Bradley Hosts I-74 Rival Illinois State Wednesday

Men's Basketball 1/21/2020 4:05:00 PM

Bradley (13-6, 4-2 MVC) vs. Illinois State (6-12, 1-5 MVC)
Game Details	Wednesday, Jan. 22 • 7 p.m. • Peoria, Ill. • Carver Arena
Television	ESPN+
Radio	1470 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| Illinois State
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb
Tickets	Ticketmaster \| (309) 677-2625

The first matchup of the I-74 rivalry in 2019-20 is set for Wednesday night at Carver Arena as the Bradley men's basketball team hosts Illinois State. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

PROMOTIONS
• Former Braves head coach Jim Molinari will be honored at halftime for his induction into the Bradley Hall of Fame.
• The Braves Club Game Day Luncheon, presented by Busey Bank, is Wednesday at noon featuring Coach Molinari.
• Jim Cornelison, the anthem singer for the Chicago Blackhawks, will sing the anthem prior to Wednesday's game.
• Also, in Kaboom!'s Korner is inflatables from Fun on the Run, including a Bounce House, and Pop-a-Shot.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley saw its three-game winning streak end on Saturday with an 86-71 setback to Northern Iowa.
• Overall, the Braves are 13-6 this season with a 4-2 record in Valley play – third in the MVC standings.
• Senior Darrell Brown averages 14.2 points and a team-leading 4.8 assists per game.
• Senior Nate Kennell adds 12.7 points per game, ranking ninth nationally with a 3-point clip of 45.4 percent.
• Senior Koch Bar anchors the post with 8.3 boards and 1.3 blocks per game.
• Bradley's leading scorer and rebounder – Elijah Childs – has missed seven of the last eight games with an injury.
• The Braves are averaging 73.1 points per game, while allowing 64.6 defensively.

SERIES HISTORY
• In a series that dates back to 1904-05, the nearby rivals are meeting for the 129th time Wednesday.
• Bradley is 66-62 all-time against the Redbirds, while Illinois State has the edge since joining the Valley in 1981, 44-38.
• Last season, the Braves swept the Redbirds for the first time since the 2006-07 campaign, earning an 85-68 win in Peoria before a 65-59 road victory.

ABOUT THE REDBIRDS
• Illinois State has dropped its last five games as the Redbirds are 6-12 overall this season and 1-5 in Valley play.
• The Redbirds have lost all nine games away from home with a 0-6 road record and 0-3 neutral mark.
• ISU's lone conference victory, however, is over first-place Northern Iowa.
• Zach Copeland is the lone Redbird averaging in double figures, scoring 15.4 points per game.
• Keith Fisher III is second on the team with 7.7 points to go with a team-leading 5.5 rebounds.
• Ricky Torres has posted an ISU-best 3.1 assists per game this season.
• Illinois State is averaging 66.3 points per game this season, while allowing 70.2.

MOLINARI INTO BRADLEY HOF
• Bradley is set to honor former coach Jim Molinari on Wednesday as he is the latest Brave inducted into the school's Hall of Fame.
• In 11 seasons on BU's sideline from 1991 to 2002, Molinari compiled a 174-152 record – including a school-record 110 Valley victories.
• The 1996 MVC Coach of the Year, Molinari led the Braves to the 1996 Valley regular-season title and a trip to the 1996 NCAA Tournament as well as five NIT appearances.
• His Bradley teams also ranked among the top 24 nationally in scoring defense in 8-of-11 years.
• Molinari is currently in his first season as an assistant coach at Oklahoma.

EARLY VALLEY RETURNS
• Despite being down one of the league's top players due to injury, the Braves are off to a strong start to the 2019-20 Valley campaign.
• Bradley owns a 4-2 conference record – its best start through six games since beginning the 2008-09 campaign with a 5-1 record.

KINGSBY EARNS VALLEY HONOR
• Danya Kingsby recorded a pair of breakthrough performances last week and was honored as the Missouri Valley Newcomer of the Week.
• The junior averaged 20.0 points and 4.0 assists against Missouri State and Northern Iowa.
• Entering the week with a career high of 13 points, Kingsby scored 12 in a win at Missouri State before a 28-point outing against Northern Iowa.
• Overall, he shot 66.7 percent (16-24) for the week with a 62.5 percent (5-8) clip from 3-point range.
• Overall, Kingsby is averaging 8.4 points and 2.2 assists per game in his first season at Bradley.

HOME COOKING
• Darrell Brown has treated the home fans to his best basketball this season.
• In 11 home games during the 2019-20 campaign, Brown is averaging 15.8 points and 6.1 assists, shooting 39.6 percent from 3-point range.
• During eight road and neutral games, Brown has totaled 11.9 points and 3.1 assists – shooting 26.1 percent from 3-point range.

REBOUNDING EDGE
• Winning the rebounding battle is key for Bradley during the 2019-20 campaign and the Braves have done a good job of controlling the glass in almost every contest.
• The Braves have won the rebounding battle in 15-of-19 games this season, drawing once and losing three times.
• The Braves are 13-3 when winning or drawing the battle on the glass. However, the team has lost all three games when their opponent collects more.

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