Braves Return Home to Face Chicago State

Men's Basketball 11/23/2018 5:12:00 PM

Bradley (5-1) vs. Chicago State (0-7)
Game Details	Saturday, Nov. 24 • 1 p.m. • Peoria, Ill. • Carver Arena
Television	ESPN3
Radio	1470 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| Chicago State
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb
Tickets	Ticketmaster \| (309) 677-2625

After winning the Cancun Challenge earlier in the week, the Bradley basketball team returns to Peoria and hosts Chicago State on Saturday. Tipoff at Carver Arena is set for 1 p.m.

PROMOTIONS
• Saturday's game is Pekin Day. Any fan with a Pekin address can present their driver's license at the box office on game day for two white level tickets for 50% off.
• At halftime is the annual Bradley Baby Race (Click HERE to register)
• Also, in Kaboom!'s Korner is inflatables from Fun on the Run, including a Bounce House.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley is back in Peoria after winning the Cancun Challenge earlier this week, defeating SMU, 75-62, and Penn State, 59-56, for the title.
• Elijah Childs was named tournament MVP after averaging 19.5 and 7.5 boards – shooting 65.4 percent and 50.0 percent from 3-point range.
• Overall, Childs leads the Braves with 14.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game this season.
• Junior Darrell Brown is second on the team with 14.2 points to go with a team-leading 3.7 assists per game.
• Overall, four Braves average in double figures as Koch Bar (11.7) and Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye (11.0) rank third and fourth on the team.
• Bradley owns a scoring offense of 70.0 and a scoring defense of 61.5 in 2018-19.

SERIES HISTORY
• Bradley has won all 16 games with the Cougars dating back to the schools' first meeting in 1971.
• The Braves have defeated Chicago State more times without a loss than any other team it has played in its history.
• Last year, BU earned an 84-58 victory at Chicago State – its largest win in a true road game in 20 years. Darrell Brown recorded his first collegiate double-double with 11 points and 10 assists, while Luuk van Bree scored 15 points in the win.
• Bradley has won all 13 meetings in Peoria.

BRAVES VERSUS WAC
• The Braves are 32-15 all-time against current members of the WAC.
• Of Bradley's 47 meetings with teams from the WAC, 41 are against either Chicago State of former MVC member New Mexico State (13-12).

ABOUT THE COUGARS
• Chicago State is winless in seven games this year.
• The Cougars lost their most recent game to Jackson State, 81-68. CSU also played Valley rival Illinois State close in a 75-71 setback.
• Anthony Harris leads the Cougars with 14.0 points and 4.7 rebounds, connecting on 48.3 percent of his field goals and 40.0 percent of his triples.
• Rob Shaw is second on the team with 10.9 points to go with a CSU-best 4.4 assists per game
• Chicago State averages 60.4 points per game, while allowing 89.0 points on the defensive end.

CANCUN CHALLENGE CHAMPIONS
• The Braves are coming off its most successful November tournament in decades.
• Bradley defeated SMU and Penn State to claim the Cancun Challenge title – the program's first regular-season tournament in 35 years (1983 River City Shootout) and first away from Peoria in 52 years (1966 Sugar Bowl Tournament).
• Elijah Childs was named Tournament MVP after posting 19.5 points and 7.5 boards per game, while Darrell Brown was named to the All-Tournament Team with 15.0 points and 2.5 assists.
• The real MVP of the team was the Braves defense as Bradley held its AAC and Big Ten foes to just 59.0 points, 32.4 percent shooting and 21.6 from 3-point range.

FLEXING THEIR DEFENSIVE MUSCLE
• Bradley has picked up right where it left off last season on the defensive end.
• After posting the nation's 15th-ranked scoring defense in 2017-18 at 64.7 points per game, Bradley is allowing only 61.5 points through six games this season.
• The Braves currently rank first in the Valley in points allowed (61.5), field goal defense (38.4) and 3-point defense (27.6), while ranking second in steals (7.7) and turnovers forced (15.0).
• Against its five Division I opponents, Bradley has held its opponent to its fewest points of the year three times and second-fewest twice. In fact, Penn State's 56 points in the Cancun Challenge title game was its fewest points in the last two years.

65 POINTS
• The defensive number the Braves need to aim for is to keep their opponent under 65 points.
• Since the beginning of the 2017-18 campaign, Bradley is 18-1 when its opponent scores fewer than 65 points.
• However, the Braves are just 7-13 when teams hit the mark and 3-9 when allowing 70 or more points (22-5 when allowing fewer than 70).

BALANCED SCORING
• One key to the Braves' success on the offensive end is the number of scoring options.
• The Braves currently have four players averaging double figures with a fifth player averaging 8.5.
• Three different Braves have scored at least 20 points in just six games this season – Koch Bar, Elijah Childs and Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye.
• The list doesn't include the two returners that scored 20 points last year in Darrell Brown and Nate Kennell.
• Overall, Bradley has had four different players lead the team in scoring in six games this season and no player more than twice.

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