Braves Host South Dakota State in Key Non-Conference Matchup

Ron Johnson

Men's Basketball 12/3/2020 4:39:00 PM

Bradley (3-1, 0-0 MVC) vs. South Dakota State (2-2, 0-0 Summit League)
Game Details	Friday, Dec. 4 • 7 p.m. • Peoria, Ill. • Carver Arena
Television	ESPN3
Radio	1470 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| South Dakota State
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb

The Bradley men's basketball team hosts South Dakota State in a key non-conference matchup at Carver Arena. First tip between the Braves and Jackrabbits is set for Friday night at 7 p.m. on ESPN3.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley is 3-1 to start the 2020-21 season, coming off a record-breaking 105-32 win against Judson on Tuesday night.
• The Braves also own victories against Toledo and Oakland, while falling at Xavier by one point.
• Senior Elijah Childs leads Bradley with 14.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 1.8 steals through four games this season.
• Five Braves overall are averaging at least eight points per game as Terry Nolan Jr. is second on the team with 9.0 points.
• Sophomore Sean East II leads Bradley with 4.8 assists per game.
• The Braves are averaging 72.5 points per game, while allowing 50.5 on the defensive end.

SERIES HISTORY
• Bradley has played South Dakota State on three previous occasions but the schools are meeting for the first time in 65 years.
• The Braves have won all three contests by double digits with all three games contested in Peoria.

ABOUT THE JACKRABBITS
• South Dakota State – the three-time defending Summit League Champions – enters the contest with a 2-2 record.
• The Jackrabbits are coming off a 71-68 victory at Iowa State on Wednesday night.
• Noah Freidel leads the team with 17.8 points per game, while adding 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists.
• Baylor Scheierman, Douglas Wilson and Alex Arians follow with 15.5, 14.5 and 9.5 points, respectively, while all leading the team with 6.0 rebounds.
• Arians also has a team-best 3.3 assists per game.
• South Dakota State averages 71.0 points per game, while allowing 69.5.

BRAVES VERSUS SUMMIT LEAGUE
• Bradley is 18-5 all-time against teams in the Summit League, including a 12-2 mark in Peoria.
• The Braves have lost their last two meetings with the conference, falling to both IUPUI and Purdue Fort Wayne in 2013 (both have since left the conference).
• Bradley's last win against a Summit League foe was over IUPUI in 2012.

RECORD-BREAKING VICTORY
• Bradley opened play at Carver Arena on a high note with a record-setting win versus Judson.
• The Braves cruised to a 105-32 victory against the Eagles with the 73-point margin of victory marking the largest in school history (previous record was 61 against Chicago State in 1971).
• Judson's 32 points are also the fewest BU allowed in the shot-clock era, while the team's 19.4 percent shooting is the second lowest.

THREE SPORTSCENTER TOP-10 PLAYS
• Bradley has made a habit of appearing on ESPN's SportsCenter this season.
• Through four games this season, the Braves have landed three Top 10 Plays.
• Senior Elijah Childs has been featured twice with his alley-oop dunks selected as the No.5 (vs. Toledo) and No. 7 (vs. Judson) Plays of the Day.
• Also, rookie Darius Hannah was introduced to Bradley fans when his dunk over an Oakland player was the No. 3 Play of the Day.

TOP-RANKED DEFENSE
• Bradley is already showcasing an elite defense to start the 2020-21 season.
• BU has not allowed a team to score more than 60 points in a game this season and has held all four opponents to less than 40 percent shooting.
• It marks the first time since the 1949-50 campaign that Bradley has not allowed at least one of its first four opponents to score 60 points.
• Overall, BU currently ranks seventh nationally with a scoring defense of 50.5 and sixth by allowing opponents to shoot just 29.0 percent.

CENTURY MARK
• In Bradley's victory on Tuesday, the team scored in triple figures for the first time in 13 seasons.
• It was the 91st time overall in school history that BU scored 100 points and the first time since a double overtime contest against Creighton on March 1, 2008.
• Overall, Bradley's 105 points against Judson are its most in regulation since scoring 107 versus Florida A&M on Nov. 21, 2006.

DEPTH OF OPTIONS
• The Braves feature a deep team in 2020-21 with another of options in their lineup.
• BU has already had eight different players score in double figures in a game this season.
• The Braves scored 55 bench points in Tuesday's victory – its most in a game since tallying 83 in a 123-75 win against Wheaton on Dec. 10, 1974.
• Overall, the Bradley bench has scored 40 percent of the team's points this season, averaging 29.0 per game.
• Additionally, a total of 10 players are averaging at least 10 minutes of action with eight averaging over 17 minutes.

VALLEY PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Elijah Childs wasted no time starting his senior campaign on a high note.
• Childs was named MVC Player of the Week after the first week of play, earning the honor for the third time in his career.
• Childs led BU with 15.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 2.0 steals at the Xavier Invitational.

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