First Place on the Line Saturday at Carver Arena

Men's Basketball 1/17/2020 11:30:00 AM

Bradley (13-5, 4-1 MVC) vs. Northern Iowa (15-2, 4-1 MVC)
Game Details	Saturday, Jan. 18 • 5 p.m. • Peoria, Ill. • Carver Arena
Television	ESPN2
Radio	1470 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| Northern Iowa
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb
Tickets	Ticketmaster \| (309) 677-2625

All eyes in the Missouri Valley Conference will be on Carver Arena on Saturday as Bradley and Northern Iowa battle for first place in the conference standings. Tipoff is at 5 p.m. on ESPN2.

PROMOTIONS
• The Braves Club Pre-game Party starts at 3 p.m. at the Pere Marquette.
• Also, in Kaboom!'s Korner is inflatables from Fun on the Run, including a Bounce House, and Pop-a-Shot.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley has won three-straight games to improve to 13-5 during the 2019-20 campaign.
• The Braves are tied with Northern Iowa and Loyola for first in the Valley standings with a 4-1 record.
• BU is coming off a 91-78 road victory at Missouri State on Wednesday. The Braves rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit behind a season-best 17 made 3-pointers.
• Senior Nate Kennell led BU with 25 points thanks to a 7-of-10 day from 3-point range. Kennell ranks sixth nationally with a 3-point percentage of 47.0, scoring 13.2 points per game.
• Senior Darrell Brown averages 13.5 points to go with a team-leading 4.9 assists per game.
• Senior Koch Bar anchors the post with 8.3 boards and 1.3 blocks per game.
• BU's leading scorer and rebounder – Elijah Childs – has missed six of the last seven games with an injury.
• The Braves are averaging 73.2 points per game, while allowing 63.4 defensively.

SERIES HISTORY
• In 65 all-time meetings between the two schools, Northern Iowa holds a slight edge, 33-32.
• The Panthers held on for a tight 69-64 victory in Cedar Falls on Jan. 4, handing the Braves their only conference loss of the season so far.
• After splitting the season series a year ago, the schools met in the MVC Championship with Bradley rallying from down 18 points in the second half to earn a 57-54 victory – the team's first Valley title in 31 seasons.
• Overall, the schools have split the regular-season series in each of the last three years.

ABOUT THE PANTHERS
• Northern Iowa is tied for first in the Missouri Valley standings with a 4-1 record and is 15-2 overall.
• The Panthers are also 4-1 this season on the road.
• UNI has won its last four games, coming off an 88-78 home victory against Valparaiso Wednesday.
• AJ Green leads the Panthers with 19.4 points and 3.1 assists per game. He is also averaging 26.0 points in five Valley games this season.
• Trae Berhow is second on the team with 14.2 points per game, shooting 47.3 percent from 3-point range.
• Austin Phyfe adds 9.5 points and a team-leading 7.5 rebounds per game.
• The Panthers average 76.9 points per game on offense, while allowing 64.6.

HOME SWEET HOME
• Bradley looks to continue its home dominance when its hosts Northern Iowa on Saturday.
• The Braves are a perfect 10-0 at home this season and dating back to last year, Bradley owns a 14-game winning streak at Carver Arena.
• BU's 14-game run is the longest active streak in the Valley and the eighth-longest in the nation.
• Bradley is now aiming for its first 15-game home-court winning streak since a 15-game run from Jan. 14, 2006 to Dec. 30, 2006.
• Six of the 14 wins have come by at least 25 points as Bradley is outscoring opponents by an average of 75.8 to 57.2 during the winning streak.

EARLY VALLEY RETURNS
• The Braves are off to a strong start to the 2019-20 Valley campaign.
• Bradley owns a 4-1 conference record – its best start through five games since also beginning the 2008-09 campaign with a 4-1 record.
• The Braves have won their last three Valley games by at least 10 points for the first time since the 2007-08 campaign.

3-POINT SHOT KEYS VICTORY
• The Braves earned a key road Valley victory on Wednesday thanks to its shot beyond the arc.
• Bradley sunk 17-of-30 3-pointers versus the Bears. It marks the second-most by the Braves in school history and most in a Valley game.
• Only against Florida A&M on Nov. 21, 2006 did Bradley make more 3-pointers in a game.
• Nate Kennell highlighted the win with a 7-of-10 day from beyond the arc. He matched his career high and was just one shy of the school record.
• Overall, Bradley now ranks 30th nationally with a 37.6 percent clip from 3-point range.

KENNELL RANKS SIXTH NATIONALLY
• Senior sharpshooter Nate Kennell is enjoying a career year, largely thanks to his 3-point shooting.
• The senior currently ranks sixth nationally with a 47.0 clip from beyond the 3-point arc. He is also 27th with 3.00 triples per game.
• Kennell is averaging a career-best 13.2 points this year, shooting 44.6 percent overall from the field.

DEPTH IN NUMBERS
• One key for Bradley is its number of options and how each player contributes to the team's success.
• The Braves have nine active scholarship players on the roster this season and eight have scored in double figures in at least one game.
• Overall, three different Braves are averaging in double figures this season (with a fourth at 9.9). BU has not had at least three players score 10 points a game since 2013-14.
• Bradley has also had five players post a double-double this season – its most since 2006-07.

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