Braves Meet Loyola in Chicago on Saturday

Men's Basketball 1/12/2018 9:50:00 AM

Bradley (13-5 , 3-2 MVC) at Loyola (13-4, 3-2 MVC)
Game Details	Saturday, Jan. 13 • 3 p.m. • Chicago, Ill. • Gentile Arena
Television	FOX Sports Midwest/Indiana/Kansas City \| NBC Sports Chicago
Webcast	Illinois/Indiana/Iowa/Missouri: FOX Sports Go \| Other States: ESPN3
Radio	1470 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| Loyola
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb

Bradley basketball returns to action on Saturday with a road contest at Loyola. The Braves, who are in search of their first MVC road win of the year, meet the Ramblers in Chicago, starting at 3 p.m.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley is 13-5 during the 2017-18 campaign with a 3-2 record in Missouri Valley Conference action.
• The Braves are 3-0 at home in MVC play – coming off a win against Southern Illinois on Tuesday – but 0-2 on the road in conference action.
• Sophomore Darrell Brown leads Bradley with 13.2 points and 3.9 assists per game.
• A balanced squad with eight players averaging at least five points, Donte Thomas and Nate Kennell are second and third on BU in scoring with 10.0 and 8.9 points, respectively.
• Thomas also leads the Braves with 6.3 rebounds per game, while Elijah Childs is second with 5.9.
• BU is averaging 68.1 points, shooting 43.9 percent from the floor and 38.1 percent from 3-point range.
• The strength of the team so far is on defense where BU features the nation's 12th-ranked unit, allowing only 61.8 points per game, 38.3 percent of field goals and 31.4 percent from 3-point range.

SERIES HISTORY
• In a series that dates back to 1928, the Braves hold a 33-24 advantage against the Ramblers.
• The first 47 meetings in the series were as non-conference foes with Bradley claiming a 30-17 edge in the series.
• Loyola, however, has a 7-3 lead as MVC rivals (the Ramblers joined the conference in 2013), including four-straight wins in the series.
• The Ramblers swept a pair of games against the Braves last year, winning 78-62 in Peoria before a 70-50 victory in Chicago.

BATTLE FOR ILLINOIS SERIES
• The Battle of Illinois series was introduced this year, pitting the four MVC schools from the state in an annual basketball series.
• One point is awarded for victories in men's or women's basketball games between Bradley, Illinois State, Loyola and Southern Illinois.
• The Braves currently lead the standings with three points, while Saturday's opponent, Loyola, is second with two points.

ABOUT THE RAMBLERS
• Loyola is 13-4 this season and is tied with the Braves in the MVC standings with a 3-2 record.
• The Ramblers are coming off two-straight road wins, defeating Northern Iowa on Sunday and Illinois State on Wednesday.
• Four players average between 11 and 13 points for Loyola with Aundre Jackson leading the way at 12.7 points per game.
• Clayton Custer is second with 12.5 points with a team-best 4.1 assists per game, followed by Marques Townes (11.9) and Donte Ingram (11.0).
• Ingram also leads the Ramblers with 6.5 boards.
• Loyola has excelled offensively with 71.7 points per game, shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from 3-point range.

FINISHING STRONG
• The lone senior on the roster, Donte Thomas is determined to finish his career on a strong note.
• Thomas has raised his game during conference play, leading BU with 13.8 points per game in its first five MVC games, while shooting 65.8 percent.
• The 13.8 points per game for Thomas mark a 5.3-point improvement from non-conference.
• Coming off a game when he matched his career best with 22 points, Thomas now ranks second on the team with 10.0 points, while leading the Braves with 6.3 rebounds.

TOP-RANKED DEFENSE
• The key to the team's success this season has been owning one of the nation's top defenses.
• Bradley is allowing only 61.8 points per game, ranking 12th in the country.
• The Braves also place in the top 50 in field goal percentage defense (12th at 38.3%), 2-point defense (16th at 45.1%) and 3-point defense (48th at 31.4%).

NEEDED CHARITY
• Another key for the Braves this season has been an ability to get to the charity stripe.
• In its 13 wins, Bradley is averaging 22.5 free throw attempts with 15.6 makes per win.
• However, BU is averaging just 14.6 trips to the charity stripes in losses with 9.6 makes per game.
• Bradley is 10-0 with 14 or more made free throws but just 3-5 with 13 or fewer in a game.
• Last season, BU averaged 18.5 made free throws in victories with 12.2 made per game in losses.

FREE THROW SWING
• With 14 made free throws equaling success this year, it's a good sign for the Braves that they are shooting a better percentage.
• Bradley ranks first in Missouri Valley Conference games by making 79.6 percent from the charity stripe with four players ranking in the top eight – Donte Thomas (94.7%), Jayden Hodgson (84.6%), Darrell Brown (83.3%) and Nate Kennell (80.0%).
• In 13 non-conference games, Bradley ranked 10th by making 65.0 percent from the free-throw line.

Print Friendly Version