41.9 percent from the floor and 36.4 percent from 3-point range.
• The strength of the team so far is on defense where Bradley features the nation's eighth-ranked scoring defense, allowing only 59.9 points per game, 36.4 percent of field goals and 24.9 percent from 3-point range.

SERIES HISTORY
• The Braves and Trojans have met on one previous occasion with Little Rock claiming a 64-54 win at the 2014 South Point Holiday Hoops Classic in Las Vegas.
• Bradley cut a 15-point deficit down to six but the Braves made just 28.6 percent of their field goals to fall to Little Rock.

BRAVES VERSUS SUN BELT
• Bradley is 13-8 all-time against current members of the Sun Belt Conference.
• The Braves already own a victory this year against a conference member, defeating Georgia Southern, 62-57, on Nov. 25.

ABOUT THE TROJANS
• Little Rock is 2-7 on the season. The Trojans have split their last four games after an 0-5 start to the season, coming off a 69-54 loss at Central Arkansas.
• Andre Jones is the only player on the team averaging more than 7.0 points per game with 13.3.
• Oliver Black has a team-best 8.0 rebounds per game, while Jaizec Lottie leads the Trojans with 3.1 assists per game.
• Little Rock is averaging 63.2 points per game with a 40.8 shooting percentage and 25.0 percent mark from 3-point range, while giving up 70.4 points on the defensive end.

STRONG START
• The Braves are 7-2 through nine games during the 2017-18 campaign, matching the program's best start in any of the last 32 seasons (also in 1987-88, 1993-94, 1994-95, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2012-13).
• The Braves last started better when they were 9-0 through nine games in the 1985-86 season.

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
• With seven wins, Bradley has already posted its most non-conference victories since the 2012-13 season.
• Bradley can win as many as 11 non-conference games this year, which would mark its most since the 1987-88 season.

CARVER STREAKING
• Bradley is a perfect 5-0 at Carver Arena to start the 2017-18 season.
• Hosting Little Rock in their final home non-conference game of the season, the Braves can secure a perfect home schedule against non-league foes for the first time since the 2006-07 season.
• Overall, Bradley has won its last seven home games dating back to last season, its longest winning streak at Carver Arena since a 15-game run in 2006.

TOP-RANKED DEFENSE
• The Braves have hung their hat on a strong defense during the 2017-18 campaign.
• Bradley is allowing only 59.9 points per game, ranking eighth in the country.
• The Braves also place in the top 10 in both field goal percentage defense (sixth at 36.4%) and 3-point defense (third at 24.9%).

DEFENSIVE NOTES
• When you own the nation's eighth-ranked defense, a lot of numbers stand out.
• Bradley has allowed only one team to reach 70 points this year. BU went the first eight games of the year without allowing a team to hit the mark for the first time since the 1947-48 season.
• With the third-best 3-point defense in the country, only one team has shot better than 30 percent from beyond the arc, while six times in nine game a team has shot 25 percent or worse.
• Bradley has forced its opponent to go without a field goal for at least four minutes on 22 occasions this year and at least twice in all nine games.
• BU ranks in the top half of the MVC in every defensive stat – blocks (2nd), steals (3rd), turnovers forced (4th) and defensive rebounds (5th).

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