Top Moments of Back-to-Back Valley Titles, Presented by Prairie Farms

Men's Basketball 3/23/2020 12:30:00 PM

For the first time in school history, the Bradley men's basketball team is back-to-back Missouri Valley Conference Champions – winning Arch Madness titles in 2019 and 2020, while qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1954 and 1955.

Fans now have the opportunity to vote for their favorite memories in the Top Moments of the Back-to-Back Valley Titles, presented by Prairie Farms. The top 16 moments of the 2019 and 2020 seasons are set up in a bracket format with voting beginning on the team's twitter page (@bradleyumbb) on Tuesday, March 24.

More information on each moment is below:

SECTION 1

Bradley Rallies for 2019 Title
Playing in their first Missouri Valley Conference Championship in 13 years, the Braves' hope for their first title since 1988 looked bleak as Northern Iowa held an 18-point second-half lead, 35-17, with just 17 minutes remaining in regulation. Bradley, however, finished the game on a 40-19 run to earn a 57-54 victory and the program's first title in 31 seasons. The 18-point rally matched the largest for BU in school history and was also an MVC title game record. Elijah Childs was named Tournament Most Outstanding Player after leading BU with 16 points in the win.

Three-Straight Dominating Wins
The Braves played at their absolute peak during a three-game stretch in December 2019. For the first time since the first three games of the 1958-59 season (61 years), BU defeated three-straight opponents by at least 30 points, which included two teams that finished in the top four of their respective conferences. Bradley eased to wins against North Carolina A&T, 83-52, Maryville, 91-58, and Georgia Southern, 81-51, during its historic run – shooting 55.6 percent from the field, while holding its opponents to a 30.9 percent clip.

Defeating Defending Big 12 Champions, Kansas State
The Braves faced the defending Big 12 champions in the Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off in November 2019. After holding a one-point lead at the break, senior Nate Kennell buried a pair of 3-point baskets to open the second half and give BU a seven-point edge. The Braves never gave their lead back, finishing off a 73-60 victory against the Wildcats and earning their first win against a defending Power-6 champion since 1997 (Villanova). Kennell led BU with 22 points, making 6-of-8 triples on the night, and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Elijah Childs.

Most Prolific 3-Point Shooting Night by BU in Its MVC History
In a matchup of the top two teams in the MVC preseason poll, the Braves connected on 17 triples to earn a road win against Missouri State on Jan. 15, 2020 – its most in a Valley game in school history. Senior Nate Kennell led the charge with a 7-of-10 clip from beyond the arc, matching his career high with 25 points and finishing just one shy of the school record for triples in a game. Overall, three additional Braves set or tied their career highs for 3-pointers in a game at that point – Ja'Shon Henry (3), Ville Tahvanainen (3) and Danya Kingsby (2).

SECTION 2

2018 Cancun Challenge Championship
Before the Braves claimed the last two Valley Tournament titles, BU lifted its first regular-season tournament trophy in 35 years (1983 River City Shootout) and first away from Peoria in 52 seasons (1966 Sugar Bowl) with the 2018 Cancun Challenge crown. Bradley defeated SMU, 75-62, in the semifinals before posting a 59-56 victory over Penn State in the championship game a day later. An early, second-half 9-0 run put Bradley in front for good against the Nittany Lions with Elijah Childs earning Tournament MVP accolades after averaging 19.5 points in the two wins in Mexico.

Four 1,000 Point Scorers
In the first 114 seasons of Bradley basketball, only 46 players reached the 1,000-point milestone (0.40 per season). However, four Braves reached the four-digit mark in the last two years, including just the 18th and 19th players in program history to do so before the end of their junior season. Darrell Brown (Dec. 4) and Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye (Feb. 23) reached the mark during the 2018-19 campaign, before Nate Kennell (Jan. 8) and Elijah Childs (March 6) joined the club in 2019-20. Brown now ranks fifth in school history with 1,860 career points, while Kennell is 29th (1,236), Lautier-Ogunleye is 43rd (1,055) and Childs is 48th (1,037).

Defeat Defending MVC Champs in 2019 Semifinals
Bradley gave Loyola its toughest tests during the 2018 Valley season before embarking on its Final Four run. The Braves, however, denied any chance of a repeat performance thanks to a 53-51 victory in the 2019 semifinals against the top-seeded Ramblers. Nate Kennell led BU with 19 points – making 7-of-13 field goals and 5-of-8 from beyond the arc – and the Bradley defense held two first-team All-Valley performers, including the Player of the Year, to just 13 total points on 6-of-24 shooting in the two-point victory.

