Men’s Basketball Unveils 2018-19 Non-Conference Schedule

Bob Hunt - Photographer

2018-19 Non-Conference Schedule

Men's Basketball 7/26/2018 4:00:00 PM

Seven home games, five contests against 20-win programs from a year ago and a trip to Cancun highlight the 2018-19 Bradley men's basketball non-conference schedule, announced by head coach Brian Wardle on Thursday.

Bradley's five games against teams coming off 20-win seasons are the second most by BU since the 1999-00 campaign as only the 2007-08 squad played more with six.

"We're really excited to share our 2018-19 non-conference schedule," Wardle said. "We reached our goals of hosting at least seven games for our fans in Peoria and competing in a higher-quality regular-season tournament, while also playing multiple contests against programs that will play postseason basketball. We're looking forward to our exempt tournament as we're joined by three really good teams in Cancun before hosting one of the top Mountain West schools in New Mexico. Our program is now in a position to play winning teams that we hypothetically believe can win their league championship, which will best prepare us for a very good Missouri Valley Conference this season."

After an exhibition game against Carroll University (Wis.) on Nov. 1, the Braves officially open the 2018-19 campaign on Nov. 7 against UW-Parkside. The earliest season-opener in school history will also serve as the first game of BU's Cancun Challenge.

Bradley's contest against the Pioneers is the team's first of three-straight games at Carver Arena to open the season. The Braves are set to meet Southeast Missouri State for the third-straight season on Nov. 10 before hosting Jacksonville State on Nov. 14 in their second Cancun Challenge matchup. Bradley's contest against the Gamecocks also begins a stretch where the Braves play 3-of-4 games against 20-win teams from a season ago.

The Braves hit the road for the first time in 2018-19 and are set to play a non-conference game in Chicago for the second-straight season when it meets UIC on Nov. 17. Bradley then continues its road trip when the team leaves the United States for the second-consecutive year for its regular-season tournament. BU opens the Cancun Challenge on Nov. 20 against SMU before playing either Penn State or Wright State the following night.

Bradley alternates home and road games the remainder of the non-conference season, starting with a game at Carver Arena against Chicago State on Nov. 24. The Braves then play at IUPUI on Nov. 28, host New Mexico as part of the Missouri Valley Conference – Mountain West Challenge Series on Dec. 1, travel to Little Rock for a Dec. 4 contest and welcome Eastern Illinois to Carver Arena on Dec. 15.

The Braves complete their non-conference schedule and prepare for the MVC season with a pair of 20-win teams last season. Bradley plays at Georgia Southern on Dec. 18 and then hosts Southeastern Louisiana in the non-conference finale on Dec. 22.

2018-19 Series History
Opponent	All-Time Series	Last Meeting
UW-Parkside (Nov. 7)	First Meeting	n/a
Southeast Missouri State (Nov. 10)	Bradley, 8-2	Bradley 75, SEMO 67 (12/20/17)
Jacksonville State (Nov. 14)	Bradley, 1-0	Bradley 72, Jacksonville State 65 (11/8/13)
UIC (Nov. 17)	Bradley, 5-1	Bradley 68, UIC 60 (12/28/14)
SMU (Nov. 20)	Bradley, 2-1	Bradley 81, SMU 79 (3/11/55)
Penn State (Nov. 21)	Bradley, 3-2	Bradley 63, Penn State 54 (12/12/98)
Wright State (Nov. 21)	Bradley, 2-0	Bradley 72, Wright State 65 (12/11/07)
Chicago State (Nov. 24)	Bradley, 16-0	Bradley 84, Chicago State 58 (12/16/17)
IUPUI (Nov. 28)	Bradley, 3-2	Bradley 68, IUPUI 53 (11/11/17)
New Mexico (Dec. 1)	Bradley, 2-0	Bradley 86, New Mexico 54 (3/21/64)
Little Rock (Dec. 4)	Tied, 1-1	Bradley 86, Little Rock 46 (12/13/17)
Eastern Illinois (Dec. 15)	Bradley, 8-5	Bradley 67, EIU 56 (12/1/17)
Georgia Southern (Dec. 18)	Bradley, 4-1	Bradley 62, Georgia Southern 57 (11/25/17)
Southeastern Louisiana (Dec. 22)	First Meeting	n/a

Bradley looks to continue its climb up the Missouri Valley Conference standings in 2018-19 as the Braves finished last season with a 20-13 record. One of just four schools in the country to improve by at least five wins in each of the last two years, BU earned a top-five seed for the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and advanced to the league semifinals for the first time since 2010.

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