Braves Return to Action at Northern Iowa

Men's Basketball 1/8/2021 3:45:00 PM

Bradley (6-3, 0-0 MVC) at Northern Iowa (2-7, 1-3 MVC)
Game #1 Details	Sunday, Jan. 10 • 3 p.m. • Cedar Falls, Iowa • McLeod Center
Television	ESPN+

Game #2 Details	Monday, Jan. 11 • 7 p.m. • Cedar Falls, Iowa • McLeod Center
Television	FOX Sports Midwest / Indiana Plus / Kansas City / NBC Sports Chicago
Webcast	FOX Sports Go \| ESPN+

Radio	1470 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| Northern Iowa
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb

The Bradley men's basketball team is back in action for the first time in 19 days, opening its Missouri Valley Conference slate at Northern Iowa. The teams are set to begin the two-game series Sunday at 3 p.m.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley is 6-3 on the season and is in action for the first time in 19 days since a one-point setback at No. 14 Missouri on Dec. 22.
• The Braves' first two MVC series of the season have been postponed due to COVID.
• Elijah Childs leads BU with 14.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. He is coming off his second double-double of the year with 13 points, 10 boards and three blocks against the ranked Tigers.
• Two additional Braves average in double figures. Ja'Shon Henry is second with 11.6 points off the bench, while Terry Nolan Jr. is third with 11.0 points per game.
• Sean East II adds 8.8 points to go with a team-leading 4.4 assists per game.
• The Braves are averaging 74.9 points per game in 2020-21, while ranking 12th nationally with a scoring defense of 59.3

SERIES HISTORY
• In 66 all-time meetings between the two schools, Northern Iowa holds a slight edge, 34-32.
• The Panthers have won 12 of their last 13 games against Bradley in Cedar Falls with BU's win in 2019 marking their only road win in the series since 2008.
• Northern Iowa won both contests last season, posting a 69-64 home victory before an 86-71 win at Carver Arena.
• Bradley's last win in the series was at the 2019 MVC Championship when BU rallied from 18 points down for a 57-54 victory.

ABOUT THE PANTHERS
• Northern Iowa is 2-7 to start the 2020-21 season with a 1-3 record in MVC play.
• The Panthers were swept last weekend, losing a pair of games at Evansville.
• Trae Berhow leads UNI with 13.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.
• Austin Phyfe is second with 12.1 points and 6.2 rebounds, while Bowen Born also scores in double figures with 11.1 points.
• Northern Iowa is averaging 73.0 points, while allowing 73.4 on the defensive end.

BRAVES IN VALLEY OPENERS
• Beginning its 69th season in the Missouri Valley Conference, Bradley is 37-31 all-time in openers.
• Jan. 10 is tied for the latest Valley opener in school history as BU also opened the 1986-87 season on Jan. 10 with a 96-79 win versus Southern Illinois.
• Saturday will also mark the ninth time Bradley has begun its conference season against Northern Iowa, posting a 2-6 record in the previous eight.
• Bradley has not won its first road conference game of the season since 2012-13, while last winning a conference opener on the road in 2009-10.

2019-20 VALLEY RECAP
• For the second-straight season, Bradley is opening its Valley schedule in a matchup of the league's regular-season and tournament champions.
• The Braves finished tied for third in the standings with an 11-7 record despite an injury-plagued season. Bradley's 11 wins were its most since also claiming 11 victories in 2005-06.
• Bradley then won its second-straight postseason crown, earning victories over Southern Illinois, Drake and Valparaiso.
• Northern Iowa claimed the regular-season title with a 14-4 record.

TOP-RANKED DEFENSE
• Bradley is already showcasing an elite defense to start the 2020-21 season.
• The Braves currently rank 12th nationally (of 338 teams) by holding teams to just 59.33 points.
• Bradley's 59.33 points allowed are its lowest in non-conference play since allowing just 58.13 points in 1998-99.

TWO-POINT DEFENSE
• The key to Bradley's early-season success on the defensive end is its field goal percentage defense and, specifically, its defense inside the arc.
• The Braves rank third nationally (of 338 teams) by allowing foes to make just 34.7 percent of their shots this season.
• Also, BU is allowing teams to make only 35.2 percent of their 2-point attempts, including 35.8 percent against Division I teams – which is three percent better than any other school and nearly 14 percent better than the national average (49.7).
• Only twice this season has Bradley allowed a team to shoot at least 40 percent from 2-point range (Jackson State and Miami).

NON-CONFERENCE OFFENSE
• Bradley is not only enjoying a good start to the season defensively as the Braves also completed a strong non-conference season on offense.
• The Braves averaged 74.9 points during their nine-game non-conference campaign.
• It marks BU's highest output against non-league foes since posting a scoring offense of 80.8 points during the 2006-07 campaign.

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