The Bradley Braves will enter Missouri Valley Conference play in good form after earning their seventh win of the season and fourth win in a row following a 86–53 victory over North Central College.

Both Bradley and North Central came out firing, combining for 23 points before the first media timeout. As the first half wore on, the Braves were able to sustain their momentum longer, building a 46–29 halftime advantage fueled by their defensive pressure. Bradley shot better than 51 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes and forced North Central into 14 first-half turnovers, converting them into quality transition opportunities. North Central also shot the ball well early, posting a 47 percent mark from the field and battling on the glass with four offensive rebounds, but managed to turn those into just five second-chance points.

Jaquan Johnson led all scorers with 19 points for Bradley and added six steals, pushing his season total to 39 which unofficially marks him atop the NCAA steals leaderboard. Montana Wheeler provided a spark off the bench with 13 points, including three three-pointers, while Alex Huibregtse chipped in 12 points. Bradley's depth was on full display, as the Braves outscored North Central 36–25 in bench points and held a commanding 40–10 edge in points in the paint. No Brave played more than 26 minutes.

North Central was paced by James Bullock, who finished with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting, knocking down three triples. Tyler DiSilvio added 13 points off the bench and went a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. Alejandro Diaz pulled down eight rebounds, but the Cardinals were unable to generate consistent interior offense, managing just 10 points in the paint.

Bradley continued to extend its lead in the second half, capitalizing on 26 North Central turnovers and converting them into 27 points. The Braves also held a 37–34 rebounding edge and scored 17 fast-break points to put the game out of reach. Local high school products Dietrich Richardson, Matthew Zobrist, and Gus Rugaard all saw action late, getting a chance to shine in front of the home crowd. All but two Braves who entered the game scored.

The Braves will look to build on the win as they head to Terre Haute, Indiana, to take on the Indiana State Sycamores, who are also 7–4 on the season after earning a two-point road victory earlier in the day against Milwaukee.