Last-Minute Field Goal in 2020 Quarterfinals
The Braves had never won four-straight MVC Tournament games as BU lost its opening contest in both quarterfinal matchups following its previous titles (1981 and 1989). Looking to extend its winning streak, BU found itself tied with Southern Illinois in the 2020 MVC Quarterfinals with under 30 seconds remaining. However, Nate Kennell found a driving Ja'Shon Henry, who completed a conventional three-point play with only 19.7 seconds left. The Braves defense then came up with a stop and added two free throws to keep their winning streak alive.

SECTION 3

Back-to-Back Sweeps Against Rival Illinois State
Coach Wardle and the Bradley seniors entered a program that had struggled against I-74 rival, Illinois State – with ISU winning 16-of-18 from 2009-18. However, the rivalry is back in BU's favor as the Braves swept the Redbirds in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2006 and 2007. The run started with a convincing 85-68 victory at Carver Arena before BU ended an 11-game losing streak in Normal with a 65-59 victory. This past season, Bradley posted a 75-63 win in Peoria, despite playing with only seven healthy players (and without its two leading scorers), before earning a 74-71 overtime victory at Redbird Arena for its second-straight sweep in the I-74 Rivalry.

Home Dominance in 2019-20
The Braves enjoyed some of their best basketball during the past two seasons at Carver Arena, especially during the 2019-20 campaign. Bradley tied for 18th nationally with 15 home victories this past season. The team's 15 victories at Carver Arena are its most since 1993-94. Additionally, it is the program's most during regular-season play since also collecting 15 during the 1967-68 campaign.

Luqman Lundy Leads Title-Game Comeback
Senior Luqman Lundy saved his best for last, becoming a Bradley legend in leading BU's comeback in the 2019 title game. With Northern Iowa ahead by 18 points, 35-17, Lundy ignited a 17-3 second-half Bradley run– scoring 11 points during the surge to bring BU within four, 38-34. The senior had scored 11 points only one previous time during his career, matching his personal-best during the five-minute stretch and also adding a career-high eight rebounds. Following the rally and victory, Lundy collected Ameren Illinois Player of the Game honors for the first and only time during his career.

Peter Hanley Earns a Scholarship
A fan of the Bradley Braves from childhood, Peoria native Peter Hanley was a member of the rebuild of the BU program from the start. A walk-on with the team during his first three seasons on campus, Hanley was rewarded for his work and dedication to the program by earning a scholarship for his final season on campus. Overall, the senior appeared in 44 games during his time at Bradley, totaling 31 points and 16 rebounds.

SECTION 4

Darrell Brown Leads Title Defense
Darrell Brown was a man on a mission during Arch Madness in 2020. After missing out on first-team All-Valley honors, Brown proved he was one of the best players in the conference – averaging 21.7 points and 7.0 assists and leading Bradley to its second-straight MVC title for the first time in school history. The senior started with 19 points and eight assists against Southern Illinois before adding 25 points against Drake in the semifinals. He saved his best for last as he poured in 21 points to go with nine assists in the title game against Valparaiso. With the BU faithful chanting "MVP" every time he touched the ball in the closing minute, Brown finally received the accolades he was due with MVC Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors.

Nate Kennell Ranks Fifth Nationally in 3-Point Percentage
Nate Kennell saved his best for last. During his senior campaign, Kennell ranked as one of the nation's best from beyond the arc, connecting on 44.7 percent of his attempts from long range. The senior finished the season ranked fifth among all players in NCAA Division I with his clip from 3-point range. Also ranked second in program history with 253 made triples during his career, Kennell's 88 3-pointers in 2019-20 are third in the BU record book, while his percentage is fourth overall.

Season-Rallying Win at Southern Illinois
History was against the Braves when the team traveled to Southern Illinois in January 2019 as BU entered SIU Arena with a 0-5 conference record. But all good runs must start somewhere and in 2019, it started in Carbondale. Darrell Brown scored 16 points, including five in the final 90 seconds, as Bradley rallied for a 57-54 victory. The win helped change the momentum for BU as it won 9-of-13 games to finish the regular season – becoming just the fourth team in MVC history to start 0-4 and earn a first-round bye before becoming the first to then win the conference tournament, clinching BU's first title in 31 years.

First Win at Northern Iowa in 11 Years
The McLeod Center had been a place of struggles for Bradley. After winning in the building in their second trip there in 2008, the Braves then lost their next 11 visits to Northern Iowa. In need of a win to build some late-season momentum, Bradley did just that for the first time in over a decade with a 79-71 victory over the Panthers. Darrell Brown led the charge with 29 points, making 11-of-18 field goals and 5-of-6 from 3-point range as the victory started a four-game winning streak for BU in February 2019.

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