Peoria, IL -- The #3 seeded Bradley Braves 28-8 (15-5 MVC) will host the Chattanooga Mocs 26-9 (15-3 SoCon) in the 2025 NIT Quarterfinals.
Game Information
#3 Bradley Braves 28-8 (15-5 MVC) vs Chattanooga Mocs 26-9 (15-3 SoCon)
Date & Time: Tuesday, Mar 25th, 2025 • 6:00 PM CST
Live Coverage: ESPN2 | Live Stats | Radio
Location: Carver Arena
How the they advanced
Bradley earned their spot in the 2025 NIT Quarterfinals after defeating the George Mason Patriots 75-67 on the road at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, VA. Corey Thomas and Christian Davis were the catalysts for the Braves in the win, with the duo combining for 42 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Thomas's final stat line of 21 points and 11 rebounds gives him his first double-double of the season and sets a new career-high for scoring at the Division I level. Davis also had several impactful moments throughout the game, collecting 13 of his 21 points in the first half, which was more than enough for him to surpass 1,000 career points, a milestone that began during his time at Le Moyne.
The flow of the game saw both teams making runs. Bradley controlled much of the first half by getting a multitude of high-percentage looks against the Atlantic 10's best defense, which allowed the Braves to carry a nine-point lead into the halftime break. As the second half wore on, Bradley opened up as much as an 18-point advantage before George Mason mounted their own scoring run that spanned over five minutes of game time. Bradley stopped the momentum after an acrobatic heave from Christian Davis with the shot clock winding down, pushing the BU lead back to 10.
Down the stretch of the game Bradley would lean on their defense holding George Mason to just seven points over the remaining four minutes of game time sealing the win with their efforts on teh boards where BU ended the game +6 at a 32/26 split. George Mason was led by quartet of double digit scorers in KD Johnson, Darius Maddox, Jalen Haynes, and Zach Anderson who combined for 43 points and 15 rebounds.
Previewing the Mocs!
Win or lose, this will be Bradley's final home game of the season, as the semifinals and championship of the 2025 NIT will be hosted at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN. Their opponent for a chance to punch their ticket to Indy will be the Mocs of Chattanooga. Chattanooga ended the regular season as the champions of the SoCon but were defeated by #5 seed Furman in the second round of the SoCon tournament, 80-77 in overtime. The Mocs are led by a quartet of double-digit scorers. Honor Huff is the best of the bunch statistically, averaging 15.2 PPG, with Trey Bonham, Bash Weiland, and Frank Champion all averaging between 11-14 PPG.
The Mocs earned their spot in the Quarterfinals by defeating the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders 109-103 in triple overtime in round one, and followed that up by beating the number one seed Dayton Flyers 87-72 in this quadrant of the bracket. This will be Chattanooga's second road game in the NIT so far. The game will be available to view on ESPN2, with tip-off set for 6:00 PM CST.