Braves Host Valpo to Open 2018

Men's Basketball 1/2/2018 2:49:00 PM

Bradley (11-4 , 1-1 MVC) vs. Valparaiso (9-6, 0-2 MVC)
Game Details	Wednesday, Jan. 3 • 7 p.m. • Peoria, Ill. • Carver Arena
Television	ESPN3
Radio	1470 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| Valparaiso
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb
Tickets	Ticketmaster \| (309) 677-2625

After winning its first conference game of the season, the Braves look to maintain their perfect home record when they host Valparaiso on Wednesday. Tipoff at Carver Arena is slated for 7 p.m.

PROMOTIONS
• Quick Change will be featured at halftime of Wednesday's game.
• In Kaboom!'s Korner is a Bounce House and additional inflatables from Fun on the Run.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley is 11-4 during the 2017-18 campaign with a 1-1 record in Missouri Valley Conference action.
• The Braves are coming off a convincing 72-53 win against Northern Iowa on Sunday.
• Sophomore Darrell Brown scored a season-best 24 points to go with five assists versus Northern Iowa. He leads the team with 14.3 points and 3.9 assists per game.
• A balanced team with eight players averaging at least five points, Nate Kennell and Donte Thomas are second and third on BU in scoring with 9.3 and 8.5 points, respectively.
• Freshman Elijah Childs leads Bradley with 6.3 rebounds, while Thomas is second at 6.1.
• BU is averaging 68.9 points, shooting 43.8 percent from the floor and 40.5 percent from 3-point range.
• The strength of the team so far is on defense where BU features the nation's ninth-ranked unit, allowing only 60.7 points per game, 37.9 percent of field goals and 30.3 percent from 3-point range.

SERIES HISTORY
• The newest member of The Valley, Bradley and Valparaiso are meeting for the first time as conference foes and fourth time overall.
• The home team won all three non-conference meetings (all in the early 1980s) with the Braves winning 2-of-3 contests.
• While meeting for the first time in 34 seasons, Brian Wardle has a lot of experience against the Crusaders as a coach, going 5-7 in his five years at Green Bay.

ABOUT THE CRUSADERS
• Valparaiso is 9-6 this season, while still looking for its first-ever MVC win with a 0-2 record.
• The Crusaders have lost their last three games and six of the last seven after an 8-0 start to the season.
• Tevonn Walker leads Valpo with 16.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game this season.
• Joe Burton is second on the team with 11.5 points but has missed the last three games due to suspension, while Bakari Evelyn is third with 10.3 points to go with a team-best 3.2 assists.
• The Crusaders are averaging 72.3 points per game, while allowing 66.4.

CARVER STREAKING
• Bradley puts its undefeated home record on the line against Valparaiso as BU has opened the 2017-18 season a perfect 7-0 at Carver Arena.
• Bradley has won its last nine home games dating back to last season, its longest winning streak at Carver Arena since a 15-game run in 2006.
• The Braves secured their first unblemished home mark in non-conference play for the first time since the 2006-07 season with a 6-0 record.

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 60.7 points per game, ranking ninth in the country.
• The Braves also place in the top 40 in both field goal percentage defense (13th at 37.9%) and 3-point defense (32nd at 30.3%).

3-POINT SURGE
• On the offensive end, the Braves have been one of the nation's best from beyond the arc.
• Bradley ranks 23rd nationally by making 40.5 percent of its triples this season.
• The 3-point success highlights BU's improvement under Coach Wardle. After making 28.0 percent his first year, Bradley had the eighth-largest improvement nationally last year (+7.6 percent) before another 4.9 percent increase this year.
• In Sunday's win, Bradley shot 64.3 percent from 3-point range (9-of-14) – BU's highest mark with at least five makes since January 6, 1998.

WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?
• Sophomore Darrell Brown has continued to shine as the Braves top offensive threat, whether he is the team's go-to scorer or setting up others.
• Brown leads BU with 14.3 points and 3.9 assists per game during the 2017-18 season.
• In 15 games this year, Brown has led the team in points on eight occasions and in assists 12 times.
• The sophomore is one of only two players in the MVC to lead his team in both scoring and assists (Indiana State's Jordan Barnes is the other).

MR. CONSISTENT
• Not only has Darrell Brown led the team during the season but he has been just as consistent.
• Brown has scored in double figures in 14-of-15 games this year, including each of the last nine.
• His nine-game run is the longest by a Brave since Walt Lemon had a 20-game streak in 2013-14 and is the second-longest active streak in the MVC (Illinois State's Phil Fayne has a 13-game run).

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