Braves Meet Panthers in Valley Title Game

Men's Basketball 3/10/2019 12:00:00 AM

Bradley (19-14, 9-9 MVC) vs. Northern Iowa (16-17, 9-9 MVC)
Game Details	Sunday, March 10 • 1 p.m. • St. Louis, Mo. • Enterprise Center
Television	CBS
Radio	1470 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| Northern Iowa
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb
Tickets	Ticketmaster

A Missouri Valley Conference title and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament is on the line on Sunday when Bradley plays Northern Iowa in Arch Madness at 1 p.m. on CBS.

Before Sunday's game, fans can attend the Official Team Send-Off from the Embassy Suites St. Louis Downtown lounge with the BU band, cheerleaders and Bravettes at 11:45 a.m. The Braves will also host a Pre-Game Party at the Skybox Bar on the second floor of FOX Sports Midwest Live! within Ballpark Village from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley owns a 19-14 record with a 9-9 mark in Missouri Valley Conference action.
• The fifth-seeded Braves advanced to the MVC Championship after a 61-58 win over Missouri State on Friday and a 53-51 victory against top-seeded Loyola on Saturday.
• BU was one of the hottest teams down the stretch as the Braves won 11-of-15 games after an 0-5 start to Valley play, including eight of its final 10.
• Junior Darrell Brown leads the Braves with 14.9 points, 3.1 assists per game and 32 total steals.
• Sophomore Elijah Childs is first on the team in rebounds (7.9) and blocks (44), while ranking second in points (12.1) and steals (27).
• MVC Sixth Man of the Year Nate Kennell is third on the team with 9.5 points, while Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye is fourth with 8.5 points per game.
• BU averages 66.9 points per game, while ranking second in the Valley with a scoring defense of 65.3.

ABOUT THE PANTHERS
• Sixth-seeded Northern Iowa advanced to Sunday's championship game after a 61-58 win against Southern Illinois and 60-58 victory versus Drake.
• The Panthers are 16-17 overall after a 9-9 Valley season, finishing tied for fifth in the standings.
• Valley Freshman of the Year AJ Green leads the Panthers with 14.7 points and 2.2 assists per game.
• Wyatt Lohaus is second on the team with 10.5 points, while Trae Berhow leads UNI with 6.2 rebounds per game.
• The Panthers average 65.5 points per game, while allowing 65.8 on the defensive end.

SERIES HISTORY
• Northern Iowa holds the slightest edge in the all-time series with a 32-31 record against Bradley.
• The schools have split the season series in each of the last three seasons.
• While the series has largely been dominated by the home team, each team won on the road this season with Northern Iowa taking the Valley opener, 65-47, before Bradley posted a 79-71 win in Cedar Falls – its first since 2008.
• The Braves have not posted back-to-back wins over the Panthers since the 2005-06 season.

MVC TOURNAMENT MEETINGS
• Bradley and UNI have met five previous times at Arch Madness.
• The Braves won the first two meetings before the Panthers have claimed the last three.
• Sunday will mark the first championship game meeting as the schools have played three quarterfinals and two semifinals previously.

SEASON SERIES VERSUS PANTHERS
• The schools split the season series with both teams winning on its opponent's home court.
• Northern Iowa won the Valley opener for both schools with a 65-47 win on Jan. 2 before Bradley returned the favor with a 79-71 win at UNI.
• Darrell Brown led the Braves with 15.5 points in the two victories, scoring 29 in the winning effort with a 5-of-6 clip from 3-point range.
• Elijah Childs and Nate Kennell also averaged in double figures versus UNI with 11.5 points.

MVC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
• Bradley is making its 40th appearance in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
• The Braves own a 34-37 (.478) all-time record in the MVC Tournament, including a 21-24 (.467) mark at Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
• BU is looking to win its third Valley Championship in school history and first at Arch Madness as the Braves previously claimed the crown in 1980 and 1988 (both in Peoria).

MVC TITLE GAME
• Bradley is appearing in the Valley title game for the seventh time in school history and the first time in 13 years.
• BU has not won a title in 31 years as Bradley last won in 1988 with an 83-59 win over Illinois State.
• The Braves have lost their last three title game appearances (1996, 2001 and 2006).

MVC SEMIFINAL RECAP
• Bradley won a tight game with top-seeded Loyola on Saturday, 53-51.
• Junior Nate Kennell led the Braves with 19 points – making 5-of-8 from 3-point range.
• Sophomore Elijah Childs added a double-double with 10 points and 11 boards to go with a career-best five assists.
• Bradley outrebounded Loyola, 44-31, with a 12-3 edge in second-chance points.

MVC QUARTERFINAL RECAP
• Bradley rallied from a halftime deficit to earn a win in the MVC Quarterfinals – posting a 61-58 victory over Missouri State on Friday.
• The Braves trailed by seven at the break, 29-22, before outscoring the Bears, 39-29 in the second.
• Darrell Brown and Elijah Childs combined to score 26 of Bradley's 39 second-half points (after scoring only six combined in the first half).

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