Getting the Season Started
The Bradley Braves will open their 2025–26 campaign on the road in Rock Hill, S.C., when they take on the St. Bonaventure Bonnies in the Field of 68's Opening Day Marathon. During the offseason, Bradley welcomed nine newcomers and enters the season as the second-youngest team in the MVC by number of underclassmen (9), trailing only Valparaiso (10). The Braves will be one of three Missouri Valley Conference teams competing in the Field of 68's Opening Day Marathon, with Murray State taking on Omaha and Drake facing Northern Arizona from the event's second site at the Sanford Pentagon in South Dakota.

About the Braves
Bradley looks to continue its strong run under head coach Brian Wardle. The Braves are coming off a 28–9 campaign with a 15–5 mark in the MVC in 2024–25, the Braves played their way into the quarterfinals of the 2025 NIT before having last season come to a close. Over the past three seasons, the Braves have won 76 total games and finished in the top three of the MVC each year.

The Braves had a busy offseason, graduating a very successful group of seven players and bringing in an almost entirely new coaching staff, with five new faces on the sideline compared to 2024–25. However, the Braves return several key contributors for 2025–26, including four players who appeared in at least 18 games last season: Jaquan Johnson, Corey Thomas, Demarion Burch, and Timoty van der Knaap. The returning group will be rounded out by five freshmen and four transfers.

AJ Smith and Alex Huibregtse are the Braves' most experienced players at the Division I level, despite this being their first season with the team. Together, Huibregtse and Smith account for 5,100 of Bradley's roughly 8,000 minutes of Division I experience on the roster.

About the Bonnies
St. Bonaventure is coming off a 22–12 season, including a 9–9 record in Atlantic 10 conference play. The Bonnies' season ended with a 75–56 loss to Kent State in the 2025 NIT. Much like the Braves, St. Bonaventure's offseason brought significant roster turnover, with 11 new players joining the program. While the Bonnies don't return many familiar faces, Dasonte Bowen is back after averaging 11.1 PPG, 4.2 APG, and 3.8 RPG a year ago.

Head coach Mark Schmidt enters his 19th season at the helm with an overall record of 406–328, including a 324–238 mark at St. Bonaventure. The Bonnies were selected eighth in the Atlantic 10 preseason media poll, with Dastone Bowen named to the preseason All-A10 Second Team.

History Says
Bradley and St. Bonaventure have met only five times previously, with the Bonnies leading the all-time series 3–2. In their last meeting, Bradley earned a two-point victory in 1972 during the Charlotte Invitational, a game in which former Brave Seymour Reed tallied 10 points and 17 rebounds, and Jim Caruthers scored a game-high 20 points. As a program, Bradley holds an 11–8 lifetime record against Atlantic 10 opponents.