Bradley Meets Northwestern in Fort Myers Tip-Off

Men's Basketball 11/24/2019 12:37:00 PM

Bradley (4-1) vs. Northwestern (2-2)
Game Details	Monday, Nov. 25 • 7:30 p.m. CT • Peoria, Ill. • Carver Arena
Television	FS1
Radio	1470 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| Northwestern
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb

The Bradley men's basketball team opens the championship rounds of the Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off on Monday with a contest against Northwestern. First tip is set for 7:30 p.m. CT on FS1.

FORT MYERS TIP-OFF
• After opening the Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off with a pair of wins against Norfolk State and Radford on campus, the Braves head to Florida for a two-game tournament.
• The Braves open against Northwestern on Monday in the second game at Suncoast Credit Union Arena (7:30 p.m. CT).
• The winner advances to play the winner of Kansas State and Pittsburgh on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. CT with the consolation game set for 5 p.m.

REGULAR-SEASON TOURNAMENTS
• Bradley is looking to duplicate its recent success in regular-season tournaments.
• Last season, Bradley earned its first in-season title since the 1983 River City Shootout in Peoria, earning victories over SMU and Penn State to claim the Cancun Challenge crown.
• Elijah Childs was named Tournament MVP after averaging 19.5 and 7.5 boards in the two victories.
• Overall, BU is 77-72 all-time in regular-season tournaments, having finished first or tied for first six previous times.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley has won four-straight games to move to 4-1 in 2019-20, coming off a 70-61 victory against Radford on Friday.
• Senior Nate Kennell led the Braves with a season-best 20 points against the Highlanders, making 8-of-13 field goals and 4-of-6 from 3-point range.
• Five Braves are scoring in double figures, led by 13.8 points from Darrell Brown. The senior is also averaging a team-leading 6.8 assists per game.
• Kennell (13.2), Elijah Childs (12.8), Ja'Shon Henry (10.5) and Koch Bar (10.0) are also scoring at least 10 points per game.
• Bar and Childs lead BU in rebounding with 10.0 and 9.6 per game, respectively.
• The Braves are averaging 75.0 points per game, while allowing 63.2.

SERIES HISTORY
• The two in-state foes are meeting for only the 10th time overall and just the fourth time in the NCAA Tournament era.
• Overall, Northwestern leads the series, 8-1, with five of the victories coming from 1930 to 1938.
• BU won the last contest in the series, posting a 76-72 victory during the 1985-86 campaign.

BRAVES VERSUS BIG TEN
• Bradley is 25-51 all-time against Big Ten schools.
• Last season, the Braves split a pair of meetings with the conference – earning a victory against Penn State in the Cancun Challenge title game before dropping a close decision to Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament.

ABOUT THE WILDCATS
• Northwestern enters the week with a 2-2 record, earning wins against Providence and Norfolk State with setbacks to Merrimack and Radford.
• Three Wildcats are scoring in double figures, led by 15.3 points from Pete Nance, who also leads the team with 9.0 rebounds per game.
• Miller Kopp is second with 11.8 points, while Ryan Young is third with 11.5 points.
• Pat Spencer leads the team with 4.3 assists.
• Northwestern is averaging 64.8 points per game, while allowing 65.0 defensively.

DEFENSE LEADS BU TO VICTORIES
• The Braves have excelled on the defensive end during their four-game winning streak.
• Since allowing 86 points in a season-opening setback at Saint Joseph's, Bradley owns a scoring defense of just 57.5 points per game – allowing no more than 61 points in any game.
• During the winning streak, opponents own a field goal percentage of just 39.0 with a 27.1 percent clip from 3-point range.

CLEANING THE GLASS
• The Braves have dominated on the glass so far this season, especially on the offensive end.
• Bradley ranks eighth nationally by collecting 15.8 offensive rebounds per game, while placing first in the Valley with 40.8 rebounds per game and second with a rebound margin of +7.8.
• Bradley totaled 23 offensive rebounds at Saint Joseph's on Nov. 5 – its most since grabbing 25 against Little Rock on Dec. 22, 2014.
• Koch Bar leads Bradley in rebounding – ranking seventh nationally with 4.6 offensive boards per game and 31st with 10.0 rebounds.
• Elijah Childs is right behind his teammate, placing 19th in the NCAA with 4.2 offensive boards and 49th with 9.6 rebounds.

OFFENSIVE ATTACK
• The Braves have featured a higher-scoring attack through five games in 2019-20.
• Bradley is averaging 75.0 points so far, currently ranking fourth in the Valley.
• Known more recently as a strong defensive team, Bradley has not averaged 70 points a game since the 2007-08 campaign when it averaged 73.8. The Braves haven't also finished in the top half of the Valley standings in scoring offense since 2008-09.

DEPTH IN SCORING
• One key for BU on offense is its depth of options.
• Five different Braves are currently averaging in double figures. BU has not even had at least three players score 10 points a game since 2013-14.
• In three of Bradley's five games this season, five Braves have scored in double figures.

Print Friendly Version