Bradley moves to 2-0

The blog isn't dead! Lots to discuss...

But for now, a couple quick thoughts:

- Bradley is now 2-0 after beating Northern Illinois tonight at home. The Braves struggled on the boards but got big performances from senior guards Andrew Warren and Sam Maniscalco.

- So far, it looks like the loss of Taylor Brown certainly hurts the Braves a lot. His athletic ability and rebounding will be tough to replace. I'm hoping Jordan Prosser can fill some of that rebounding burden - certainly a work in progress for now, but he looks talented (like what many of us have heard).

- I hope to get back on more of a regular publishing schedule now. I hope I can post a full recap of this game and tomorrow's matchup sometime tomorrow evening. Until then ...

Bradley runs out of steam, falls to Panthers in semis

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Yesterday looked like Bradley could beat anyone in the conference. But Northern Iowa asserted itself as the conference champion today, dispatching the Braves from the MVC tournament in dominant fashion.

After his 31-point game against Creighton, junior guard Sam Maniscalco was cloaked all day by the Panthers defense. Though he did manage to score 10 points, Maniscalco had little opportunity to have much of an impact on the game.

The Braves (16-15) fell behind big early and never hit enough shots to recover. After a fifth turnover in the half, Bradley went into the under 12-minute timeout down 19-6.

The game never got better as the Panthers (27-4) tenacious defense forced Bradley to settle for a lot of outside jumpers. Even when the Braves got open looks, the shots simply weren't falling and there weren't any second chance opportunities.

Northern Iowa had a 36-19 lead at halftime by holding Bradley to 6-of-21 shooting and 0-of-5 from 3-point range. Even though the game wasn't completely out of reach, it had the feel like one more burst from the Panthers would seal the result.

Yet when the teams came out after the break, the surge didn't happen for either team. Bradley really came out playing inspired defense and held Northern Iowa scoreless for the first five minutes. But the Braves simply couldn't capitalize, only scoring four points during that stretch.

If Bradley had maybe narrowed the gap to 8-10 points, the second half might have been a lot more interesting. Instead, the Panthers went on a 14-3 run during the next five minutes to cement the win.

Note that there was no need to mention any of the Northern Iowa players when describing the flow of the game. That's just how much of a "team" that the entire squad really is. Nobody scored more than 10 points but nine different Panthers did have points in the game.

Their style of play isn't pretty but it simply accumulates victories. Though the team shoots way more threes than teams of the past, Northern Iowa looks a lot like the rugged Southern Illinois teams from a few years ago. Opponents just don't get much of an opportunity to win.

Assist to turnover ratios (15-7 for, 7-14 against) were solid for the Panthers and they also limited Bradley to just six offensive rebounds.

When a team only scores 40 points, it's tough for anyone to really put up much of a stat line. Senior center Sam Singh grabbed eight rebounds (no other Brave had more than three) and junior guard Andrew Warren had 12 points to lead all scorers (eight of those were from the free throw line, though).

Bradley's depth wasn't as big of a factor today since the Panthers play a much less bruising style than Creighton does. But the cumulative effect of the past two games, especially having to turn around in 24 hours and play again seemed to be a major factor in why Bradley couldn't get anything going offensively.

Finishing one game over .500 might be enough for Bradley to be invited into one of the lower level postseason tournaments. But really, a major factor in these events often has to do with money and since the Braves draw well, that might put them ahead of some other teams.

But if this is indeed the final game for the 2009-10 Bradley Braves, the season ended in a similar manner to how the other 30 games were. A few great moments left fans wondering all year whether the team could truly turn the corner. Discouraging defeats continually brought down that optimism.

Because that's really what this season was: average. The final (?) record (16-15), the conference record (9-9), the performances of nearly every key member of the team (some great games for every guy to go along with some non-existent/bad ones) - these all fit the term.

Now the question is where can these guys go from here? Will they continue to develop, like Taylor Brown did, and come back with a similar but better team in 2010-11? Few can question the talent level - fans saw it against the better teams on the schedule. Now everyone will see if the Braves can pull it all together for an improvement next season.

Bradley knocks off Creighton for first time this season

The third time was the charm for the Braves as Bradley knocked off Creighton 81-62 in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. Bradley now faces Northern Iowa tomorrow in the conference semifinals.

Junior guard Sam Maniscalco had an incredible game, scoring 31 points and making 18-of-19 from the free-throw line. Fellow junior guard Andrew Warren also finished in double figures (14 points).

While Creighton nailed 50 percent of its three-pointers in the first two games during the regular season, the shots didn't fall today (9-of-33, 27.3 percent).

Creighton continues dominance at home against Bradley

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Creighton always seemed to bring its best games against Bradley in Omaha. Saturday wasn't any different as the Bluejays nabbed an 11-point victory and secured sole possession of fourth place in the final regular season Missouri Valley Conference standings.

The game might have been lopsided if it weren't for the standout performance by sophomore forward Taylor Brown, who finished with a career high 27 points. He made 12-of-21 from the floor, grabbed eight rebounds and was basically unstoppable the entire game.

Unfortunately for the Braves, Creighton got big contributions from up and down its lineup, especially from Kenny Lawson Jr. Just like Illinois State's Dinma Odikosa did earlier in the season, Lawson took advantage of a big weight differential against sophomore center Will Egolf. He finished with 20 points on 6-of-7 shooting and snagged eight rebounds.

Of course, part of the problem is the Egolf is forced to play out of position due to Bradley's lack of a "bruiser" inside. But players like Lawson and Odiakosa are the primary reason why the Braves are 0-4 against Creighton and Illinois State. Egolf fouled out of this game, officially only playing five minutes while still contributing four points and five rebounds.

These little aspects are what have plagued Bradley the entire season. The bench has not been deep enough to adjust to the different lineups that other teams throw at them. The Braves have been much more successful against smaller, quicker teams.

Because looking at the stats, or even just getting a feel from watching the game, Bradley wasn't really bad yesterday. In fact, the Braves actually played okay but Creighton was just better. The Bluejays led slightly in shooting percentage (44.0-40.0), 3-pointers made (6-2) and free throws made (23-19). Most of the other points of comparison were negligible, which made for a fairly close game.

Probably the most surprising aspect of the game was the performance of freshman guard Jake Eastman, who scored a career high 13 points off the bench. He had been shooting under 50 percent from the free throw line and calmly knocked in all six attempts. Though he has shown some flashes of talent throughout the season, this was the first game Eastman really made a big contribution to a game. Hopefully he can build on this performance going into the MVC tournament and next year.

As great as Eastman and Brown were, guards Sam Maniscalco and Chris Roberts were equally as off. The two combined to make just 2-of-11 from the floor and score just eight points combined. Maniscalco's game was certainly unexpected considering the fact that he'd been playing so well and was on the floor for all 40 minutes.

Bradley will now get one more shot at Creighton, just like last season. The two will face-off in the 4-5 game of the MVC tournament on Friday. The old adage is that it's really tough to beat a team three times in a season. We'll see if that proves to be true this time around.

Photos from the Wichita State game

I've uploaded the pictures I took at last night's game. Enjoy.

