Bradley and Drake Set to Battle for MVC Championship Berth

Men's Basketball 3/7/2020 1:15:00 AM

Bradley (21-11, 11-7 MVC) vs. Drake (20-13, 8-10 MVC)
Game Details	Saturday, March 7 • 2:30 p.m. • St. Louis, Mo. • Enterprise Center
Television	CBS Sports Network
Radio	1470 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| Drake
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb
Tickets	Ticketmaster

The Bradley men's basketball team meets Drake on Saturday afternoon with a bid to advance to the Missouri Valley Conference Championship game on the line. Tipoff in Arch Madness is set for 2:30 p.m.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• The Braves are 21-11 during the 2019-20 season, winning six of their last eight games.
• Bradley finished tied for third in the final Missouri Valley Conference standings with an 11-7 record.
• BU advanced to the MVC Semifinals for the third-straight season after a 64-59 win against Southern Illinois in Friday's quarterfinal action.
• Three Braves earned all-conference honors this season – Darrell Brown and Elijah Childs (second team) and Nate Kennell (third team).
• Brown leads Bradley with 15.0 points and 4.6 assists per game.
• Childs averages 14.9 points per game, while leading BU with 8.8 rebounds.
• Kennell adds 12.5 points, shooting 44.4 percent from 3-point range. He entered the week ranked seventh in the nation.
• The Braves are averaging 71.3 points per game this season, while allowing 65.9 defensively.

ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
• Drake is 20-13 this season, finishing eight in the MVC with an 8-10 conference record.
• The Bulldogs defeated No. 9 Illinois State, 75-65, and No. 1 Northern Iowa, 77-56, to advance to Saturday's semifinal.
• Liam Robbins leads the Bulldogs with 14.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game.
• Roman Penn is second on the team with 11.9 points, while leading the MVC with 5.6 assists.
• Drake averages 69.5 points per game with a scoring defense of 67.5.

SERIES HISTORY
• In a series that dates back to 1942 and as the two oldest members of the Valley, Bradley has played Drake more than any other school in the its history as the teams have met 155 times.
• The Braves own an 88-67 edge against the Bulldogs in series history.

MVC TOURNAMENT RIVALS
• Bradley and Drake is the most played rivalry in Arch Madness history.
• The schools have met 13 times in the MVC Tournament – two more matchups than any other in Arch Madness history.
• Overall, the schools are meeting for the seventh time in the last 10 seasons in St. Louis.

MVC TOURNAMENT MEETINGS
• Bradley is 8-5 all-time against Drake in the MVC Tournament with a 7-2 record in St. Louis.
• The Braves have won the last three matchups with Drake in postseason play, claiming victories in 2015, 2017 and 2018.
• In the last Arch Madness meeting, Donte Thomas' putback basket with 1.2 seconds left gave Bradley a 63-61 victory in the 2018 quarterfinals.
• The schools are meeting for the first time in the semifinals.

SEASON SERIES VERSUS BULLDOGS
• The schools split a pair of meetings during the regular season with both teams winning at home.
• Bradley used a late 10-0 run to earn an 80-72 win in the conference opener on Dec. 31.
• Drake responded on Feb. 5, leading by double digits the entire second half in a 73-60 victory.
• Darrell Brown led BU against the Bulldogs this season with 21.5 points and 4.5 assists.
• BU's Elijah Childs did not play in either game this year due to an injury.

MVC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
• Bradley is making its 41st appearance in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
• The Braves own a 36-37 (.493) all-time record in the MVC Tournament.
• Bradley has advanced to the semifinals in three-straight seasons for the first time since a six-year run from 1994 to 1999.
• Overall, Bradley is 7-13 all-time in semifinals.
• The Braves are aiming to make back-to-back title games for the first time in school history.

MVC QUARTERFINAL RECAP
• For the third-straight season, Bradley rallied from a halftime deficit to earn a win in the MVC Quarterfinals – posting a 64-59 victory over Southern Illinois on Friday.
• Ja'Shon Henry converted an and-one with just 19.7 seconds remaining in a tie game as Bradley advanced with the five-point victory.
• Darrell Brown led Bradley with 19 points and eight assists, while Elijah Childs scored 16 points to go with nine rebounds.

DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
• Bradley's run in the postseason during the last two seasons has started with defense.
• In their four MVC Tournament victories in 2019 and 2020, the Braves have not allowed a single opponent to score 60 points in a game.
• Overall, Bradley is allowing just 55.5 points per game during the last two MVC Tournaments.

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