Peoria, IL -- The Bradley Braves 18-5 (9-3) are set to host the Belmont Bruins 15-8 (7-5 MVC) in Missouri Valley Conference action from Carver Arena on Wednesday night.
Game Information
Bradley Braves 18-5 (9-3 MVC) vs Belmont Bruins 15-8 (7-5 MVC)
Date & Time: Sunday, Feb 5th, 2025 • 8:00 PM CST
Live Coverage: ESPN+ | Live Stats | Radio
Location: Carver Arena
All-Time Series: Tied 2-2 (tied 1-1 in Peoria)
Setting the Table
The Bradley Braves and Belmont Bruins will meet for the second time this season when the Bruins make the trip to Peoria, IL, to round out the regular season matchups. Bradley claimed the first meeting in Nashville 89-77, fueled by Christian Davis's 19-point, 10-rebound double-double. Jaquan Johnson also came off the bench and scored 17 points for the Braves. Both teams continue to rank among the MVC's best scoring offenses, with Belmont averaging roughly 81 PPG and Bradley not far behind at 79 PPG. They also both shoot the three-pointer well, as the Braves and the Bruins rank in the top four of the MVC in 3FG% (Bradley 1st at 39.8% and Belmont 4th at 37.5%). On the defensive side, Bradley's defense continues to improve and is a strong point this season. The Braves rank 1st in opponent FG% (40.2%), opponent 3FG% (30.2%), and are also in the top four in scoring defense (69 PPG), blocks per game (3.7), and steals per game (7.3).
About the Braves
The Braves will be looking to bounce back after their road trip to Cedar Falls and chase their 10th Missouri Valley Conference win of the season. They remain in the hunt for a conference title, sitting just one game out of first place. With eight games to go in the regular season, the Braves will have an even split of home and road contests, with only one stretch of back-to-back road games the rest of the way, between February 16th and 19th (at Illinois State and at Drake). Duke Deen (5th in MVC assists) and Zek Montgomery continue to lead the way in scoring for the Braves, with the two averaging 13.3 and 13.2 PPG, respectively. Jaquan Johnson has also caught fire over his last three games as the freshman guard is averaging over 12.5 PPG and shooting 57%.
The Braves continue to be on milestone watch with Darius Hannah eight points away from his career 1,000th and sitting just three games away from own the BU record for career games played. Duke Deen also continues to inch closer to the BU top-15 career assist list sitting just 12 away from becoming the third player to accomplish the feat in three seasons and the first since Jim Les in 1986. With a win tomorrow night, Brian Wardle would also pass Jim Molinari for 4th place on Bradley's all-time wins list with 175 wins, he would also move to within 15 wins of Molinari's record of 110 Missouri Valley Conference wins.
About the Bruins
For the Bruins, they are coming off back-to-back close losses to the Illinois State Redbirds (81-78) and the Evansville Purple Aces (80-75) and now sit tied for fourth in the MVC standings with a record of 7-5 in league play. Much like the last time the Braves met the Bruins, Jonathan Pierre (10th in MVC scoring) and Carter Whitt (2nd in MVC assists) continue to be their main offensive contributors, combining for 27.4 PPG, 10.9 RPG, and 9.0 APG. The Bruins also boast Belmont's head coach is Casey Alexander, who is in his sixth season at the helm for the Bruins and owns a record of 118-43 at Belmont.
The game will be available to stream on ESPN+ as well the MVC TV Network with a start time at 8:00 PM CST.
