Braves Host I-74 Rival Illinois State Wednesday

Men's Basketball 2/13/2018 1:37:00 PM

Bradley (17-10, 7-7 MVC) vs. Illinois State (14-12, 8-6 MVC)
Game Details	Wednesday, Feb. 14 • 7 p.m. • Peoria, Ill. • Carver Arena
Television	ESPN3
Radio	1470 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| Illinois State
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb
Tickets	Ticketmaster \| (309) 677-2625

The I-74 Rivalry returns as the Bradley basketball team hosts Illinois State on Wednesday night. The Redbirds make the short 39-mile trip to Carver Arena for a 7 p.m. tipoff time.

PROMOTIONS
• The K9 Frisbee Dogs will provide halftime entertainment at Wednesday's game.
• Also, in Kaboom!'s Korner is a Bounce House and inflatables from Fun on the Run.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley is tied for fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference standings with a 7-7 league record.
• The Braves have lost three-straight contests after a four-game winning streak.
• Sophomore Darrell Brown leads Bradley with 13.3 points and 4.4 assists per game.
• Senior Donte Thomas is second on the team with 10.9 points per game, while also leading the Braves with 7.0 boards. Nate Kennell ranks third with 9.3 points per game.
• BU is averaging 67.6 points, shooting 43.1 percent from the floor and 35.7 percent from 3-point range.
• The strength of the team is on defense where BU features the nation's 17th-ranked unit, allowing only 64.2 points per game, 40.2 percent of field goals and 32.9 percent from 3-point range.

SERIES HISTORY
• In a series that dates back to 1904-05, the nearby rivals are meeting for the 126th time on Wednesday.
• Bradley is 63-62 all-time against the Redbirds, while Illinois State has the edge since joining the Valley in 1981, 44-35.
• ISU has won eight-straight in the series and 16 of the last 18 overall. The Braves last defeated the Redbirds during the 2013-14 campaign.

ABOUT THE REDBIRDS
• Illinois State is tied for third in the MVC standings, one game ahead of the Braves at 8-6.
• Overall, the Redbirds are 14-12 this year with Sunday's 74-58 loss at Valparaiso ending a four-game winning streak.
• Milik Yarbrough leads the Redbirds with 16.1 points per game and 4.7 assists per game.
• Keyshawn Evans and Phil Fayne are second and third on the team with 15.6 and 15.5 points but both missed the last contest.
• Illinois State averages 72.1 points per game but allows 73.9 points on the defensive end.

SEASON GAINS
• The Braves are making moves to return to the top of the Missouri Valley Conference.
• With four games remaining, Bradley's 17 wins already match its highest regular-season total since it went 20-11 during the 2006-07 season (finished 22-13 after postseason).
• In fact, Bradley's 17 victories are just one shy of the last two seasons combined (5 wins in 2015-16 and 13 wins in 2016-17).

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 64.2 points per game, ranking 17th in the country.
• The Braves also place in the top 75 in field goal percentage defense (20th at 40.2%), 2-point defense (28th at 45.4%) and 3-point defense (74th at 32.9%).

65 POINTS
• The defensive number the Braves need to aim for is to keep their opponent under 65 points.
• With the nation's 17th-ranked scoring defense at 64.2 points per game, Bradley is a perfect 12-0 this year when allowing fewer than 65.
• However, the Braves are 5-10 when teams hit the mark and are 2-7 when allowing 70 or more points (15-3 when allowing fewer than 70).
• In its last five games, BU has allowed four of its five highest totals in its 14-game MVC schedule (at least 73 points) – allowing an average of 73.2 during the five-game span.

DEFENDING CARVER
• While BU has slipped a little on the defensive end recently, it is good news for the team to return to the friendly surroundings at Carver Arena.
• Bradley ranks first in the country with the best home-court field goal percentage defense, while placing fourth in scoring defense at home.
• Bradley is 12-1 at Carver Arena this season (tied with Loyola for the best record in the MVC), outscoring opponents 70.6 to 57.5.

40 PERCENT THRESHOLD
• The key target for the Braves this season is to shoot 40 percent from the field.
• Bradley is 7-1 this season when shooting at least 40 percent in MVC games (15-3 overall).
• On the reverse end, BU is winless in six MVC games when shooting under 40 percent (2-6 overall).
• In MVC games, BU is shooting 47.4 percent in its seven wins (40.0% 3-pointers), while making 37.6 percent of shots in its seven losses (24.8% 3-pointers).

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Players Mentioned

#5 Darrell Brown: G; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#25 Nate Kennell: G; 6' 6"; Sophomore

#1 Donte Thomas: F; 6' 7"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#5 Darrell Brown
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: G

#25 Nate Kennell
: 6' 6"; Sophomore
: G

#1 Donte Thomas
: 6' 7"; Senior
: F

Braves Host I-74 Rival Illinois State Wednesday

Players Mentioned

#5 Darrell Brown

#25 Nate Kennell

#1 Donte Thomas

Players Mentioned

#5 Darrell Brown

#25 Nate Kennell

#1 Donte Thomas