Braves Face Valparaiso in Midweek Action

Men's Basketball 2/9/2021 9:23:00 AM

Bradley (10-11, 4-8 MVC) at Valparaiso (7-12, 4-6 MVC)
Game Details	Wednesday, Feb. 10 • 6 p.m. • Valparaiso, Ind. • Athletics-Recreation Center
Television	ESPN3
Radio	1470 & 100.3 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| Valparaiso
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb

The Bradley basketball team begins another busy week of games, opening a three-game road trip at Valparaiso on Wednesday night. The schools are set for a 6 p.m. tipoff on ESPN3.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley is 10-11 during the 2020-21 campaign with a 4-8 record in Valley play.
• BU split a series with Southern Illinois over the weekend, earning a 74-66 victory in the opener before a one-point setback in the finale, 69-68.
• Senior Elijah Childs leads the Braves with 14.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.29 blocks per game.
• Two additional Braves average in double figures with Terry Nolan Jr. posting 11.2 points per game and Ja'Shon Henry adding 10.6.
• The Braves are averaging 70.7 points per game in 2020-21, while ranking 48th nationally with a scoring defense of 64.7.

SERIES HISTORY
• Bradley leads the series with Valpo, 6-5, as the schools first met during the 1980-81 season.
• Valparaiso earned a 91-85 double overtime win the last time the two schools met on Jan. 28.
• Bradley's last win in the series was an 80-66 victory in the 2020 Arch Madness title game.
• Overall, the teams have split their three regular-season series as MVC foes, while the home team has won all 10 regular-season meetings.

ABOUT THE CRUSADERS
• Valparaiso is 7-12 with a 4-6 record in MVC action.
• The Crusaders are coming off a victory against No. 25 Drake on Sunday, 74-57 – handing the Bulldogs their first loss of the season.
• Ben Krikke leads Valpo with 12.7 points per game.
• Donovan Clay is second on the team with 10.8 points to go with a team-best 5.8 rebounds.
• Daniel Sackey leads Valpo with 4.2 assists.
• The Crusaders are averaging 67.8 points per game, while allowing 69.8 on defense.

CHILDS PLAY
• Elijah Childs is enjoying a superb senior season.
• Childs leads the Braves with 14.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.29 blocks.
• Childs is aiming to be the first Brave to lead the team in both scoring and rebounding since Andrew Warren in 2010-11.
• Additionally, Childs' 8.3 rebounds per game are the most by a Brave since Luke Jackson posted 8.7 during the 1989-90 campaign.
• Overall, Childs ranks seventh in the Valley in scoring, second in rebounds and fourth in blocks.

DOUBLE VISION
• Senior Elijah Childs is among the best scoring and rebounding the ball this year.
• Childs is tied for first in the Valley and 30th in the NCAA with six double-doubles this year – including three in the last five games.
• Childs has collected 21 double-doubles during his career – the ninth-most in school history and the most since Luke Jackson (29 from 1986 to 1990).

CHILDS ON LOU HENSON WATCH LIST
• Elijah Childs was recognized for his strong year by being named to the Lou Henson Award Watch List.
• The award is presented annually to the nation's top Division I mid-major player.
• The senior is one of four Valley players on the 40-man midseason watch list.

MAST TOP RANKED ROOKIE
• Rienk Mast is having a strong freshman season and is just getting stronger as the year progresses.
• Mast has contributed 7.0 points and 5.3 boards per game in his first college season.
• The rookie has also added 9.3 points and 6.3 boards during conference games only – ranking second and first in the Valley.
• Mast continues to improve as a rookie. In his last four games, he is averaging 13.0 points per game – shooting 60.6 percent from the floor and 45.0 percent from 3-point range (9-20).

VILLE FINDS HIS RHYTHM
• Another player that has played well as of late and picked up his game is Ville Tahvanainen.
• The team's leader in 3-point shooting, Tahvanainen is averaging 10.5 points during the last four games – shooting 50.0 percent from the field (16-32).
• In the team's previous four games, Tahvanainen posted 5.5 points – shooting 32.1 percent overall and 12.5 percent from 3-point range.
• Overall, Tahvanainen leads Bradley with 37 made triples and with a percentage of 35.2.

KEVIN McADOO BACK IN LINEUP
• The Braves received a welcomed addition to the lineup last weekend as Kevin McAdoo returned.
• After taking a leave of absence due to family reasons, McAdoo appeared in his first two games since Dec. 22 against Southern Illinois.
• The junior transfer started in both games and contributed 11 totals points, four assists and three rebounds for the Braves.
• Overall, McAdoo has appeared in 11 games this season – scoring 4.3 points to go with 1.4 assists.

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE DEFENSE
• The Braves have become known for their defense and 2020-21 is no different.
• Bradley owns the nation's 48th-ranked scoring defense – allowing just 64.4 points per game.
• The key to BU's success is its field goal percentage defense. BU ranks 18th nationally by allowing teams to make just 39.3 percent of its shots and 10th with a 2-point defense of 43.2 percent.
• The Braves have held their opponent to under their season average in shooting in 16-of-21 games and under 40 percent overall in 12 contests.

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