Peoria, IL -- The Bradley Braves are set to host the Northern Illinois Huskies on Saturday Dec. 6th from Carver Arena
Game Information
Bradley Braves 5-4 (0-0 MVC) vs Northern Illinois 3-5 (0-0 MAC)
Date & Time: Saturday, December 6th | 7:00 PM CST
Live Coverage: Live Stats |
Watch |
Listen |
Tickets
Location: Carver Arena in Peoria, IL
All-Time Series: Bradley leads 10-1
The Bradley Braves
Jaquan Johnson continues his stellar start to his sophomore campaign and is on pace for one of the best sophomore seasons in BU history. He is averaging 17.9 PPG (1st in the MVC), 3.0 APG (7th), and 3.4 SPG (1st), while shooting 44.8% from the field (5th) and 75.6% from the free-throw line on 68 attempts (1st).
Demarion Burch has increased his production over the past two games, recording back-to-back career highs in scoring with 21 points against Liberty and 23 against Washington State. Alex Huibregtse has also found a strong rhythm from beyond the arc, shooting nearly 40% from three and ranking second in the MVC in both made threes (27) and three-point percentage (39.7%).
The Braves have played one of the tougher non-conference schedules based on the NCAA's NET rankings and are currently tied for second in games played at the Quad-2 level or higher (Murray State 3; SIU and Bradley 2). On the season, teams that have beaten Bradley are a combined 23–8.
As a team Bradley has excelled at turning opponents over ranking 7th in the nation is turnover percentage, forcing an opponent turnover on roughly 24% of possessions. Jaquan Johnson's 31 total steals rank T-2nd in NCAA and 1st in the MVC. AJ Smith's 18 steals ranks 3rd in the MVC.
The Northern Illinois Huskies
Northern Illinois is looking to bounce back after two straight losses to Austin Peay (77–59) and Lindenwood (99–64). Makhai Valentine leads NIU with 12.3 PPG and 5.4 RPG; in each of NIU's wins this season, he has scored 16, 17, and 17 points. The Huskies are coached by Rashon Burno, who is in his fifth season after spending six seasons on the Arizona State coaching staff. This will be NIU's final season as a member of the MAC before moving to the Horizon League for all sports except football, which will compete in the Mountain West Conference.
History Says!
Bradley is 10–1 all-time against NIU dating back to 1921 and has won the last 10 meetings in the series. Against the MAC, Bradley is 31–10 lifetime with a 23–1 record in Peoria. Saturday's game against NIU is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff and will be available for streaming on ESPN+. Fans can also tune in to 1470 WMBD to listen to the radio call with Dave Snell and Chad Kleine.