Click the photo above to view a slideshow.

A long drive back from Peoria

For the second straight time, five hours of driving was truly worth it to see another classic basketball game. Bradley knocked off Wichita State on senior night, and with the other results in the Valley, now has secured a spot outside of the play-in game next Thursday.

The game was very entertaining, with Bradley jumping out to a huge lead early and sustaining that through halftime. But then Wichita State caught fire from the floor and whittled the entire lead away for the Braves. In the end, two clutch three pointers and steal helped seal a 75-73 victory.

I will have a full recap up tomorrow as well some of the many pictures I took at the game.

Here's how the MVC standings look:

				Conference		Tiebreaker Pts.
			Place	Wins	Losses	Max.	Earned
Northern Iowa			1	14	3	171	123
Wichita State*			2	11	6	177	103
Illinois State*			2	11	6	177	93
Creighton			4	9	8	185	60
Bradley			4	9	8	185	69
Missouri State			6	8	9	187	59
Indiana State			6	8	9	193	57
Drake			7	7	10	193	61
Southern Ill.			9	6	11	203	48
Evansville			10	2	15	207	35

Notes: Wichita State leads the second place tiebreaker based upon playoff points; Creighton currently leads the fourth place tiebreaker as it is 1-0 v. Bradley; Missouri State leads the sixth place tiebreaker based upon a 1-0 record v. Indiana State

Obviously the stunner was Evansville knocking off nationally ranked Northern Iowa yesterday. But this had no real effect on the standings.

The I-74 rivals really strengthened their positions in the standings. Bradley cannot finish lower than 6th, as the loser of the Missouri State-Indiana State game will have 10 losses. Additionally, the Wichita State victory gives Bradley an opportunity to claim the fourth spot with a win in Omaha.

Illinois State also had a big win, making sure that Indiana State would not have a chance to catch the Redbirds in the standings. Bradley (though fans never would admit it) did the Redbirds a serious favor by beating the Shockers. Now Illinois State will likely earn that critical second seed if the the team can find a way to win at Northern Iowa.

MVC standings could still see radical changes

Two favored teams almost stumbled at home tonight as both Wichita State and Illinois State barely won close games against Evansville and Missouri State, respectively.

What does that do to the MVC Standings? Let's take a look:

				Conference		Tiebreaker Pts.
			Place	Wins	Losses	Max.	Earned
Northern Iowa			1	14	2	171	124
Wichita State			2	11	5	175	103
Illinois State			3	10	6	179	81
Creighton*			4	8	8	187	58
Indiana State*			4	8	8	187	56
Bradley*			4	8	8	187	56
Drake			7	7	9	197	58
Missouri State			7	7	9	197	54
Southern Ill.			9	6	10	203	47
Evansville			10	1	15	207	17

* - Creighton leads the mini round-robin 2-1, Indiana State is 2-2, Bradley is 1-2

Now all of the upcoming scenarios left:

Northern Iowa

Current state: Clinched the conference title and the top overall seed in the MVC tournament.

Remaining games: at Evansville, vs. Illinois State

Tiebreaker thoughts: None, as they have clinched the 1 seed

Outlook: Northern Iowa, though it has locked up the regular season, will continue to play its remaining two games as the Panthers are trying to improve their seed in the eyes of the selection committee. A lapse in either of their last two games could really hurt their place on Selection Sunday.

Wichita State

Current state - Clinched no worse than third place overall, currently sits ahead of Illinois State by one game for second

Remaining games: at Bradley, vs. Southern Ill.

Tiebreaker thoughts: Illinois State (1-1); The only team Wichita State has to worry about for tiebreakers are the Redbirds. This would go down to tiebreaker points if both teams finish 12-6. Since this would require Illinois State to win at Northern Iowa, the tiebreaker would go to Illinois State.

Outlook: The game at Bradley is huge for both teams. The Shockers can essentially lock up the two seed with a win in Peoria. Considering the fact that Wichita State is 16-0 at home this season, the home finale against Southern Illinois can almost be considered a lock, even after the scare by Evansville.

Illinois State

Current state: The Redbirds are one game out of second place and two games ahead of three teams tied for third.

Remaining games: vs. Indiana State, at Northern Iowa

Tiebreaker thoughts: Wichita State (Yes, if it comes into play, see above for explanation); Creighton (Yes, 2-0), Bradley (Yes, 2-0), Indiana State (0-1, TBD)

Outlook: Illinois State can win out and have a chance at second place with one Wichita State loss. The Redbirds have done a good job against the teams chasing them, eliminating any possibility of Creighton or Bradley from moving ahead. The interesting part comes in with Indiana State, who has to go to Redbird Arena next Wednesday. The Sycamores have a winnable finale at home against Missouri State and would win the tiebreaker against Illinois State if they can pull an upset. In a worst case scenario, Illinois State finishes 4th.

Creighton

Current state: Currently tied for fourth place, would be the 4 seed if the season ended today based upon a 2-1 record against Bradley & Indiana State

Remaining games: at Southern Illinois, vs. Bradley

Tiebreaker thoughts: Illinois State (No, 0-2), Bradley (TBD, 1-0), Indiana State (1-1), Drake (1-1), Missouri State (1-1), Southern Illinois (TBD, 1-0)

Outlook: From Creighton down through Southern Illinois, the tiebreakers could really go a variety of ways. Both of the Bluejays remaining games aren't easy, considering the rivalry with Southern Illinois as well as a Bradley team who could beat any team in the league on a given night.

In one possible scenario, Creighton could win both games and if Indiana State also wins out, there's a chance for an tie in tiebreaker points. If this somehow happened, it would go the rare final tiebreaker of RPI. Indiana State has a RPI of 87 going into tonight as opposed to Creighton who came in with a RPI of 127. There simply won't be that large of a shift in the RPI this late in the season, so Indiana State would earn the higher seed.

Of course, if this were for the 4-5 game, all that comes from these complicated formulas is what color jerseys you wear. Of course, a win here or a loss there always shifts the balance of the tiebreaker formula so it simply is too close to call who would win tiebreaker points at this stage against Creighton.

Indiana State

Current state: Currently tied for fourth place, would be the 5 seed if the season ended today based upon a 2-2 record against Bradley & Indiana State

Remaining games: at Illinois State, vs. Missouri State

Tiebreaker thoughts: Illinois State (TBD, 1-0, see explanation in the Redbirds section), Creighton (1-1), Bradley (1-1), Drake (Yes, 2-0), Missouri State (TBD, 0-1), Southern Illinois (1-1)

Outlook: Indiana State has the most direct effect on the resolution of the conference standings than pretty much any other team. Though other teams have big games as well, with the Sycamores winning 5 of 7, two more victory are definitely possible.

And with those two wins, Indiana State could finish as high as third. Yet, with two losses a variety of other factors, the Sycamores could sink to as low as the 9 seed. This is highly unlikely, though. A split would probably get Indiana State into the five seed but the Bradley-Creighton game will have a significant impact on that as well.

