Peoria, IL. Bradley and Eastern Michigan will meet on the hardwood for the second time in school history. The last time these two programs met was in the 1995 NIT tournament which Bradley won in double overtime 86-85.
Scouting the Eagles
Eastern Michigan is coming off its first loss of the 2022-23 season after dropping a close 5-point game to #22 Michigan. Emoni Bates highlighted the Eagle effort with a 30-point performance in his first action after sitting out the season opener against Wayne State. This matchup against Bradley marks the first of three games in a row in which the Eagles will play teams garnering attention in the Mid-Major Top 25 preseason rankings. Eastern Michigan is 12-36 in first true road games since joining the NCAA Division-1 in the 1974-75 season.
Scouting the Braves
Bradley is returning home after losing their first game of the season at Utah State. Bradley struggled shooting the ball from the field, starting just 3-15. Duke Deen led all BU players with 15 points, including three shots from behind the arc. BU's defense and Utah State's defense were in a stalemate early as only 10 total points were scored in the first seven minutes. Bradley was able to force double-digit turnovers for the second in two games this season. Bradley is 5-2 under Brian Wardle (started in 2015-16 season) after their first loss away from Carver in the month of November.
Milestones to Watch
Eastern Michigan's Emoni Bates could become the second Eagle since 2000 to collect back-to-back 30-point games. On the Bradley side, sophomore Zek Montgomery is a single point away from collecting 100 career points for his young career and Duke Deen managed to get his 100th and 101st career assists against Utah State.
Gearing up for Cancun
This matchup will serve as the on-campus game for the 2022-23 Cancun Challenge. Both teams will travel to Cancun, Mexico from the 20-24th. Eastern Michigan will play in the Mayan Division with Southern Miss, Purdue-FW, and Winthrop. While Bradley will play in the Riviera Division with Auburn, Liberty, and Northwestern. Bradley won the 2018 Riviera Division of the Cancun Challenge.
Where to Watch/Listen
Bradley and Eastern Michigan will tipoff from Carver Arena on Nov. 15th at 7 p.m. The game can be streamed on ESPN+ or with WMBD 1470. Brian Bedo and Matt McClain will have the call on ESPN+ while Dave Snell and Chad Kleine will be on 1470 WMBD.
