Bradley Opens Cancun Challenge versus SMU

Men's Basketball 11/19/2018 10:05:00 AM

Bradley (3-1) vs. SMU (2-2)
Game Details	Tuesday, Nov. 20 • 5 p.m. CT • Cancun, Mexico • Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya
Television	CBS Sports Network
Radio	1470 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| SMU
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb

The Bradley men's basketball team heads south of the border, competing in the Cancun Challenge in Mexico this week. The Braves open the tournament on Tuesday against SMU at 5 p.m. CT.

CANCUN CHALLENGE
• The Braves begin the Riviera Division of the Cancun Challenge on Tuesday, playing SMU.
• The winner advances to play the winner of Penn State and Wright State on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. CT with the consolation game set for 5 p.m.
• Bradley won its first two games of the challenge during in Peoria, defeating UW-Parkside, 74-58, and Jacksonville State, 74-65.

REGULAR-SEASON TOURNAMENTS
• Bradley owns a 73-72 all-time record in regular-season tournaments.
• This week will mark the 54th time the Braves compete in an in-season tournament, having finished first or tied for first five previous times.
• Bradley has not won its opening game of a neutral-site tournament or advanced to a championship game since the 2010 Hall of Fame Tipoff – defeating USC before losing to TCU.

WORLD TRAVELERS
• Bradley's trip to Mexico this week will mark the fourth foreign country the Braves have played in in the last year.
• Last season, BU played its first regular-season tournament outside the United States since 1989 when it went 2-1 at the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase (fifth place).
• This past summer, the Braves then took their foreign tour to England and Amsterdam, winning both games in Europe.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• After a 3-0 start to the season, Bradley is coming off its first defeat of the year – losing at UIC, 71-70, on Saturday.
• Junior Darrell Brown leads the team with 13.8 points and 4.5 assists per game this season.
• Sophomore Elijah Childs is second on Bradley with 12.5 points, while leading BU with 9.0 rebounds per game.
• Overall, four Braves are averaging at least 11 points a game as Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye chips in 12.5 points and Koch Bar averages 11.8.
• Through four contests, Bradley is averaging 71.5 points per game, while allowing 62.8.

SERIES HISTORY
• Bradley and SMU are playing for the fourth time in series history but are meeting for the first time in 64 years.
• The Braves swept a pair of games the last time they played during the 1954-55 season, winning a regular-season game in Peoria before an 81-79 victory in the round of 16 during the NCAA Tournament.
• SMU won its only game in the series in 1938, defeating the Braves, 45-33.

BRAVES VERSUS AMERICAN
• Bradley has only played a team from the American Athletic Conference twice since it was formed in 2013.
• The Braves last played a school from the AAC in 2014, losing to Memphis. BU also lost to South Florida in the league's inaugural season in 2013.

ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
• SMU enters Cancun with a 2-2 record – earning wins against Northwestern State and Western Carolina, while dropping games to Southern Miss and Lipscomb.
• Jahmal McMurray leads SMU with 17.3 points per game, while Ethan Chargois is right behind with 17.0 points per game and a team-best 9.5 rebounds.
• Jimmy Whitt Jr. is third with 13.8 points to go with a team-best 4.25 assists per game.
• The Mustangs own a scoring offense of 76.0, with a scoring defense of 69.0.

CHILDS TAKES REBOUNDING LEAD
• With the need to replace BU's leading rebounder in the last three seasons, Donte Thomas, sophomore Elijah Childs has become the new go-to leader.
• Childs has led the team in boards in each of the four games this season, ranking second in the Valley and 79th nationally with 9.0 per game.
• In fact, Childs is the first Brave to lead the team in rebounding in each of the first three games since Danny Granger did so in 2001-02.
• Childs is also adding 12.5 points per game for the Braves on the offensive end.

CHARITY STRIPE
• One area where the Braves have really excelled so far in 2018-19 is getting to the free throw line.
• In just four games, Bradley has already made and attempted 26 more free throws than its opponent – accounting for 6.5 more points per game.
• Bradley has made more free throws than its foe in all four games this season.
• In fact, BU ranks 25th nationally with a free-throw rate of 51.3 percent (FTA/FGA), while placing 26th by scoring 25.9 percent of its points from the line.

DRIVING TO THE LINE
• The one player that has really excelled at getting to the free-throw line is senior Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye.
• The senior ranks 27th nationally with 23 made free throws, while placing 38th in attempts (27).
• Lautier-Ogunleye also places second in the KenPom ratings for free-throw rate (185.7%) and 13th in fouls drawn (9.2 per game).
• A career 64.1 percent shooter from the line entering the year, Lautier-Ogunleye has made 85.2 percent in 2018-19.

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