Bradley

Current state: Bradley is tied for fourth place and would be the 6 seed in the tournament based upon

Remaining games: vs. Wichita State, at Creighton

Tiebreaker thoughts: Illinois State (No, 0-2), Creighton (TBD, 0-1), Indiana State (1-1), Drake (Yes, 2-0), Missouri State (1-1)

Outlook: Nobody can really gauge what Bradley will do in its final two games. If the team can pull together two consecutive wins, fourth place seems very likely. Two losses would put the Braves in the 6-7-8 range. The series sweep against Drake is huge here as Bradley is likely to win most round-robin tiebreakers as a result. The Braves can thank the Bulldogs for most likely keeping them out of the play-in game. Again though, a lot of different results (especially with how Missouri State does against Drake and Indiana State) could really sway the Bradley seeding.

Drake

Current state: Drake is currently tied for seventh place and would currently be the 7 seed as they hold a 1-0 series advantage against Missouri State.

Remaining games: at Missouri State, vs. Evansville

Tiebreaker thoughts: Creighton (1-1), Indiana State (No, 0-2), Bradley (No, 0-2), Missouri State (TBD, 1-0), Southern Illinois (Yes, 2-0)

Outlook: Series sweeps by both Bradley and Indiana State will likely relegate the Bulldogs to the play-in game. As a minor consolation, a sweep against Southern Illinois will probably keep Drake at the worst the 8 seed.

With such a close race and remaining games against important teams, Drake could get out of the play-in game by winning at Missouri State and hoping that either Bradley or Indiana State loses both games.

Missouri State

Current state: Missouri State is currently tied for seventh place and would currently be the 8 seed as they trail a 0-1 series disadvantage against Drake.

Remaining games: vs. Drake, at Indiana State

Tiebreaker thoughts: Creighton (1-1), Indiana State (TBD, 1-0), Bradley (1-1), Drake (TBD, 0-1), Southern Illinois (1-1)

Outlook: Missouri State sits in a very similar position to Drake. Win that head-to-head game and that will likely earn the 7 seed. But find a way to win at Indiana State as well and probably jump out of the play-in game into the 6 spot. Like many other teams, there are so many moving parts that tiebreakers are just too close to call.

Southern Illinois

Current state: 9th place, one game out of seventh

Remaining games: vs. Creighton, at Wichita State

Tiebreaker thoughts: Creighton (TBD, 0-1), Indiana State (1-1), Bradley (1-1), Drake (No, 0-2), Missouri State (1-1)

Outlook: The Salukis have two major things working for them. They are not trailing any important tiebreakers other than Drake. Also, they would gain a bundle of tiebreaker points by winning their last two games. But the challenge will be actually pulling off either of these upsets. Southern Illinois is going to be in the play-in game and most likely will remain the 9 seed.

Evansville

Current state: 10th place with no hope of gaining any ground

Remaining games: vs. Northern Iowa, at Drake

Tiebreaker thoughts: N/A

Outlook: The only thing Evansville can do to upset the balance of the standings at this point is to knock off Drake in the final game of the season. Though surely every fan would expect the Bulldogs to win on senior night in Des Moines, a defeat to the Purple Aces would almost assuredly send Drake to the play-in game.

Bradley falls back to .500 after OT loss at Indiana State

69	75

The 2009-2010 Bradley Braves simply can't turn the corner. After knocking off nationally ranked Northern Iowa on Saturday, the Braves (13-13, 8-8 MVC) didn't put together a complete performance and fell at Indiana State, 75-69 in overtime.

The "other" Aaron Carter led all scorers with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Doing his best impression of the famous pop singer, Carter made numerous big plays including the game winning shot with 40 seconds to play in overtime.

Bradley freshman guard Dyricus Simms-Edwards continues to blossom scoring a career-high 14 points to go along with four assists and two rebounds. Even though he lacks experience, Simms-Edwards had the guts to attempt and make a long 3-pointer with less than two minutes remaining in overtime. At the time, his shot tied the game at 66-66.

After Carl Richard made a jumper on the following possession, Simms-Edwards continued to show his confidence with a hard drive to the basket. The shot didn't fall but sophomore center Will Egolf grabbed the rebound and fed junior guard Andrew Warren for an open 3-pointer to give the Braves a brief 69-68 lead with 1:00 to play.

The Sycamores (16-11, 8-8 MVC) were having some success driving to the basket late in the game and head coach Kevin McKenna drew up the perfect play to capitalize on that. Jordan Printy drove quickly to the basket and the entire Bradley defense bit, leaving multiple shooters open on the perimeter. Printy found Carter in the corner and it was a lead that would not be relinquished.

Simms-Edwards tried to score for the third straight possession but his contested jumper simply wouldn't fall in the hoop. A few free throws later and Bradley had fallen squarely backward in the conference standings.

The statistics were fairly even on the game as both teams shot about 40 percent from the floor. But the Braves committed 17 turnovers and shot 10 less free throws than Indiana State did.

Warren and junior guard Sam Maniscalco combined for just 3 points in the first half, but helped lead the charge to get back into the game after trailing by 10 at the break. Maniscalco led Bradley with 15 points and 5 assists while Warren added 13 points of his own.

Sophomore forward Taylor Brown was solid as well, pulling down his sixth double-double of the season (14 points, 13 rebounds). Even though senior guard Chris Roberts had a quiet scoring night (5 points), he did contribute 11 rebounds and three assists.

So, if so many of the Braves had decent games, why did Bradley come up short in Terre Haute? Well, the Will Egolf factor was in effect again - as he goes, so do the Braves. The sophomore center simply wasn't sharp, making 2-of-7 from the floor, committing three turnovers and fouling out in overtime.

This isn't to be too harsh on Egolf, as he certainly wasn't the main reason Bradley lost. Everybody made mistakes and these all combined together to result in a frustrating defeat. The Braves lack of interior players (other than Egolf) makes the team so reliant on him to be good game after game. And when he does have an off night (as every player does during the course of a season), Bradley usually struggles to pull out a victory.

This loss really puts a lot of pressure on the Braves now, who would have held tiebreakers over Drake and Indiana State and almost assured themselves a top six finish in the Valley. Now only two games remain against second place Wichita State and at Creighton, both teams that will be a major challenge to secure a victory. If Bradley doesn't get either of these games, a trip to the play-in game would be very possible.

But everyone has seen the capability of this team to beat the upper echelon programs in the league. Even after close losses (vs. Creighton, vs. Illinois State, at Northern Iowa), Bradley has proven it can beat any of these teams.

The BracketBuster

Bradley hosts Drexel on Saturday night in Peoria at 7:05 pm. This final regular season non-conference game is part of the BracketBusters series that helps the mid-major schools try and strengthen a resume to get invited to the NCAA tournament.

Because of how average the entire conference has been all season, only Northern Iowa (who hosts Old Dominion on Saturday) really has a chance to enhance or hinder its at-large bid consideration. Though Bradley certainly wishes it had something more significant to play for in this game, it does provide a good test against a solid east coast program.

The Dragons are 15-13 overall after falling big at VCU tonight, 73-54. The interesting aspect to watch will be how Bradley can handle Drexel's depth. While Bradley is essentially playing a 6-7 man rotation now, the Dragons are playing 8-9 deep.

