Peoria, IL. The Bradley Braves 18-8 (11-4) are set to host the Murray State Racers 13-12 (8-7) in Peoria, IL for the first time since the 1994 NIT tournament.
Setting the Table
The Braves look to keep their winning following up their fifth straight win after sweeping I-74 Illinois State on Wednesday night. Bradley currently sits tied for first in the Missouri Valley Conference race with Southern Illinois and Drake. BU has been led by the "Flying Dutchmen" aka
Rienk Mast and
Malevy Leons. Both Leons and Mast have been playing some of their best basketball with the duo leading the team in scoring in the last two games against UNI and ISU. Meanwhile, Murray State comes in after dropping their last two contests against Indiana State and Drake. The Racers, who are three games out of first place are in tricky spot a to try and sneak in the back door to grab a first round bye. Murray State will need some help with both Indiana St and Belmont one game ahead of them in the MVC standings with just five games left.
Scouting the Racers
Rob Perry has been the pace man for Murray State this season, he is currently 14.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG and is shooting 44% on the floor in a system where the Racers are known for their willingness to get downhill and score in the paint. JaCobi Wood gives Murray St a big boost in that department with 11.7 PPG and 3.9 RPG. Steve Prohm is the head man for Murray State and is in his second stint as the head coach for the Racers. The Racers will be looking to end a trend of the opposition scoring in bunches, in the last three games for Murray State they have given up scores of 82, 92, and 99.
Scouting the Braves
It's a tale as old as time, the Bradley Braves are hot in February. BU is currently riding a five game winning streak and are looking to make it six in a row as they try to even the season series after dropping the prior meeting back in early January. Bradley is in first place on the MVC standings for the first time since 2001 and is in a great spot to win their regular season league title since 1996. In order to accomplish that feat the Braves will need their do all the little things well and in recent contests that has been the case. In BU's last eight contests they are averaging only 10 turnovers per game while forcing opposing teams in to roughly 17 turnovers and scoring 18 PPG off those turnovers.
HOW THE TEAMS STACK UP
|
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
FG% |
3P% |
FT% |
Bradley |
72.0 |
35.5 |
13.3 |
46.5 |
37.2 |
67.0 |
Murray State |
70.8 |
35.7 |
11.9 |
44.3 |
31.6 |
73.4 |
Series History
All-Time Series, MSU leads 8-7
at Bradley, BU leads 6-4
at MSU, MSU leads 3-1
Neutral Site, MSU leads 1-0
Current Streak, MSU W1
Last 10 Games, MSU leads 8-2
How to Watch/Listen
You can stream Bradley vs Murray St on ESPN+ as well as listen over the radio with 1470 WMBD. The game is slated for a Saturday 1 p.m. start time from Carver Arena
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