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Bradley Basketball Travels to Face Valpo

Koch Bar
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Men's Basketball 2/16/2018 11:05:00 AM
Bradley (18-10, 8-7 MVC) at Valparaiso (13-15, 4-11 MVC)
Game Details Saturday, Feb. 17 • 8 p.m. • Valparaiso, Ind. • Athletics-Recreation Center
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  |  Valparaiso
Game Coverage Live Stats | Twitter: @bradleyumbb | Instagram: @bradleyumbb

With just three regular-season games left, the Bradley basketball team makes its first trip to Valparaiso for an MVC game. The schools are set to meet on Saturday night at 8 p.m.
 

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley is tied for fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference standings with an 8-7 league record.
• The Braves earned a 70-58 victory against I-74 rival Illinois State on Wednesday, ending a three-game losing streak.
• Sophomore Darrell Brown leads Bradley with 13.3 points and 4.5 assists per game.
• Senior Donte Thomas is second on the team with 11.0 points per game, while also leading the Braves with 7.1 boards. Nate Kennell ranks third with 9.3 points per game.
• BU is averaging 67.7 points, shooting 43.1 percent from the floor and 35.5 percent from 3-point range.
• The strength of the team is on defense where BU features the nation's 15th-ranked unit, allowing only 64.0 points per game, 39.9 percent of field goals and 32.2 percent from 3-point range.
 

SERIES HISTORY
• The newest member of The Valley, Valparaiso is playing the Braves for just the fifth time.
• In their first meeting as conference foes, Bradley earned an 80-71 win at Carver Arena on Jan. 3. Donte Thomas scored 19 points to go with 12 boards, while Koch Bar also added a season-best 14 points.
• Overall, Bradley owns a 3-1 edge in the series with this season's earlier meeting the first between the two since 1983.
• The home team has won all four games in series history.
 

ABOUT THE CRUSADERS
• Valparaiso is in 10th place in the MVC standings with a 4-11 league record. Overall, the Crusaders are 13-15 on the season.
• Valpo has won its last two home games, earning victories against Indiana State and Illinois State.
• Tevonn Walker leads Valparaiso with 14.8 points and 4.8 rebounds this season.
• Bakari Evelyn is second with 12.5 points to go with a team-leading 3.0 assists per game.
• Overall, the Crusaders average 70.1 points, while allowing 68.0 per game.
 

SEASON GAINS
• The Braves are making moves to return to the top of the Missouri Valley Conference.
• With three games remaining, Bradley's 18 wins are already its highest regular-season total since it went 20-11 during the 2006-07 season (finished 22-13 after postseason).
• In fact, Bradley's 18 victories equal its total from the last two seasons combined (5 wins in 2015-16 and 13 wins in 2016-17).
• Bradley is on pace to match its highest MVC finish in the last 17 years as the Braves have not placed higher than fourth since 2000-01 (t-2nd).
 

POINTS IN THE PAINT
• Bradley is at its best this year when winning the battle inside.
• In Wednesday's victory over ISU, BU outscored the Redbirds by a 38-18 margin in the paint.
• The 38 points in the paint are the team's highest against a Division I opponent this season, while the +20 margin was its highest since outscoring Drake, 32-10, in the paint on Jan. 4, 2014.
• The Braves are 16-4 this season when scoring more or the same amount of points inside as its opponent. However, Bradley is just 2-6 this season when losing the battle in the paint.
 

SENIOR LEADERSHIP
• 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 with 13.1 points in 15 MVC contests, while shooting 57.0 percent.
• The 13.1 points per game for Thomas mark a 4.6-point improvement from non-conference.
• In MVC games only, Thomas is 15th in points, second in rebounds, fifth in field goal percentage, ninth in free throw percentage and fifth in blocks.
• Thomas now ranks second on the team with 11.0 points, while leading Bradley with 7.1 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 64.0 points per game, ranking 15th in the country.
• The Braves also place in the top 50 in field goal percentage defense (14th at 39.9%), 2-point defense (28th at 45.5%) and 3-point defense (50th at 32.2%).
 

65 POINTS
• The defensive number the Braves need to aim for is to keep their opponent under 65 points.
• With the nation's 15th-ranked scoring defense at 64.0 points per game, Bradley is a perfect 13-0 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 (16-3 when allowing fewer than 70).
• After a five-game span from Jan. 28 to Feb. 11 when the Braves allowed 73.2 points per game, BU returned to its defensive strength in Wednesday's win as Illinois State scored its second-fewest points in an MVC game this year (58).
 

 
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Players Mentioned

Koch Bar

#12 Koch Bar

C
6' 11"
Sophomore
Darrell Brown

#5 Darrell Brown

G
5' 10"
Sophomore
Nate Kennell

#25 Nate Kennell

G
6' 6"
Sophomore
Donte Thomas

#1 Donte Thomas

F
6' 7"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Koch Bar

#12 Koch Bar

6' 11"
Sophomore
C
Darrell Brown

#5 Darrell Brown

5' 10"
Sophomore
G
Nate Kennell

#25 Nate Kennell

6' 6"
Sophomore
G
Donte Thomas

#1 Donte Thomas

6' 7"
Senior
F