The Valley
Murray State, Belmont, Bradley, Illinois State, and UNI currently occupy the top five spots in the Missouri Valley Conference standings heading into Wednesday's action. The matchup between Bradley and Indiana State will feature two of the MVC's top five scoring offenses, with Bradley ranking fourth at 78 points per game and Indiana State fifth at 76 points per game. Two of the Valley's top scorers will also be on display Wednesday night, as Jaquan Johnson leads the MVC at 17.5 points per game, while Indiana State's Ian Scott is averaging 14.4.

The Bradley Braves
Bradley will look to bounce back following a road loss to Illinois State. The Braves currently sit third in the MVC standings and begin a stretch that includes back-to-back home games and four consecutive contests against teams ranked sixth through ninth in the league. Carver Arena has been a major factor in Bradley's success this season, as BU owns the second-best home record in the Valley and has posted the best home-court winning percentage and highest average attendance in the MVC over the past three seasons.

Offensively, the Braves are led by Jaquan Johnson, Demarion Burch, and Alex Huibregtse, who combine to average 39.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. From their forwards, Bradley is producing 29.3 points and 21.9 rebounds per contest.

The Indiana State Sycamores
Indiana State is coming off a hard-fought 85–81 loss to Murray State. The Sycamores enter the matchup at 2-6 in league play but have played six MVC games decided by five points or fewer or in overtime this season. Indiana State is coached by Matthew Graves, who owns a career record of 88-124 and previously served as head coach at South Alabama before joining the Sycamores' staff as an assistant under Josh Schertz.

On the court, Indiana State is led by Ian Scott and Camp Wagner, who are combining for 27.3 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. The Sycamores also excel at ball movement, ranking second in the MVC with 17.4 assists per game.

History Says!
History suggests another close contest between Bradley and Indiana State. Bradley leads the all-time series 60-44 and holds a 37-12 record in Peoria. However, 29 meetings in the series have been decided by five points or fewer, with Indiana State holding a 17-12 edge in those close games. With a win, Bradley head coach Brian Wardle would earn his 200th career victory at Bradley and his 107th MVC win with the Braves.

The game is scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. tipoff at Carver Arena and will be available to stream on ESPN+. Fans can also listen live on 1470 WMBD with Dave Snell and Chad Kleine on the call.