Bradley Plays at Evansville on Wednesday

Men's Basketball 1/29/2019 4:23:00 PM

Bradley (10-11, 2-6 MVC) at Evansville (9-12, 3-5 MVC)
Game Details	Wednesday, Jan. 30 • 6 p.m. • Evansville, Ind. • Ford Center
Television	ESPN+
Radio	1470 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| Evansville
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb

After having its two-game winning streak snapped on Saturday, the Braves are back in action on Wednesday with a road game at Evansville. First tip at the Ford Center is set for 6 p.m.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley saw its two-game winning streak snapped on Saturday, falling at Missouri State.
• The Braves are now 10-11 on the season with a 2-6 mark in Missouri Valley Conference action.
• Junior Darrell Brown leads the Braves with 14.2 points per game in 2018-19 to go with a team-best 3.1 assists per game.
• Sophomore Elijah Childs is second on the team with 11.6 points in addition a Bradley-high 7.8 rebounds per game.
• Senior Luuk van Bree is third on the team in scoring in Valley games at 7.9 points, while Nate Kennell (8.5) and Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye (8.0) average eight points overall this season.
• The Braves are averaging 65.6 points per game, while ranking second in the Valley with a scoring defense of 66.1.

SERIES HISTORY
• The Braves own a 29-23 all-time edge versus the Purple Aces.
• The series has largely been dominated by the home team with the host schools combining to win 37-of-50 games (74.0 percent).
• The host school has won the last three games after the teams split the season series a year ago. Evansville posted a 68-44 home win before Bradley answered two weeks later with a 66-53 victory in Peoria.

ABOUT THE PURPLE ACES
• Evansville is 9-12 on the season with a 3-5 mark in Missouri Valley Conference play.
• The Purple Aces are 8-3 at home, compared to a 1-9 road record.
• Evansville has lost its last three games, dropping an 81-74 contest at Northern Iowa on Saturday.
• K.J. Riley leads four Purple Aces in double figures with 14.3 points and 3.3 assists per game.
• John Hall is first on the team with 8.3 rebounds.
• Evansville averages 72.0 points per game, while allowing 72.4 on the defensive end.

CAN'T HOLD ME DOWN
• The bad news: BU leading scorer Darrell Brown was held to just one point in Saturday's setback to Missouri State.
• The good news: Brown has done a great job of responding during his college career.
• In the last two seasons following a game when he scores less than 10 points, Brown has averaged 18.4 points in the next game as Bradley is 6-2 with his response.
• This season alone, the junior has posted 24.0 points following a single-digit game, shooting 51.9 percent and 46.7 from 3-point range.
• Overall, Brown is scoring 14.2 points a game this season, shooting 38.5 percent.

DOUBLE-DIGIT KEY
• A large key for success for the Braves is to get their top two scorers involved on the offensive end.
• When Darrell Brown and Elijah Childs both score in double figures, Bradley is 8-3.
• When one of the duo fails to score 10 points in a game, Bradley is just 2-8 in 2018-19 (1-5 in Valley action).
• Brown is averaging 14.2 points per game, while Childs is second with 11.6.

DEFENSE LEADING THE BRAVES
• The Braves are once again showing that they own one of the top defenses in the Missouri Valley Conference this season.
• Bradley currently ranks second in the MVC with a scoring defense of 66.1 – a number that lowers to 63.2 in eight conference games.
• Overall, the Braves rank in the top three of three defensive categories in the Valley – placing first in field goal percentage defense (41.9), second in turnovers forced (14.4) and third in blocks (3.8).

70 AND UNDER ONLY
• Bradley's defense has kept the Braves in a number of games this season by preventing its opponent from reaching the 70-point mark.
• The Braves are the only Valley team to not allow 70 points in a conference game this season.
• In fact, the Braves have gone the first eight Valley games without allowing 70 points for the first time since 1996-97.

2-POINT DEFENSE
• The strength of the Valley's second-ranked scoring defense is Bradley's 2-point defense this season.
• The Braves lead the Valley and rank 53rd nationally by allowing opponents to make only 46.8 percent of their shots inside the arc (national average is 50.3).
• Overall, Bradley ranks first in the MVC with a field goal percentage defense of 41.9 percent.

OFFENSIVE DIP
• While the defense has improved during Valley play, Bradley has seen its offensive performance dip in league action.
• After showcasing its offensive potential with its highest-scoring non-conference season in 11 years (71.2 points per game), Bradley has posted 56.5 points in six Valley contests so far.
• Consistency is the key for BU as Bradley did break out for an 85-68 win versus rival Illinois State – the most points in a Valley game this season and the most for the Braves in seven years.

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