Kissimmee, FL -- The Bradley Braves are set to take part in the Terry's Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational.
First Round Matchup
Bradley Braves 2-3 (0-0 MVC) vs Princeton Tigers 2-3 (0-0 Ivy League)
Date & Time: Monday, November 24th | 6:00 PM CST
Live Coverage: Live Stats |
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Location: State Farm Fieldhouse in Kissimmee, FL
All-Time Series: BU leads 1-0
Bradley will take on Princeton in the opening round of the Terry's Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational on Monday, November 24th, at 6:00 p.m. CST as part of ESPN's Feast Week. This matchup will be one of three that the Braves will have as part of their participation in the tournament. Princeton is 3–3 to this point in the season with wins over Bucknell, John Jay, and Northeastern. The Tigers are led by a duo of double-digit scorers, with Dalen Davis and Jackson Hicke combining to score 27 PPG and contributing just under eight rebounds per game. The last meeting between Bradley and Princeton came all the way back in 1948, when the Braves earned a 64–41 win in Peoria.
The Braves bounced back in comeback fashion against UMass Lowell in their last contest and were fueled by the trio of Jaquan Johnson, Alex Huibregtse, and AJ Smith, who stuffed the stat sheet with a combined 54 points, 20 rebounds, eight assists, four steals, and two blocks. MTE success has been no stranger to the Bradley MBB program, which has won seven regular-season tournaments, including four in the Brian Wardle era: the 2018 Cancun Challenge, 2021 Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational, 2023 SoCal Challenge, and the 2024 Myrtle Beach Invitational.
Regardless of the Braves' first-round result, they know they will play either UC San Diego or Temple in their second game. UC San Diego is coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance last season and is off to a 4–0 start in 2025–26 with wins over San Marcos, La Verne, Houston Christian, and UNLV. The Temple Owls are 3–1 to begin their season with wins over Delaware State, La Salle, and Hofstra.
On the other half of the bracket, the Braves could see any of the remaining four teams: Liberty, Vermont, Towson, or Rhode Island. In the past three years, Bradley has played both Liberty and Vermont, in 2022 and 2023 respectively.
Bradley's matchup with Princeton will put them in the national spotlight on ESPNU, which is available to stream on the ESPN+ app. Fans can also tune into 1470 WMBD for the Bradley radio broadcast.
