Braves Head to Drake for Regular-Season Finale

Bob Hunt - Photographer

Men's Basketball 2/24/2017 1:31:00 PM

Bradley (11-19, 6-11 MVC) at Drake (7-22, 5-12 MVC)
Game Details	Saturday, Feb. 25 • 1 p.m. • Des Moines, Iowa • Knapp Center
Television	ESPN3
Radio	1470 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| Drake
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb

Bradley looks to continue to build momentum heading into the Missouri Valley Tournament with a game at Drake on Saturday in the regular-season finale. The schools are set to meet at 1 p.m. on ESPN3.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley has won its last two games to move alone into seventh place in the MVC standings with a 6-11 record. Overall, the Braves are 11-19 this year.
• Freshman Darrell Brown missed Wednesday's win with an injury but leads Bradley with 12.4 points per game and 82 assists.
• Junior JoJo McGlaston is second on the team with 8.6 points per game.
• Junior Donte Thomas leads the Braves with 6.5 rebounds per game, including a mark of 7.4 in conference play.
• As a team, Bradley is making 42.4 percent of its field goals with a 36.3 percent 3-point mark.

MVC TOURNAMENT SCENARIOS
• The Braves enter the final game of the season with the possibility of finishing with a sixth, seventh or ninth seed for the MVC Tournament.
• If the Braves defeat Drake, Bradley finishes no worse than seventh. If Missouri State also loses to Wichita State, the schools' RPI on Sunday morning will break the tie for the six and seven seeds.
• If Bradley loses to Drake and Evansville defeats Indiana State, the Braves also finish as the seven seed and will play the No. 10 Sycamores.
• If Drake defeats the Braves and Indiana State tops the Purple Aces, BU will finish as the nine seed and open with No. 8 Drake in the first round.

SERIES HISTORY
• In a series that dates back to 1942, Bradley has played Drake more than any other school in the program's history as the teams are set to meet for the 147th time.
• The Braves own an 84-62 advantage against the Bulldogs, marking the most wins for BU against any school.
• Bradley has won the last two meetings versus Drake, including a 79-72 victory in Peoria earlier this season. Junior Donte Thomas recorded a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Darrell Brown added 20 points and Jayden Hodgson had seven assists.
• Drake does own a 39-28 edge against the Braves at home and has won the last six meetings there.

ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
• Drake is currently in a three-way tie for eighth place in the MVC standings with a 5-12 record.
• The Bulldogs have lost their last eight games after starting the MVC season with a 5-4 record. Overall, Drake is now 7-22 this year.
• Reed Timmer leads the Bulldogs with 15.6 points per game, while Billy Wampler is second with 10.1.
• T.J. Thomas has a team-best 5.1 rebounds per game, while De'Antae Morris leads Drake with 85 assists.

ON THIS DATE
Record on Feb. 25: 17-13
Feb. 25 Highlight: The Braves held Indiana State without a field goal for the final 10:16 and James Gillingham made a layup with just 11 seconds remaining as Bradley rallied from 13 points down to earn a 60-59 victory at Indiana State on Feb. 25, 2004.

FINISHING STRONG
• With its wins last Saturday and on Wednesday, Bradley has won back-to-back games for the first time since defeating North Carolina A&T and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Nov. 23 and Nov. 25, 2014.
• The Braves also earned consecutive MVC wins for the first time since beating Loyola Chicago and Evansville on Feb. 6 and Feb. 9, 2014.
• Prior to Wednesday's win, Bradley was winless in its last 22 attempts after a victory and 0-for-12 in winning consecutive MVC victories.
• If Bradley defeats Drake, it will mark the first time BU has won three-straight since opening 4-0 in 2013-14 and the first time with three-straight MVC wins since the 2009-10 campaign.

50-PERCENT MARK
• Bradley has made 50 percent of its field goals in eight games this season – nearly equal the total the team has had the last three seasons combined (nine).
• BU made only half of its shots in three games the last two seasons and not once a year ago.
• Overall, the eight games of making at least half of its shots are the most for Bradley since also doing so eight times in 2012-13.
• Additionally, the Braves have made 50 percent of their baskets four times in MVC play – their most since posting also four in 2010-11.

ASSISTING THE VICTORY
• One of the biggest reasons the Braves have been more efficient on the offensive end is the team's ability to effectively move the ball.
• In its last two games, BU has totaled 40 assists to just 18 total turnovers (2.2 assist/turnover ratio).
• Bradley has collected 20 assists each in its last two games. The Braves hadn't recorded 20 helpers in an MVC game since Jan. 6, 2010 against Indiana State with the last back-to-back performance in conference coming against Indiana State and Missouri State on Jan. 21 and Jan. 25, 2006.
• The Braves also recorded at least 20 assists and less than 10 turnovers in a game for the first time since the 2006-07 campaign.
• Four different BU players have registered at least six assists in one of the last two contests – Darrell Brown, Jayden Hodgson, Nate Kennell and Luuk van Bree – Bradley only such performance in the season's first 28 matches.

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