Peoria, IL. Bradley 12-6 (5-2) will look to claim Missouri Valley Conference win number six when they travel to Des Moines to take on their longest running rival in Drake 13-5 (4-3).
Scouting the Bulldogs
The Bulldogs are off to a solid start in the 2022-23 campaign with a record of 13-5 and 4-3 in the MVC. The Bulldogs are led by the Missouri Valley Conference preseason player of the year in Tucker DeVries and veteran guard DJ Wilkins. DeVries, the Waukee, IA native is averaging 17.7 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 1.8 APG while his counterpart Wilkins is Drake's all-time leader in made 3-pointers and is shooting 39% from downtown this season. Darian DeVries is the head coach for Drake in his fifth season and holds a career record of 153-108, with at least 20 wins each season. Drake and Bradley own the MVC's longest running rivalry with 160 meetings over 80+ years between the two schools. Drake currently sits at 6th in the MVC with games against Missouri State and Evansville up next. The big key for Drake will be to battle on the glass. They lost both matchups last season with a total rebounding margin of -25 against Bradley.
Scouting the Braves
Bradley is coming off two home wins this past week in which they dominated Valparaiso and Evansville. The Braves will play their next two games away from Peoria with this road trip to Des Moines followed by a trip to Terre Haute, IN to play first place Indiana State. The Braves are led by the dynamic front court duo of
Rienk Mast and
Malevy Leons. The two Dutchmen are combining for 24.1 PPG, 13.9 RPG with 2 BPG and 2 SPG on the season with both shooting over 47% from the floor.
Brian Wardle is in his 8th season as head coach for Bradley and holds a record of 10-7 against Drake with a three game win streak. An underrated factor in Saturday's matchup for Bradley could be their bench. The Braves second unit has scored 30+ points in four straight contests.
HOW THE TEAMS STACK UP
|
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
FG% |
3P% |
FT% |
| Bradley |
70.9 |
36.2 |
13.9 |
46.3 |
36.7 |
65.9 |
| Drake |
72.7 |
35.9 |
13.3 |
45.3 |
34.8 |
75.0 |
Series History
All-Time Series, BU leads 92-68
  at Bradley, BU leads 54-22
  at Drake, DU leads 42-30
Neutral Site, BU leads 8-4
Current Streak, BU W-3
Last 10 Games, Tied 5-5
How to Watch/Listen
Bradley at Drake will be broadcasted on ESPNU, you can also listen over the radio with 1470 WMBD. The game is slated for a 7 p.m. start time from the Knapp Center in Des Moines, IA
Click
here for more information