Bradleys dominates second half, knocks off No. 18/19 Northern Iowa

59	68

Students rarely have the opportunity to storm in the court at Carver Arena. But after Bradley stormed back from a nine point halftime deficit, the "Red Sea" was able to wash onto the court in euphoria.

Junior guard Andrew Warren scored all 15 of his points in the second half to help the Braves (13-12, 8-7 MVC) shock the No. 18/19 team in the country. Four Bradley players finished in double figures as it was the first time the Braves have knocked off a ranked opponent in downtown Peoria.

Considering how much the Braves struggled to score in the first 20 minutes, the turnaround out of the break was nothing short of amazing. Northern Iowa methodically changed an 11-11 tie at the 10:27 mark into a 32-23 lead at the half. The team's patient offense got plenty of good looks and second chance opportunities. Combine that with how the Panthers (22-3, 13-2 MVC) put the clamps on the Bradley offense and it looked like another home loss was coming.

A few Northern Iowa fans remarked in the concourse at the half how if they could hit a three (3-of-14), they'd be up thirty. Few could have argued the impressive fact that a team which didn't even play its best ball was still nearly up double digits on the road.

If it wasn't for sophomore center Will Egolf, the Braves almost certainly would have been buried. Ten of Egolf's 12 points came before halftime, showing his athleticism against a bigger defender (talented Panther center Jordan Eglseder).

But for as many times as Bradley has come out of the break flat and allowed other teams back into games, the Braves finally returned the favor to an opponent. On both ends of the floor, the home squad looked like a completely different team.

Warren, who had been completely invisible in the first half, was active on defense and scored five of Bradley's first nine points. Before the under first television timeout, the Braves had tied the Panthers at 32-32.

The game seesawed back and forth for the next eight minutes, lacking a ton of flow due to the whistle-happy referees, coined by some as the "best" the Valley has to offer - John Higgins, Mike Sanzere, Gene Grimshaw. In a game that had only eight fouls called between both teams in the first half, suddenly had become boxing match in the referees eyes.

This stretch from 13:56 to 8:15 had an astonishing 13 fouls called between the teams. All players and coaches want is a consistent philosophy that is used throughout the game. Both coaches had plenty to gripe about but luckily, this didn't determine the outcome of the game.

In fact, both teams were unbelievable from the line. The Panthers made their first 11 free throws of the game, finishing 17-of-18 overall (93.3 percent). Bradley bested that total by making all but two attempts in the game (22-of-24, 94.4 percent).

And it was a free throw by senior guard Chris Roberts on a three-point-play opportunity that capped a decisive 9-1 run at 4:53. Roberts, who arguably had his best game of the season, had 13 points, no turnovers and finished his driving layups, which has been a problem at times this year.

Head coach Jim Les experimented a bit with a zone defense in the first half and then used it more frequently as the game progressed. The switching of defenses had the Panthers' offense confused and they frequently settled for contested outside shots.

And for as good as Northern Iowa can be from the perimeter, this was a game where the long bombs weren't falling. The Panthers made just 6-of-30 from beyond the arc, accounting for more than half of their 55 shot attempts.

That kind of result continues to leave fans scratching their heads as this Bradley team can knock off opponents like Northern Iowa and Illinois and drop puzzling decisions to Loyola and Western Carolina.

There's no way to guess how the rest of the season will go for the Braves. They could easily sweep their last three games and finish in the upper half of the conference. Just as possible, Bradley could overlook Indiana State on Tuesday and fall back into the play-in mess in the Valley standings.

No matter what happens the rest of the way, today was a good day to be Bradley fan.

Click the photo above to view a slideshow.

Rebounding costs Braves as Illinois State sweeps season series

62	61

Sometimes great games are spoiled by disappointing outcomes. This home loss has extra bitterness since it came against a longtime nemesis.

Jackie Carmichael scored on a second putback opportunity to give Illinois State a 62-61 lead with 49 seconds to play in the game. The Redbirds (17-8, 8-6 MVC) erased a 10-point halftime deficit and won for the first time in eight tries in the Jim Les era at Carver Arena.

Bradley (12-12, 7-7 MVC) had two opportunities to regain the lead in the waning moments, but a contested layup by junior guard Sam Maniscalco and a long two-pointer by sophomore forward Taylor Brown didn't fall.

Not only was it a devastating home loss against the hated Redbirds, but this was also a pivotal game in the MVC standings. Now Illinois State holds the tiebreaker against the Braves and pushes Bradley deeper into the muddled middle of the Valley.

Make no mistake about it, even through the television you could feel the atmosphere of another classic Bradley-ISU rivalry game. Bradley, as well as most of the arena, wore black for the first time in history. But just as the previous seven games had finished, the team in white won in Peoria.

The environment seemed to aid a fast start by the Braves, who got out to a 7-0 lead and prompted an early timeout by Illinois State coach Tim Jankovich. The Redbirds kept the game close for most of the half, but a 15-9 run helped Bradley go into halftime leading 35-25.

The teams traded runs to start the second half as Illinois State closed to within two at 37-35 with 17:34 left. But the Braves answered by extending the lead to 12 points (51-39) on a short shot by Brown at the 12:11 mark.

As it has plagued Bradley the entire season, the inability to finish a game came back to haunt the home squad again. The Braves were frozen on 54 points for almost six minutes (9:15 to 3:18), not able to score for seven consecutive possessions.

Consider that Illinois State shot just 39.3 percent for the game (24 of 61) and star guard Osiris Eldridge had a really poor performance (seven points, 3-of-12 shooting, one rebound). But the Redbirds stayed close by crushing Bradley on the glass again, 41 to 32 and that included 17 on the offensive end.

But this should be expected with the matchup problems that Illinois State presents. Dinma Odiakosa, Austin Hill and Carmichael are all big bruisers that the Braves cannot guard effectively.

Junior center Will Egolf did his best, but he shouldn't have to be counted upon to rebound against guys who have 10-20 pounds on him. On the other side of the spectrum, senior center Sam Singh has the size but lacks the foot speed to keep up with the more athletic bigs from Illinois State.

And even though the Redbirds led 18-7 in second chance points, the play of Maniscalco almost bailed out the Braves again. The junior has transformed this conference season from an important starter on his team to one of the more clutch players in the entire league.

For the game, Maniscalco finished with 17 points, four rebounds, two assists and one turnover in 37 minutes of action. For as great as he was (including two shots either tied or gave Bradley the lead in the final two minutes), he will likely look to his missed layup with 20 seconds left as one that got away. Hopefully he doesn't that too hard, as the Braves don't even have a chance to win without him.

Brown might feel similarly, as the final taste in his mouth was a missed shot that he can easily knock down. Yet he did nearly have another double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 9 rebounds.

Maybe the lack of depth is really starting to catch up with the Braves. During the second half timeouts, the team looked visibly gassed. For as energetic and tenacious this team usually is during the first 20 minutes of games, it can look just as visibly lethargic during segments of second halves.

