Braves Host I-74 Rival Illinois State Saturday

Men's Basketball 2/18/2022 9:05:00 AM

Bradley (15-12, 9-6 MVC) vs. Illinois State (11-16, 4-10 MVC)
Game Details	Saturday, Feb. 19 • 1 p.m. • Peoria, Ill. • Carver Arena
Television	Bally Sports Midwest/Indiana/Kansas City \| NBC Sports Chicago
Television	Bally Sports (IL, IN, IA, KS, MO, NE) \| ESPN3 (Other States)
Radio	1470 & 100.3 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| Illinois State
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb
Tickets	Ticketmaster \| (309) 677-2625

The Bradley basketball team returns home for round two of the I-74 rivalry, hosting Illinois State on Saturday, presented by UnityPoint Health - UnityPlace. Tipoff at Carver Arena is set for 1 p.m.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley enters with a 15-12 overall record and a 9-6 mark in Missouri Valley Conference action.
• The Braves have won seven of their last nine games but are coming off a 65-57 setback at Southern Illinois on Wednesday.
• Junior Terry Roberts leads BU with 14.9 points and ranks first in the Valley with 4.2 assists per game.
• Sophomore Rienk Mast is second on BU with 11.2 points, while leading the MVC with 8.4 rebounds.
• Junior Malevy Leons add 9.7 points and 6.0 boards for the Braves.
• Bradley averages 71.0 points per game, while allowing 64.9 defensively.

ARCH MADNESS SEEDING
• The Braves are currently in fifth place of the MVC standings with a 9-6 conference mark – a half-game behind fourth-place Drake and two games ahead of sixth-place Southern Illinois.
• Bradley has already secured a top-six seed and a first-round bye at the 2022 MVC Tournament.
• If BU wins on Saturday and Southern Illinois loses at Indiana State, Bradley will clinch a top-five seed for the fourth time in the last five years.

SERIES HISTORY
• In a series that dates back to 1904-05, the nearby rivals are meeting for the 134th time Saturday.
• Bradley is 68-65 all-time against the Redbirds, while Illinois State has the edge since joining the Valley in 1981, 47-40.
• Illinois State has won the last three meetings in the series after the Braves claimed the previous five. Earlier this year, ISU rallied for a 74-65 win at Redbird Arena.

You asked for it, we delivered. 𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙨 for Bradley's oldest rivalry 🅱️🏀

🎟️⏩ https://t.co/XkACqM46Tv pic.twitter.com/J2sMRVW8Sv
— Bradley Basketball (@bradleyumbb) February 18, 2022

ABOUT THE REDBIRDS
• Illinois State is tied for seventh in the MVC standings with a 4-10 record and is 11-16 overall.
• The Redbirds have lost their last two games by a combined five points, coming off a 72-70 setback to Northern Iowa on Tuesday.
• Antonio Reeves leads ISU with 20.2 points.
• Kendall Lewis leads active players with 5.9 boards, while Mark Freeman has a team-best 3.6 assists.
• The Redbirds average 76.1 points on offense, while allowing 75.9 defensively.

SINCE WE LAST MET
• The Braves have responded to their defeat in the first meeting of the I-74 rivalry by winning 7-of-9 games – tied for the best record in the MVC since.
• It is tied for BU's best nine-game stretch in Valley play the last 25 seasons (was 2-4 prior to the run).

DEFENSE ANCHORS RUN
• Defense has keyed BU's recent nine-game run.
• Bradley has allowed just 60.6 points per game during the last nine contests – the 19th-best scoring defense in the nation during that period.
• Overall, the Braves have seen their national rank in scoring defense rise 70 places since the run began – from 132nd (67.1) to 62nd (64.9).

DEFENSIVE STRENGTH
• Overall, the Braves have once again been anchored by their defense in 2021-22.
• Of 358 schools nationally, Bradley ranks among the top 40 in field goal percentage defense, 2-point defense and blocks.
• Bradley has forced its opponent to shoot under its season average in 20-of-27 games.
• The Braves are 14-6 this season when holding their opponent under its season field goal percentage but just 1-6 when it hits its mark.

REBOUNDING RANKINGS
• Bradley has also controlled the glass during the 2021-22 campaign.
• The Braves lead the Valley and rank among the nation's best in rebounding – collecting 39.2 per game to place 32nd in the country, while ranking 17th in the NCAA with a rebound margin of +7.2.
• Bradley's 39.2 rebounds per game are its most since 1987-88 (40.5), while its +7.2 margin is its highest since 1963-64 (+10.7).

LEADERS OF THE PACK
• The Braves feature two Valley leaders in Rienk Mast and Terry Roberts.
• Mast leads the MVC with 8.4 rebounds per game – the most by a Brave since Luke Jackson in 1989-90 (8.7) and the 50th-most nationally.
• In 70 seasons as a member of the Valley, only three Braves have previously led the league in rebounds – Chet Walker (1961-62), Jackson (1988-89) and Marcellus Sommerville (2003-04).
• Roberts, meanwhile, is first in the MVC and 95th in the country with 4.2 assists per game.
• The point guard looks to become the first Brave since Daniel Ruffin in 2005-06 to lead the MVC in assists and the sixth overall.

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Players Mentioned

#51 Rienk Mast: F; 6' 9"; Sophomore

#14 Malevy Leons: F; 6' 9"; Junior

#0 Terry Roberts: G; 6' 3"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#51 Rienk Mast
: 6' 9"; Sophomore
: F

#14 Malevy Leons
: 6' 9"; Junior
: F

#0 Terry Roberts
: 6' 3"; Junior
: G

Braves Host I-74 Rival Illinois State Saturday

Players Mentioned

#51 Rienk Mast

#14 Malevy Leons

#0 Terry Roberts

Players Mentioned

#51 Rienk Mast

#14 Malevy Leons

#0 Terry Roberts