Braves Meet Ramblers with Valley Title Game Bid on the Line

Men's Basketball 3/9/2019 12:00:00 AM

Bradley (18-14, 9-9 MVC) vs. Loyola (20-12, 12-6 MVC)
Game Details	Saturday, March 9 • 2:30 p.m. • St. Louis, Mo. • Enterprise Center
Television	CBS Sports Network
Radio	1470 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| Loyola
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb
Tickets	Ticketmaster

A spot in the 2019 Valley title game is on the line Saturday when Bradley plays top-seeded Loyola in the Arch Madness semifinals. First tip in St. Louis is set for 2:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley owns an 18-14 record with a 9-9 mark in Missouri Valley Conference action.
• The fifth-seeded Braves advanced to the MVC Semifinals after earning a 61-58 victory against fourth-seeded Missouri State on Friday.
• BU was one of the hottest teams down the stretch as the Braves won 10-of-14 games after an 0-5 start to Valley play, including seven of its final nine.
• Junior Darrell Brown and sophomore Elijah Childs both collected all-conference honors this season.
• Brown leads the Braves with 15.2 points, 3.2 assists per game and 32 total steals.
• Childs is first on the team in rebounds (7.8) and blocks (42), while ranking second in points (12.2) and steals (26).
• MVC Sixth Man of the Year Nate Kennell is third on the team with 9.2 points, while Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye is fourth with 8.6 points per game.
• The Braves are averaging 67.3 points per game, while ranking second in the Valley with a scoring defense of 65.8.

ABOUT THE RAMBLERS
• Loyola won its second-straight Valley regular-season title after posting a 12-6 conference mark.
• The Ramblers own a 20-12 record overall after defeating Valparaiso, 67-54, on Friday.
• MVC Larry Bird Player of the Year Marques Townes leads Loyola with 15.9 points and 3.5 assists.
• Cameron Krutwig is second on the team with 15.0 points to go with a team-best 7.3 rebounds.
• The Ramblers rank first in the Valley with a scoring defense of 60.7, while scoring 66.2 points per game.

SERIES HISTORY
• The Braves hold a 35-27 all-time edge against the Ramblers in a series that dates back to 1928. However, Loyola has won 10-of-15 games since joining the MVC in 2013.
• The schools split a pair of games this season with each team winning on their home court.
• Saturday marks the sixth meeting between the two schools in the last two seasons. The teams have traded wins with Loyola holding a 3-2 edge.

MVC TOURNAMENT MEETINGS
• Bradley and Loyola are meeting for the fourth time in six years in the MVC Tournament since Loyola joined the league in 2013-14.
• The Ramblers have won all three prior postseason meetings with the Braves.
• Last season, Loyola pulled out a close win against the Braves in the semifinals, 62-54. The schools played a one-possession game down the stretch before the Ramblers scored the final six points for the eight-point win.

SEASON SERIES VERSUS RAMBLERS
• The schools split the season series with both team winning on its home court.
• Bradley won the opener on Feb. 13, posting a 61-54 victory before Loyola earned a win in the regular-season finale, 81-68.
• Darrell Brown led the Braves with 18.5 points in the first two meetings, shooting 6-of-12 from 3-point range. Elijah Childs and Ja'Shon Henry were second on the team with 9.5 points.

MVC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
• Bradley is making its 40th appearance in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
• The Braves own a 33-37 (.471) all-time record in the MVC Tournament, including a 20-24 (.455) mark at Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
• Bradley is 6-13 all-time in semifinals and is looking to advance to the championship game for the first time since 2006.
• Including last year's loss to the Ramblers, Bradley is 1-9 all-time against the top seed in the MVC Tournament with its lone win against Wichita State in the 2006 semifinals. The Braves have lost their last four games to the No. 1 seed since 2006.

MVC QUARTERFINAL RECAP
• For the second-straight season, 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).

NEW LOOK BRAVES
• History was against the Braves after a slow start to the Valley season but BU has since responded.
• Bradley lost its first five games of the conference season but has rebounded by winning 10-of-14 since and seven of its last nine.
• Only Drake has matched the Braves performance over the last nine games.
• Since the Valley adopted its current postseason format in 1997, only two schools have started 0-4 and advanced to the semifinal – this year's Bradley team and the 2013 Illinois State squad.

NO QUIT IN THE BRAVES
• Bradley is going to fight to the final whistle and has shown the ability to rally this season.
• After Friday's comeback, Bradley leads the MVC with seven wins this season when trailing at the half – two more than Evansville and Southern Illinois for the most in the Valley.
• Bradley's seven halftime rallies this year are its most since also recording seven in 2012-13.

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