Junior guard Andrew Warren disappeared again for long stretches after such a great game at Evansville on Saturday. To his credit, he sparked the run to end the first half, scoring all nine of his points in less than a three minute stretch. But Warren then went 0-3 in latter 20 minutes and never really got into the flow of the offense. For such a talented player, he just seems to get lost in the mix at times and needs to take more charge.

Back to the bench

Sophomore center Anthony Thompson, who was coming off one of his best games in a Bradley uniform, didn't see the floor again tonight. The reason seems obvious: If Egolf and Singh can't play exceptionally well against the Illinois State beef, how will the lanky Thompson fare any better?

That said, maybe he could have blocked a few shots or at least altered them. Nobody would argue that Thompson is Hakeem Olajuwon, but why not give the kid a few minutes to see how he can stack up? If nothing else, it provides Bradley with a few extra fouls to put the poor free-throw shooting big men from Illinois State on the line.

Strengthening schedule

This game ended a stretch of seven winnable games for the Braves. They did manage to go 5-2, which helped them get back into the conference race. But now the finish is arguably as difficult as the start of conference play.

Bradley has one game against each of the top three teams in the conference (vs. No. 18 Northern Iowa on Saturday, vs. Wichita State on 2/24 and at Creighton on 2/27). Possibly the most important of all will be a road game in Terre Haute, Ind., against Indiana State. The Sycamores are now just one game behind Bradley in the standings and may be fighting with the Braves to stay out of the play-in game.

But that's how crazy this season has been in the Valley. Only three games separate second place from ninth place, so nothing is really decided yet. Bradley lost by two points at Northern Iowa in mid January, so it certainly would not be a shock if the Braves pulled the upset.

Bradley blows out Evansville 83-63

83	63

Bradley completely dominated Evansville this afternoon and won by 20 points on road. The Braves got contributions from up and down the roster during this impressive performance.

Expect a full recap tomorrow on bradleybasketball.blogspot.com.

Egolf's late baskets lead Braves to 67-65 victory

65	67

Fans have been watching a reoccurring plot at home all season: Bradley plays a really solid first half but lets the lead slip away in the second 20 minutes. Luckily for players, coaches and fans, this game finished with a better ending as Bradley found a way to secure a big home victory against Drake, 67-65.

Sophomore center Will Egolf grabbed an offensive rebound and tossed in a fall away shot attempt that broke a 65-65 tie with 1.8 seconds left in the game. "I saw the rim for about a second," Egolf said during the post game radio show.

And though he didn't have a huge stat line (eight points, five rebounds), Egolf was a critical component in the Bradley (11-11, 6-6 MVC) victory.

With the Braves leading 63-62, head coach Jim Les called a timeout with 59.6 seconds remaining. Bradley would eventually get a shot for junior guard Sam Maniscalco, who had been the carrying the Braves the last eight minutes of the game. Maniscalco missed a 3-pointer from the top to the key but Egolf used his long, athletic reach to tip in the miss and extend the lead to three.

Drake's Josh Young slashed to the basket on the next possession and found an open Adam Templeton for a 3-pointer to tie the game with 16 seconds to go. Maniscalco tried a long shot from just inside the arc but it rattled out again. But Egolf was in the right place again and threw in what most would call a "lucky" shot to win it.

Strangely enough, even though Drake (11-13, 6-6 MVC) had three timeouts remaining and 1.8 seconds left, the Bulldogs elected not to call a timeout and missed a long heave at the buzzer.

Even though Maniscalco missed those two late opportunities, he was a true leader on the court the entire game, pacing all scorers with 21 points. One of his favorite offensive moves, the turnaround jump shot after driving into the lane, was really on display. He finished the game playing 38 minutes, making 9-of-14 from the field with three rebounds, six assists and three turnovers.

But it wasn't just Maniscalco's offense that was so critical to the Braves' victory. After Ryan Wedel lit up Bradley for 15 points in the first half, Maniscalco was switched over to guarding Wedel for the majority of the second half. The result: Wedel had zero points and didn't look like the same player.

To cap it all off, Maniscalco became the first Brave since Phillip Gilbert to reach the 1,000 point club in his junior year.

His play was a big reason why, even though Bradley shot 55 percent in the first half, only led by seven points going into the break. When Wedel disappeared from the Drake offense, there was Josh Young. One of better players in the conference during the past three seasons, Young's combination of shooting and slashing to the goal caught the Bulldogs up in the game.

Bradley had an opportunity extend a seven point lead on five separate possessions with the score 54-47 and just under 12 minutes remaining. Young took charge, nailing two 3-pointers and scoring 12 of Drake's next 14 points.

The Braves seemed to have a "bend, don't break" style the entire second half, never pulling away but also never letting Drake take the lead either.

Freshman guard Dyricus Simms-Edwards turned in another dynamite performance off of the bench, logging seven points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and one turnover in 17 minutes. His energy always seems to resonate throughout the whole team whenever he's out on the court - something a box score simply can't tell you.

Senior guard Chris Roberts appeared to gain some confidence after a few shaky performances as of late. He had nine points (3-of-3 from beyond the arc) and could have had more if it weren't for him missing four easy layups. For as explosive of a player as he can be, it's truly baffling how much Roberts struggles to finish near the basket. Give him credit though, he hit a couple big shots when Bradley really needed them and hopefully will build on a good game.

The tenacity from sophomore forward Taylor Brown was back as he nearly had another double-double (14 points, eight rebounds). Even though he's still developing, it's hard to argue that Brown has the talent to be a force in this league for the next two seasons.

With so many positives, like 6th year senior center Sam Singh grabbing nine rebounds off the bench, the only downside had to be the game from junior guard Andrew Warren. His shooting touch has been really shaky, making less than 50 percent of his shots in the last seven games (21-of-60). A lack of confidence has appeared to affect his decision making too, with four questionable turnovers tonight.

Even in Warren's case, who has been a focal point of opposing team's defensive game planning, he managed to come up with a couple important steals. He has such a likable demeanor off the court that it'd be tough not to root for him to snap out of this funk.

Importance of this game

Looking at this game from a bigger perspective, Bradley now holds the tiebreaker over Drake, which could be critical for seeding purposes in the conference tournament. This was the only game in the Valley tonight but tomorrow could create an even more muddled mess.

With Illinois State on the road (where it really struggles) and Missouri State playing at the suddenly vulnerable SIU Arena, the night could end with a five-way tie for fourth place at 6-6. Bradley would be just a game out of third place while also being in danger of being part of the play-in round.

Look for a post sometime after tomorrow's games that publishes my first edition of the tiebreakers for the MVC standings.

Don't be the first

The Braves have until Saturday to prepare for a game at winless Evansville. Though the Purple Aces (6-15, 0-11 MVC) are short on experience and talent, no games are ever a gimme in the Valley. They have given multiple MVC teams a good game at home (lost to Southern Illinois 65-57, to Drake 72-65 and to Indiana State 63-56).

Bradley must get this game if it hopes to rise above the murky middle of the conference sludge.

Illinois State takes first rivalry game easily, 66-47

47	66

Most games have useful building points. But there isn't a positive spin today - Bradley got embarrassed by rival Illinois State, 66-47.

