Peoria, IL– Bradley Men's Basketball revealed their non-conference schedule for the 2024-25 regular season which features seven total home games, four games against quad-2 or higher opponents, and road trips to both the east and west coastlines!
| "We as a program are excited to have our schedule finalized and filled with so many quality programs. Each year it seems to get harder finding quality teams who are willing to play us. I want to especially thank the West Coast Conference Teams (Washington State, Santa Clara, and San Francisco) for agreeing to compete with us this season. We have a locker room full of men who want to play winning programs and want to challenge themselves." - Head Coach Brian Wardle |
Oct. 30th Exhibition vs Millikin (Peoria, IL)
Bradley and Milikin will meet for the first time since 2019, as the Braves and Big Blue will meet in Peoria, IL at Carver Arena for a preseason exhibition that will open both teams' 2024-25 campaigns. Both teams share an extensive history including over 50 regular season encounters with the last regular season meeting in 1940 when both were members of the IIAC.
Nov. 4th vs SEMO (Peoria, IL)
The 2024-25 season will officially open for the Braves with a home match against Southeast Missouri State. SEMO will be led by key returners such as Rob Martin and Braxton Stacker who combined for nearly 20 PPG last season for the RedHawks. The Redhawks are coached by Brad Korn who is entering his 4th year at the helm. In 2022-23, Korn coached SEMO to their program's first-ever Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship and berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Nov. 8th at Washington State (Pullman, WA)
The Braves' first road trip of the season will take them out west to Pullman, WA as they will meet up with the Washington State Cougars. Last season the Cougars won 25 games and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament as a member of the PAC-12. This year, the Cougars will play as a member of the West Coast Conference in men's basketball. Bradley's last games against the WCC came in 2013-14 when BU played both Portland and Pacific.
Nov. 12th vs UTSA (Peoria, IL)
UTSA heads into a new era in their team's history as they welcome Austin Claunch to lead the program. Claunch previously served as an assistant coach at national power Alabama in 2023-24 and helped the Crimson Tide to a top-10 finish in the NET last season. Claunch led the retooling of the UTSA roster this offseason which features seven players who previously played for a power-5 or nationally ranked team. The only previous meeting between BU and USTA was in 2017 as a part of the Island of the Bahamas Showcase.
Nov. 16th vs Northern Illinois (Peoria, IL)
An in-state matchup awaits Bradley in mid-November as the Huskies from Northern Illinois will make the 2-hour drive south to Carver Arena. Bradley has won nine in a row against the Huskies in their brief 10-game history. The last time these two met was nearly 15 years ago when the Braves claimed a 3-point win in 2010.
Nov. 21-24th vs Myrtle Beach Invitational (Conway, SC)
Bradley's MTE this season will send them to the HTC Center in Conway, SC on the campus of Coastal Carolina. The eight-team field consists of Bradley, Middle Tennessee, Ohio, Portland, Princeton, South Florida, Texas State, and Wright State. A total of three teams in the field qualified for postseason play last year with Bradley, Princeton, and South Florida all playing in the 2023-24 NIT. This MTE guarantees each team three games and is a member of ESPN's "Feast Week", the tourney matchups are still TBA.
Nov. 29th vs Judson (Peoria, IL)
Bradley will host Judson University as the month begins to flip over to December. The Braves and Eagles have met only once before in the regular season, coming back in 2020 when the Braves recorded their 86th 100+ point game in team history.
Dec. 14th vs Santa Clara (Jack Jones Classic in Henderson, NV)
When Bradley and Santa Clara meet in a neutral site matchup in Henderson, NV it will mark the first-ever meeting between the two programs. This matchup will be a single-game appearance in the Jack Jones Classic. In 2023-24 the Broncos won 20 games and took down national powers such as Oregon and Gonzaga as well as postseason tourney teams such as Duquesne, Washington State, and San Francisco.
Dec. 18th vs San Francisco (Peoria, IL)
Two historic programs will collide in Carver Arena when the Braves host the Dons' of San Francisco. Much like Bradley, San Francisco was a participant in the 2023-24 NIT and won 23 games last season. The Dons will be fueled by returning two of their top-3 scorers from last season in Marcus Williams and Malik Thomas. The dynamic scoring duo combined for 26 PPG, and 6 RPG, and both shot over 45% from the floor. This will be the first meeting between the two programs since 1981 and the first time either will play on the opposite's home floor since 1951.
Dec. 21st vs Canisius (Peoria, IL)
The Braves' final non-conference match of the 2024-25 season will be against the Canisius Golden Griffins. Longtime Bradley supporters will remember that name from when the Braves played the Golden Griffins in the 1995 NIT, which is also the last time the two teams met on the hardwood. The all-time history is brief with only three all-time meetings and Bradley owning two of the three encounters. Canisius will be under first-year head coach Jim Christian, Christian takes over the program after spending two years at Kent State in an administrative role but carries over two decades of coaching experience including seven years as the head man at Boston College.
