Bradley Opens Title Defense Against Southern Illinois in Arch Madness Quarterfinals

Men's Basketball 3/4/2020 3:30:00 PM

Bradley (20-11, 11-7 MVC) vs. Southern Illinois (16-15, 10-8 MVC)
Game Details	Friday, March 6 • 2:30 p.m. • St. Louis, Mo. • Enterprise Center
Television	FOX Sports Midwest / Indiana / Kansas City \| NBC Sports Chicago
Webcast	Illinois / Indiana / Iowa / Kansas / Missouri / Nebraska: FOXSportsGo \| Other States: ESPN+
Radio	1470 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| Southern Illinois
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb
Tickets	Ticketmaster

The Bradley men's basketball team opens Arch Madness on Friday, squaring off with Southern Illinois as it attempts to defend its championship from a year ago. Tipoff at Enterprise Center is set for 2:30 p.m.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley finished tied for third in the final Missouri Valley Conference standings with an 11-7 record.
• Overall, the Braves were 20-11 during the year – winning five of their final seven games.
• Three Braves earned all-conference honors this season – Darrell Brown and Elijah Childs (second team) and Nate Kennell (third team).
• Brown leads Bradley with 14.8 points and 4.5 assists per game.
• Childs also scores 14.8 points per game, while leading BU with 8.7 rebounds.
• Kennell adds 12.8 points, ranking seventh in the nation with a 3-point percentage of 44.9.
• The Braves are averaging 71.5 points per game this season, while allowing 66.1 defensively.

ABOUT THE SALUKIS
• Southern Illinois finished the regular season with a 16-15 overall record and 10-8 conference mark, earning the five seed for the tournament.
• The Salukis lost five of their final six games, including the final three, following a seven-game winning streak.
• Valley Freshman of the Year Marcus Domask leads SIU with 13.8 points per game.
• Eric McGill and Barret Benson also average in double figures with 11.3 and 10.6 points per game, respectively.
• McGill leads the Salukis with 2.7 assists per game, while Benson collects a team-best 5.5 rebounds.
• SIU averages 62.7 points per game, while ranking 14th nationally with a scoring defense of 62.2.

SERIES HISTORY
• In a series that dates back to the 1927 season, Bradley holds a slight advantage against Southern Illinois, 51-47.
• Bradley swept the Salukis in the regular season for the first time in seven years during the 2019-20 campaign.

SEASON SERIES VERSUS SALUKIS
• In the first meeting between the two schools, Bradley outscored SIU, 41-19, in the second half for a 67-48 win on Jan. 11.
• The Braves then won at Carbondale, 69-67, on Feb. 15 – taking a 43-25 lead into the half before holding on for the two-point road win.
• Bradley held Southern Illinois to just 33.6 percent shooting in the two victories.
• Darrell Brown led BU with 15.0 points against SIU, while Ja'Shon Henry and Elijah Childs both added 14.0.

TRIO OF WINS
• The Braves are aiming to defeat the Salukis three times this season on Friday.
• Bradley is 15-7 all-time in the MVC Tournament versus schools it swept during the regular season.
• The Braves defeated the Salukis three times once in series history (1999), while SIU has done so three times versus Bradley (1993, 2002, 2007).
• BU last swept a school in 2016 against Drake.

MVC TOURNAMENT MEETINGS
• The Braves have met the Salukis seven times at Arch Madness with SIU holding a 5-2 advantage.
• The schools have split four quarterfinal meetings, while BU is 2-1 as the higher seed.
• Bradley's only two postseason wins over the Salukis are both in the 4-5 quarterfinal.
• The schools are meeting in the postseason for the first time in 11 years – a 67-55 BU victory.

MVC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
• Bradley is making its 41st appearance in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
• The Braves own a 35-37 (.486) all-time record in the MVC Tournament, including a 22-24 (.478) mark at Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
• Bradley is 20-13 all-time in the quarterfinals, including a 10-6 record in the four vs. five game.

LOOKING TO DEFEND ITS TITLE
• Bradley won its third Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Championship in school history last year and its first in 31 years.
• The fifth-seeded Braves defeated No. 4 Missouri State, 61-58, No. 1 Loyola, 53-51 and No. 6 Northern Iowa, 57-54 en route to the title.
• Returners Elijah Childs and Nate Kennell were both named to the All-Tournament Team with Childs earning Most Outstanding Player honors.
• Eight teams have successfully defended their title with Northern Iowa in 2015-2016 the last to do so.
• The Braves have never won four-straight MVC Tournament games as BU lost in the quarterfinals the previous two times as champion.

TRIO EARNS ALL-VALLEY
• Senior Darrell Brown and junior Elijah Childs earned second-team All-Valley honors, while senior Nate Kennell was named to the third team.
• Bradley's three honorees are the most in the conference and BU's most since 2004.
• Brown is the first Brave since Marcellus Sommerville to earn All-MVC honors three times. He is fifth in the league in scoring (14.8) and second in assists (4.5).
• Childs was named to the all-conference team for the second-straight year. He averages 14.8 points and a team-best 8.7 rebounds.
• Kennell earned All-MVC honors for the first time in his career. He averages 12.8 points and ranks seventh nationally in 3-point percentage (44.9).

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