Dinma Odiakosa abused the Braves in the post en route to a career high 25 points to go along with 12 rebounds. The Redbirds' star guard Osiris Eldridge didn't do a ton (13 points on just 5-of-14 shooting) but decisive advantage in rebounding more than made up for his off game.

For the game, ISU (15-7, 6-5 MVC) had a 50-28 rebounding margin. That helped the Redbirds dominate in second chance points (24-2) and points in the paint (34-10) as well.

And for everything the Redbirds did right, Bradley (10-11, 5-6 MVC) seemed to do just as much wrong. In the first half, the Braves shot okay (9-of-21, 42.9 percent) but committed numerous lazy and sloppy turnovers. In the second 20 minutes, not as many possessions were given away. But then the shooting went dramatically south.

At the official timeout (11:28 mark), Bradley had just three points and a nine point halftime deficit had ballooned to 19. The final statistics in the second half were ugly: 5-of-28 shooting (17.9 percent) and 1-of-11 from 3-point range (9.1 percent).

Junior guard Andrew Warren was the only member of the Braves to reach double figures. But, his 11 points came on 3-of-12 shooting and he snared just one rebound. Senior guard Chris Roberts was invisible (3 points, 4 rebounds) and both sophomore forward Taylor Brown and junior guard Sam Maniscalco weren't at their best either, scoring eight and nine points respectively.

But maybe most importantly was the play of sophomore center Will Egolf. For how well he had been playing lately, this was certainly a game to forget for the young man from Alaska. Egolf was overmatched inside against Odiakosa which got him into foul trouble.

As a result, Egolf's final line didn't look good: 13 minutes, two points, 0-for-1 from the floor, two rebounds and four fouls. With the lack of nearly any other post presence, Egolf needs to be on seemingly every night for Bradley to have a shot at winning. For such a young player, and really for any player for that matter, it's an unreasonable expectation.

The Braves need, but never seem to have, a bruiser inside like Odiakosa. Maybe some can argue that these players are hard to come by, but other teams in the Missouri Valley Conference have found them. Southern Illinois had Randal Falker, Wichita State has JT Durley, Creighton has Kenny Lawson and also got great seasons from Anthony Tolliver.

So, unless the entire Bradley team commits to rebounding like it did against Creighton, the Braves are handled easily by powerful post players. Players like sophomore Anthony Thompson can't even get minutes because they'd be tossed around in the post.

Maybe the silver lining is the common concept in sports - "it's just one game". If so, Bradley needs to rebound (literally and figuratively) against Drake and Evansville this week. These are two teams that it should beat if Bradley can find its confidence and forget such a disappointing loss to a rival.

The true colors really shine through as a season goes on. Bradley isn't as good as it looks in some victories and certainly isn't as bad as it looks in losses, especially this one. The Braves are just an average team that will continue to have its ups and downs throughout the remainder of conference play.

Side note: Sophomore guard Eddren McCain returned to action after missing the last two games with a hand injury. He played just five minutes and had one rebound.

Creighton beats the Braves again

73	68

When a team struggles near .500 the whole season, losses can almost be expected. Creighton continued its dominance over the Braves in the Jim Les-era with a 73-68 victory last night in Peoria.

With the win, the Bluejays (11-10, 6-4 MVC) took sole possession of third place in the conference standings. Head coach Dana Altman improved his record to 13-3 all-time against Jim Les' Braves (10-10, 5-5 MVC).

The back story before the game was the absence of Creighton's toxic guard P'Allen Stinnett. All sorts of speculation has been floating around the Internet about why the highly talented Stinnett was suspended indefinitely from the team Tuesday. Whether it related to off-the-court issues or his hot headed personality on the court, one thing could be confirmed in Peoria - the Bluejays were better without him.

Freshman guard Josh Jones, who had zero points in conference play before yesterday, inexplicably made 3-of-6 from beyond the arc and finished with 13 points. More baffling was how the Bluejays made twelve 3-pointers when they had been shooting less than 32 percent on the season.

These are just a few examples of why this game felt like one that Bradley simply was never going to win. Every loose ball seemed to be tipped off a Brave. A couple questionable calls from the officials, including a five-point possession for Creighton, went against Bradley as well. None of these things are excuses, but they all helped contribute to another home loss.

Depth was clearly a factor, too. Creighton, who is known for its frequent (and sometimes excessive) substitutions, played 11 guys. Bradley only played eight men and freshman guard Jake Eastman played just five minutes.

And for all of the fluky occurrences, the Braves simply didn't shoot well enough to win. Bradley had multiple opportunities to tie the score in the final minute of the game but couldn't knock down a key shot. For the game, Bradley made just 5-of-20 attempts from 3-point range.

A commitment has really been made to rebounding better, which is a very encouraging sign. The Braves held a 44-34 advantage overall with sophomore forward Taylor Brown leading the way with 12.

Brown led all scorers with 19 and the rest of the Bradley starters all had at least eight points. But it was the amount of attempts that really held the team back. Senior guard Chris Roberts hit 2-of-10 from the field and junior guard Andrew Warren wasn't much better (4-of-14).

In reality, this wouldn't be such a frustrating loss if it hadn't been for all of the other ones that Bradley gave away earlier in the season. The margin for error is so small that even when an opponent comes out and beats you, it gets even further magnified.

As Egolf goes, so do the Braves

If you're looking for an easy indicator on why Bradley wins or loses, just watch the stat line for sophomore center Will Egolf. He didn't have a bad game at all (10 points, 5 rebounds), but a big reason why the Braves got down big early was that he was on the bench in foul trouble.

Then, as Bradley began to climb back into the game, Egolf was on the court more and managed to limit his fouls. The Braves need to have their Egolf on the floor to be successful. Other guys like Brown or Warren can have off nights and the team can survive.

But with the skill set he possesses, Egolf makes as big of an impact on the outcome of games as much as any other player. Kenny Lawson Jr. was not a great matchup for Egolf against Creighton and Illinois State's Dinma Okiakosa has a similar skill set coming up. We'll see how Egolf fares against the Redbirds' big man.

Still no McCain

Sophomore guard Eddren McCain sat out another game with his hand injury. Varying reports are out there on the severity but he clearly was in enough pain to sit out against the Bluejays. His skill on both ends of the court provide valuable depth that Bradley was missing.

The War on 74

The long awaited first game between rivals Bradley and Illinois State comes up Saturday in Normal. This will be televised regionally so even those of us who have to watch many games on the Internet will be able to tune in on regular cable.

The Redbirds and Braves sit tied in a logjam for fourth place in the Valley. Not only are the usual bragging rights at stake but this may be critical for seeding in the conference tournament as the season winds down.

Nobody ever really knows what to expect in these rivalry games except that they will be entertaining. Here's hoping for another BU-ISU classic.

Bradley wins its third straight, beats Evansville 74-64

64	74

In a season that has had so many unexpected results, Bradley delivered what fans would have hoped: an easy win against the last place team in the league.

