Bradley University Athletics

Wisconsin-Parkside (Nov. 7)
2021-22 Record: 14-14
Series History: Bradley, 1-0
Last Meeting: Bradley 75, Wisconsin-Parkside 58 (Nov. 7, 2018)
 
Facts & Figures
• Led by head coach Luke Reigel, who has led the Rangers to six NCAA Tournament bids during his career
• Bradley won the only other meeting between the two schools – posting a 75-58 victory in the 2018 season opener
• Graduate student Ja’Shon Henry made his collegiate debut against the Rangers four years ago – scoring seven points in 18 minutes off the bench
• Returns 2022 GLIAC Freshman of the Year Rasheed Bello
 
Utah State (Nov. 11)
2021-22 Record: 18-16 (8-10 Mountain West)
Series History: Bradley, 2-1
Last Meeting: Bradley 75, Utah State 69 (Dec. 17, 1964)
 
Facts & Figures
• Earned its fourth-straight postseason bid last season with an invitation to the NIT
• Return three starters from last year’s NIT roster in addition to Saint Joseph’s transfer Taylor Funk, who averaged 14.5 points the last two seasons
• Qualified for the NCAA Tournament three-straight seasons from 2019 to 2021, winning the Mountain West Tournament in back-to-back seasons in 2019 and 2020
• The Aggies have averaged 23.0 wins during the last four years
 
Eastern Michigan (Nov. 15)
2021-22 Record: 10-21 (5-15 MAC)
Series History: Bradley, 1-0
Last Meeting: Bradley 86, Eastern Michigan 85 (March 16, 1995)
 
Facts & Figures
• Expected to feature the No. 1 recruit in the 2022 class in Emoni Bates
• Led by second-year head coach Stan Heath, who also coached at Arkansas and South Florida during his career
• The matchup is the first game for each school in the 2022 Cancun Challenge
• Bradley defeated Eastern Michigan in the 1995 NIT in the schools’ only other meeting
 
Southeast Missouri State (Nov. 19)
2021-22 Record: 14-18 (8-9 OVC)
Series History: Bradley, 9-2
Last Meeting: Bradley 68, Southeast Missouri State 57 (Nov. 10, 2018)
 
Facts & Figures
• Posted their most wins last year in five seasons
• The Redhawks return two of their top three scorers, while adding three transfers from Power 7 programs (one from Georgetown and two from Tulsa)
• The contest will feature three Dutch players as Bradley’s Malevy Leons and Rienk Mast are joined by the Redhawks’ David Idada on the court, who played for Netherlands at the 2022 FIBA U20 World Games
 
Auburn (Nov. 22)
2021-22 Record: 28-6 (15-3 SEC)
Series History: Auburn, 2-0
Last Meeting: Auburn 78, Bradley 64 (Dec. 16, 1999)
 
Facts & Figures
• Ranked No. 12 in ESPN’s summer preseason poll
• Ranked No. 1 in the AP poll for three weeks last season – the first time the Tigers topped the poll in school history
• Auburn returns four of its top six scorers from last year’s team
• Also features a top-20 recruiting class, led by five-star freshman Yohan Traore
• The schools first met in the 1988 NCAA Tournament with the Tigers earning a 90-86 victory.
 
Liberty (Nov. 23)
2021-22 Record: 22-11 (12-4 Atlantic Sun)
Series History: First Meeting
 
Facts & Figures
• One of seven schools nationally to win at least 20 games in each of the last six seasons
• Ranks fourth with 104 wins during the last four seasons, which includes three Atlantic Sun Tournament titles and NCAA Tournament bids
• Brings back two-time Atlantic Sun Player of the Year Darius McGhee
• Overall, returns six of their top seven scorers from last year’s 22-win team
 
Northwestern (Nov. 23)
2021-22 Record: 15-16 (7-13 Big Ten)
Series History: Northwestern, 9-1
Last Meeting: Northwestern 78, Bradley 51 (Nov. 25, 2019)
 
Facts & Figures
• Posted its best record and most Big Ten victories in five years during the 2021-22 campaign
• Improved its win total by six games from the previous year
• Returns four of five starters from last year’s squad
• Led by 10th-year head coach Chris Collins, who guided the Wildcats to their first-ever NCAA Tournament and March Madness win in 2017
 
Merrimack (Nov. 26)
2021-22 Record: 14-16 (9-8 Northeast Conference)
Series History: First Meeting
 
Facts & Figures
• Finished with at least a .500 record in all three of its seasons in the Northeast Conference, including a regular-season title in 2019-20
• Leading the Warriors is NEC All-Conference performer Jordan Minor, who averaged a team-best 15.1 points last season
• One of the nation’s most aggressive defensive teams – ranking in the top 40 in steals in each of the last three seasons and as high as fourth in 2019-20
 
SIU Edwardsville (Dec. 6)
2021-22 Record: 11-20 (5-13 OVC)
Series History: Bradley, 4-0
Last Meeting: Bradley 80, SIU Edwardsville 55 (Dec. 4, 2021)
 
Facts & Figures
• Posted its most wins in seven seasons last year
• Led by Ray’Sean Taylor, who averaged 17.6 points as a freshman before missing the final 11 games of the season
• Return four players who started at least 20 games last season
 
Arkansas (Dec. 17)
2021-22 Record: 28-9 (13-5 SEC)
Series History: First Meeting
 
Facts & Figures
• Ranked No. 10 in ESPN’s summer preseason poll
• Advanced to the Elite Eight in each of the last two seasons
• The program’s 28 wins last year are the team’s most since the 1994-95 season
• Brings in the country’s No. 2 recruiting class, led by top-five national recruit Nick Smith
• Also added a second-team All-Pac 12 selection (Jalen Graham) and the AAC Sixth Man of the Year (Ricky Council) in the transfer portal
 
Stonehill (Dec. 19)
2021-22 Record: 15-12
Series History: First Meeting
 
Facts & Figures
• In its first season of Division I and is a member of the Northeast Conference
• Posted a 15-12 during the 2021-22 campaign
• Led by head coach Chris Kraus, who has guided the Skyhawks to three NCAA Tournaments in eight seasons, including the 2015 Elite Eight
 
Akron (Dec. 22)
2021-22 Record: 24-10 (14-6 MAC)
Series History: First Meeting
 
Facts & Figures
• Won the MAC Championship last season and earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, falling to UCLA, 57-53
• Owns a 66-25 record during the last three seasons – a .715 winning percentage
• Returns 3-of-5 starters from last year’s team – including two all-conference performers and the MAC Defensive Player of the Year
• Former Illinois coach John Groce is in his sixth year leading the Zips