Bradley Welcomes Judson for Home Opener

Men's Basketball 11/30/2020 5:36:00 PM

Bradley (2-1, 0-0 MVC) vs. Judson (0-2, 0-0 CCAC)
Game Details	Tuesday, Dec. 1 • 7 p.m. • Peoria, Ill. • Carver Arena
Television	ESPN3
Radio	1470 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb

The Bradley men's basketball team is back in Peoria for its 2020-21 home opener. After starting the campaign 2-1 last week, the Braves host Judson at Carver Arena with a 7 p.m. tipoff on ESPN3.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley is 2-1 after its three-game tournament at the Xavier Invitational to start the season.
• The Braves defeated Toledo and Oakland, while falling by a single point to the host Musketeers.
• Senior Elijah Childs leads Bradley with 15.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 2.0 steals per game.
• Junior Terry Nolan Jr. is second on the team with 8.0 points. Overall, seven Braves are averaging at least six points per game.
• Sophomore Sean East II leads Bradley with 5.0 assists per game.
• The Braves averaged 61.7 points at their three-game tournament, while allowing 56.7.

SCHEDULE UPDATE
• Bradley's game against Saint Joseph's, originally scheduled for Saturday, has been postponed due to a COVID positive test on the Hawks.

SERIES HISTORY
• Bradley has never faced Judson in a regular-season game.

ABOUT THE EAGLES
• An NAIA school based in Elgin, Illinois, Judson has lost its first two games of the season.
• Jordan Johnson leads the Eagles with 19.0 points and 2.5 assists per game.
• Four Judson players average in double figures – KC Earls (13.5), Darius Jones (10.5) and Matthew Lesch (10.5).
• Thomas Donati leads the team with 8.5 rebounds.

BACK AT HOME AT CARVER ARENA
• After starting the season with three games away from Peoria, Bradley hosts Judson in the 2020-21 home opener Tuesday.
• Since moving to Carver Arena in 1982, Bradley is 35-3 in its first home game of the season.
• BU has won its last five home openers and 26 of its last 27 season debuts at Carver Arena.
• Dec. 1 is the latest home opener for BU since the 1995-96 season when it hosted New Orleans in its first home game on Dec. 2.

DUO NAMED ALL-TOURNAMENT
• Senior Elijah Childs and junior Terry Nolan Jr. started the season off strong and were rewarded with All-Tournament Team honors at the Xavier Invitational.
• Childs led BU with 15.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 2.0 steals during the three games.
• The accolade marked the fifth-straight multi-game tournament that Childs earned All-Tournament Team honors (2018 Cancun Challenge, 2019 Fort Myers Tipoff, 2019 & 2020 MVC Tournament).
• Nolan added 8.0 points and 4.0 rebounds, while sinking the game-winning basket with 0.8 seconds remaining against Toledo.

TWO TOP-10 PLAYS
• BU also did not waste much time showcasing its skills as Bradley landed two plays on SportsCenter's Top 10 in the season's first three days.
• Senior Elijah Childs earned the No. 5 Play of the Day following the season opener on Nov. 25 with an alley-oop dunk against Toledo.
• Two days later, freshman Darius Hannah was introduced to Bradley fans when his dunk over an Oakland player was the No. 3 Play of the Day.

DEFENSE WITH A DOMINANT START
• Bradley is already showcasing an elite defense to start the 2020-21 season.
• The Braves have not allowed a team to score more than 60 points in a game this season – a first for BU in the season's first three games since 1998-99.
• Bradley has not held its first four opponents to 60 points or fewer since the 1949-50 campaign.
• BU currently ranks 27th nationally with a scoring defense of 56.7 and 15th by allowing opponents to shoot just 32.1 percent.

CHILDS ENTERS TOP 10
• Senior Elijah Childs entered the top 10 in the BU record book for career rebounds on Friday.
• Childs has 690 boards in 93 contests, moving from 14th to 10th after the first three games.
• Childs leads BU with 7.7 rebounds this season.
• If Childs matches his 8.7 boards per game from a year ago, he will be on pace to finish fifth in BU history with 910 career boards.

HAWKINS EARNS HALL OF FAME CALL
• On Nov. 29, BU legend Hersey Hawkins was announced as a member of the Class of 2021 to be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
• Hawkins is the all-time leading scorer in Bradley and MVC history, ranking 10th in the NCAA record book with 3,008 career points.
• The nation's leading scorer in the NCAA as a senior with 36.3 points per game, Hawkins was named the consensus National Player of the Year in 1987-88.
• The first Brave to be selected to the Hall of Fame, Hawkins will be formally inducted in Nov. 2021.

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