All five starters for the Braves (10-9, 5-4 MVC) finished in double figures. Junior guard Sam Maniscalco delivered another great performance, leading the Bradley attack with 19 points, making 7-of-10 from the field. Evansville's Ryan Colt, leading candidate for Freshman of the Year in the Missouri Valley Conference, was held to 12 points on 5-of-15 shooting.

The game surely wasn't perfect - Bradley committed 13 turnovers and many were unforced. But even as the Braves hit some rough patches where they couldn't score, the team defense responded by slowing down Evansville (6-13, 0-9 MVC) from making any sort of a comeback.

After the Purple Aces led 6-5 early in the game, Bradley went on a 19-4 run and opened up a 14-point lead. From that point forward, Evansville never got closer than eight points again.

Maybe after giving away so many leads earlier in the season, the Braves have finally learned to not let up and play a full 40 minutes of basketball. At least in the past couple weeks, it seems as if they've really turned the corner.

And what isn't a coincidence is that as Bradley continues to succeed, so does sophomore center Will Egolf. He has shown flashes of brilliance before his injury last season and slowly had been rounding into form as this season has progressed.

Egolf had 11 points, eight rebounds and four blocks against the Purple Aces. During the Bradley winning streak, he has put up an impressive stat line of 13.3 PPG, 7.7 RPG and 2.3 BPG.

His skill set was really evident in this game as he influenced many shots on defense while showing off his smooth outside jump shot and post moves on offense. For a guy who played on the perimeter in high school, Egolf seems to know how good he can be by having a well-rounded skill set, especially against slower, less athletic big men in the Valley.

Settling into roles has been something that the majority of the team has needed to understand. Freshman guards Jake Eastman and Dyricus Simms-Edwards only had four points in the game, but provided energy and tenacity off of the bench, like any good team needs.

Sophomore forward Taylor Brown struggled with foul trouble the whole game, but still managed to contribute 10 points and eight rebounds. And junior guard Andrew Warren had a quiet 17 (if that's really all that possible), scoring in bursts when the Braves needed baskets.

Shortened bench

Sophomore guard Eddren McCain hurt his hand in practice and was in street clothes for the game. According to head coach Jim Les, McCain wanted to play but the team decided it was best for him to sit this one out. His status for next game was uncertain.

Continuing to build

With losses by Illinois State and Wichita State this afternoon, Bradley has really put itself into a position where it can compete for the top few spots in the conference. For now, the Braves have moved into a tie for third place in the Valley and will have a chance to separate from the pack coming up in the next few games.

The next for Bradley is Creighton, who has had a really rocky season by its standards. The Bluejays having a losing record (9-10) and have struggled to stay afloat at 4-4 in conference play. Yet because of head coach Dana Altman and past history, nobody can ever really count this team out of the race.

This will be first game of the season I'll be able to attend at Carver Arena this season. I'm looking forward to catching a game in person after having to watch so many on the Internet/TV.

Bradley gets rare win at Carbondale, climbs back into MVC race

57	55

Apparently the "Jim Les Magic Show" is back on tour and Bradley fans ought to be ready for another wild finish to the season. Bradley put together its third solid performance in a row and won for the first time in Carbondale since 2001.

Junior guard Sam Maniscalco led all scorers with 21 points (12-of-15 from the line) and added three assists in the victory. Sophomore center Will Egolf had a double-double (15 points, 11 rebounds) for the visitors.

For as frustrating as much of the season has been to watch, Les has found a way to finally get his team to commit to playing defense again. After allowing 80+ points in four straight conference games, Bradley has now held its last three opponents under 60.

Margins like that simply don't occur mid-season. Credit the Braves for finally finding an identity, one that is the real way to find success. If Bradley doesn't put together such a strong defensive performance, it doesn't survive the poor offensive performance from three of its top four scorers.

Senior guard Chris Roberts, junior guard Andrew Warren and sophomore forward Taylor Brown had been averaging a combined 30 points per game going into the contest. To think that they only scored a collective 11 total and the Braves still won is remarkable.

The Salukis were downright bad on offense, settling for a lot of poor opportunities (especially during the final few minutes of the game). Compound that problem with the fact that they also missed a lot of open looks and SIU was doomed.

SIU made just 4 of 25 attempts from beyond the arc (16 percent) and shot a poor 27 percent overall. Call it a coincidence if it were just for a game, but shutting down opposing offenses is starting to become a trend for Bradley.

Freshman guard Dyricus Simms-Edwards played 23 minutes off of the bench and chipping in eight points, three rebounds, two steals and a block. The energy and intensity that the young player gives for the team is tough to quantify, but any fan can see how important he is on both ends of the floor.

And with the rapid development of Simms-Edwards, sophomore guard Eddren McCain has seemed energized as his playing time had been slipping away. He got in the game for 10 minutes and most importantly had no turnovers and two assists.

Showing resiliency

A Maniscalco free throw gave the Braves a six point lead (54-48) with a little more than four minutes left in the game. But a series of events could have spoiled this collective team effort.

Carlton Fay hit an open 3-pointer to trim the advantage to three on the next possession. The next two offensive possessions were a contested 3-point shot by Maniscalco and a botched dunk by Roberts.

The Salukis picked up the loose ball and tried to score in transition. Warren hustled back on defense but was called for an intentional foul at 2:43. The call could have gone either way, but the choice a bit dubious considering the time and score of the game.

Before the Braves knew what hit them, SIU proceeded to hit the free throws and score two possessions later to take the lead 55-54 with 2:31 to play.

Bradley had seen this before on New Year's Day, when it had blown another late lead to the Salukis in Peoria. But this time would be different.

Two solid defensive possessions forced SIU into a traveling call on Tony Freeman and an ill-advised 3-pointer by Kevin Dillard. Maniscalco made 3-of-4 from the line in the final minute, giving the Braves the 57-55 advantage which would eventually be the final score.

The Salukis did get two good chances on its final possession of the game but failed to convert either 3-pointer.

"Trap game" ahead

Now that Bradley has evened its record in both conference play and on the season, confidence has to be pretty high. With that said, Saturday's matinee against MVC cellar dweller Evansville could be a chance for disaster.

The Purple Aces have lost all eight conference games and the Braves could easily look past this game with big showdowns against Creighton and Illinois State coming up next. This game cannot be overlooked and here's hoping that there is still a continued commitment to defensive play against an opponent Bradley is supposed to beat.

For whatever reason, the Braves have played up and down to their competition all season. Evansville ranks near the bottom of the league in most statistical categories and Bradley needs to exploit these weaknesses. Toss out the records and the Braves need to focus on continuing to hold teams under 60 points.

Changing perceptions

Though many have had knee-jerk reactions to the roller coaster ride this season has been, I've tried to stay pretty level headed about this team.

With that said, even my perception has radically changed twice now. From the beginning, this team looked talented enough to be competitive and finish in the upper half of the Valley. But after the 80-point defensive performances and crushing home losses, my hope was waning a bit about what this team was really capable of achieving. Few could have argued that Bradley was looking like a team that was headed for the play-in game at the Missouri Valley Tournament.

