Peoria, IL -- The Bradley Braves will travel to Des Moines, IA to take on Drake
Game Information
Bradley Braves 14-8 (7-4 MVC) at Drake Bulldogs 11-10 (5-5 MVC)
Date & Time: Saturday, January 31st | 5:00 PM CST
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Location: Knapp Center in Des Moines, IA
All-Time Series: Bradley leads 95-75
The Valley
With half of the conference season in the books, only three games separate first place from sixth place. Murray State and Belmont remain locked in a tie atop the standings at 8-2, while Bradley sits in third at 7-4. Illinois State and UIC round out fourth and fifth place, tied at 6-4 in league play.
Bradley will not play a midweek game this week, as it is the Braves' turn in the Missouri Valley Conference's 11-team rotation for an off game. Saturday's matchup against Drake will feature the MVC's oldest rivalry, marking the 171st meeting between the two programs. In their previous encounter, Bradley earned a 93-66 win in Peoria and will be looking to claim its first regular-season sweep of Drake since the 2021-22 season. Two of the conference's top scorers will square off on Saturday, with Jalen Quinn (1st) and JaQuan Johnson (T-2nd) combining to average 35.5 points per game.
The Bradley Braves
Bradley will look to bounce back after an 85-70 home loss to the UIC Flames. Despite having the second-youngest roster in the MVC, the Braves have battled their way into third place at the midway point of the conference schedule. Fans should prepare for an exciting home stretch once Bradley returns from Des Moines. Of the Braves' four remaining home games, three will come against teams currently in the top five of the standings: Belmont, Illinois State, and Murray State.
As a team, Bradley ranks among the nation's best at taking care of the basketball, sitting 14th nationally in fewest turnovers and fifth in turnover margin at plus 5.5. Over the last three games, the Braves have consistently gotten to the free-throw line, averaging 25 attempts per game compared to just 13 for their opponents.
The Drake Bulldogs
Drake has found its rhythm, winning three of its last four games, including home victories over Murray State and Indiana State. The Bulldogs are currently tied for sixth place with Northern Iowa at 5-5 in conference play, just one game out of fifth. Drake is led by a trio of double-digit scorers in Jalen Quinn, Jaeshon Thomas, and Okku Federiko. Over their last three games, the Bulldogs have held opponents to 27 percent shooting from three-point range while converting 70 percent of their free-throw attempts.
Defensively, Drake forces opponents into difficult shots, ranking fourth in the MVC in opponent field-goal percentage. The Bulldogs also move the ball efficiently, ranking second in assist-to-turnover ratio in the Valley.
History Says!
History says, another classic matchup between Bradley and Drake. Bradley leads the all-time series 95-75, and the two teams have played 53 games decided by five points or fewer, with Bradley holding a narrow 27-26 edge in those contests. However, Drake has won six of the last ten meetings. Bradley head coach Brian Wardle sits just three wins shy of tying Jim Molinari for first all-time in Missouri Valley Conference wins at Bradley with 110.
The game will be available to stream on CBS Sports Network with tipoff scheduled for 5:00 p.m. John Sadak and Tre Demps will have the call. Fans can also tune in to 1470 WMBD for the Bradley Basketball radio broadcast with Dave Snell and Chad Kleine.
