PEORIA, Ill. – #3 Bradley Men's Basketball will play #2 Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon in the second round of the NIT at 1 PM.
Game Information
Bradley Braves (23-11, 13-7 MVC) vs. Cincinnati Bearcats (21-14, 7-11 Big 12)
Date & Time: Saturday, March 23, 2024 • 1 PM
Location: Fifth Third Arena
Live Coverage: Radio | ESPN+ | Live Stats*
* will be updated when more information is provided
Ticket Information
Bradley Athletics has a limited number of fan tickets available for the upcoming game against Cincinnati. All interested fans must submit their ticket purchase requests by 1 p.m. on Friday afternoon. The allocation of tickets will be determined based on the order of the requests received, in accordance with the Braves Club Priority Points system. Each ticket is priced at $30. Bradley Athletics Ticket Office can be reached at 309-677-2625.
Bradley Alums and Fans
Series History
The Bearcats hold a 19-14 all-time record against the Braves dating back to 1954. Cincinnati was a part of the Missouri Valley Conference from 1957-1970 and joined the Big 12 in 2023. Bradley's "Game of the Century" was against Cincinnati as voted by fans during the 2002-03 season. The game was on Jan. 16, 1960 and the 91-90 victory is still the only win against a top-ranked team in the nation.
The last time Bradley and Cincinnati matched up was on Mar. 19, 2008, in the College Basketball Invitational. They defeated the Bearcats 70-67 in the first round of the CBI where they fell in the best-of-three finals to Tulsa. Before that game, the last time they played Cincinnati was in 1981.
About the Bearcats
The Bearcats went 21-14 this season with a 7-11 Big 12 record. The top 25 teams they have defeated include #12 BYU, #19 TCU, #15 Texas Tech and #16 Kansas. They played two MVC schools in their non-conference schedule after they won over both UIC and Evansville by 10+ points in both games. In the Big 12 tournament, they advanced to the quarterfinals but fell to Baylor after they topped Kansas in the second round.
In the Big 12, the Bearcats defense ranks fourth with 69.3 points per game. They also rank first in rebounds per game, second in blocks and first in turnover margin. In their most recent NIT game against San Francisco, they topped the Dons 73-72 in overtime. Simas Lukošius recorded 28 points after he was 8-for-10 from beyond the arc.
About the Braves
Bradley is 23-11 this season after they completed the MVC with a 13-7 record. They fell in the semifinals of the MVC tournament to Drake, the eventual champion. In their last game, the Braves defeated Loyola Chicago with a final score of 74-62 in the first round of the NIT. Duke Deen had 18 points and Malevy Leons recorded 14 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks.
In the MVC this season, Bradley ranks fourth in offense and first in defense. They are also third in steals and second in blocked shots. Darius Hannah ranks 12th in the NCAA in field goal percentage at .626. Deen is third in the Valley in three-point percentage and fifth in three-pointers per game. Leons is 16th in points, sixth in rebounds, 11th in free throw percentage, third in blocks, fifth in steals and sixth in minutes played.
This is the first time Bradley is advancing to the second round of the NIT since the 2006-07 season.
What's Next
The winner of this game will play the winner of #1 Indiana State and Minnesota in the quarterfinals. The bracket of the NIT can be found below.