But, I did see some hope for optimism with a lighter schedule in the Valley once the Braves got into mid-January. That alone was reason for some cautious optimism. How could anyone have predicted the radical turnaround that the team has made since the embarrassing game at Missouri State on January 9?

Or maybe we should have seen it, since Les has done this many times before in his tenure. Make whatever excuses you want (injuries, suspensions, inexperience), but many Les-coached Bradley teams have taken seemingly too long to gel. At least fans are starting to see again that Les has gotten his players to buy in to playing team basketball again.

These are the ups and downs of Bradley basketball. If the team continues to play this way, many more wins will be coming the Braves' way. Why not have those positive feelings again like everyone did earlier in the season?

The 2010 Bradley resurrection tour is coming back to Peoria this weekend. Hopefully it can be as good as everyone expects.

Bradley gets revenge against Missouri State, wins by 18

56	74

What a difference a week makes. Bradley excelled in all aspects of the game and completed a dominant performance against Missouri State.

The Braves (8-9, 3-4 MVC) had five players score in double figures as sophomore forward Taylor Brown led the way with 16 points and 12 rebounds. For as inconsistent as Brown had been playing recently, he really put together a fabulous performance on both ends of the floor.

Everything that the Braves seemed to do wrong a week ago were addressed in the rematch. Missouri State (13-5, 3-4 MVC) held a 41-27 rebounding advantage in Springfield, Mo. Bradley held nearly the exact same margin at home (43-28) today.

The overall defensive effort was the most consistent performance all season, limiting second chance opportunities and forcing the Bears into a lot of difficult looks. Kyle Weems, who scored 30 against Bradley last weekend, had a quiet 10 points and never was able to get into the flow of the Missouri State offense.

Other than some open 3-point looks for Adam Leonard, the Braves' defense really contested shots well. Bradley finished with six blocks, well above the season average of 2.3 per game.

Playing good defense isn't just something all coach's preach. In eight of Bradley's nine losses, the Braves have given up 68 points or more to their opponents. Though it may be more fun to watch, run-and-gun basketball is not the way that this team is successful.

The offense didn't disappoint either. The movement and passing were crisp and few possessions resulted in bad shot attempts. When so many of these opportunities were layups, Bradley was bound to be successful.

The high screen offense that the Braves often execute looked good, especially when sophomore forward Will Egolf slipped out of his screen and was led perfectly to the basket for some easy layups. Egolf had one of his best games at Bradley, scoring 14 points and adding four rebounds and two blocks.

And Egolf will be a key to the Braves' success/failure as the conference season goes on. He's getting much better at recognizing when he should make a post move and try to score as opposed to when he's got nothing going and needs to find an open player on the perimeter. Bradley has been so limited in the past offensively because they've lacked not just a post scorer, but also a guy who can pass well, too.

The superlatives can be tossed to the rest of the roster, as well. Senior guard Chris Roberts played very good defense with six total rebounds and two steals. On offense he contributed 10 points but more importantly, also had five assists. He was one of many players who aggressively drove to the basket and made the extra pass to get an easy layup for a teammate.

Both junior guards Andrew Warren and Sam Maniscalco had steady games. Warren did force a couple tough shots but still managed 11 points and rebounded more aggressively (five total). In Maniscalco's case, fans could easily take for granted his consistency. For a player who handles the point guard role as much he has, maintains a solid assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6 going into the game, tied for 6th in the MVC) and always can be relied upon for a big three or his great free-throw shooting. Maniscalco showed his versatility too, flipping in two more of his "Steve Nash-esque" finger-roll layups today.

Even though he didn't make as big of a splash as some other games, freshman guard Dyricus Simms-Edwards continues to show flashes of why he's going to be starter for Bradley for many seasons to come. His ability to drive to the basket is as good as anyone at his age since Daniel Ruffin.

Reality check

And with how overwhelmingly positive this game one, it was indeed just one game. Cliche or not, this team must build off of this victory when having to head out to Carbondale to face Southern Illinois on Wednesday. Not many teams win there and Bradley hasn't done so even once since Jim Les took over the program in 2002.

But, this year will be as good of a chance as any with Southern Illinois far from its dominant selves of the past. The Braves are playing much better and looking for revenge after SIU stole a game in Peoria on New Years Day.

Ignoring the actual in-game events, Bradley really isn't too far off of pace from where you might predict they'd be in conference play. Losses at conference leaders Wichita State and Northern Iowa could be expected. It's only the home defeat against SIU that has the Braves at 3-4 instead of 4-3.

This next stretch of seven games are all winnable and Bradley is looking poised to make a run up the standings.

Bradley's rugged defensive effort falls short in Cedar Falls

50	52

If Bradley puts together the same defensive effort it did tonight, this team will still win a lot of conference games. Unfortunately for the Braves, Northern Iowa made enough plays to survive at home, 52-50.

Junior guard Sam Maniscalco led all scorers with 15 points (6-of-11 from floor, 3-of-5 from 3-point range) and added five rebounds, two assists, three steals and only one turnover. Ali Farokhmanesh made all four of the Panthers 3-pointers and finished with 14 points.

A four minute scoring drought allowed Northern Iowa (15-1, 6-0 MVC) to take a 45-35 lead with 10:49 to play in the game. Bradley (7-9, 2-4 MVC) ratcheted up its defense from that point, only letting the Panthers score seven more points the rest of the game.

One of the biggest reasons for the defensive success was that head coach Jim Les continued to change between man-to-man and 2-3 zone sets. He observed that this rattled the Panthers and it showed as they didn't score for almost five minutes.

Maybe the most significant play in the game was when Bradley had possession with two minutes to play, trailing 49-48. Junior guard Andrew Warren missed a 3-point attempt and freshman guard Dyricus Simms-Edwards crashed hard to the boards. Simms-Edwards made an athletic tip on the rebound and the ball went into the basket, but he was whistled for an offensive foul.

Watching some of the replays, it probably was the correct call as Simms-Edwards did lead with his arm a bit. But if the call goes differently, maybe the outcome is also changed in the end.

Even with that difficult call, Bradley still had a chance to tie or win with 20 seconds to play. The Panthers had three fouls to give and used them smartly, including a third with just 0.6 seconds on the clock. The Braves were a bit disjointed on the last possession and were out of timeouts.

But then Les came through and made another smart coaching decision. He quickly motioned to the officials to check the clock and see if any time should be added after the third foul. The point here was that it effectively bought him an extra timeout and he was able to draw up a quick play with so little time left.

The Braves ran a back screen and tried to run a lob to the glass but Northern Iowa defensed it perfectly and batted the pass away for the victory. With so little time on the clock, Bradley wasn't likely to get much better of a chance than a wild 3-pointer, anyway.

Invisible stars

For as good as Maniscalco was, the rest of Bradley's starters all had subpar games. Senior guard Chris Roberts probably had the best performance, hitting 4-of-5 three-point attempts and finishing with 14 points. But he also had no rebounds and committed four turnovers.

For as great as Warren has been in conference play, this was one of his worst of the year. He shot just 2-of-10 from the floor and committed five turnovers. The students got on Warren after he had an air ball early in the second half and this seemed to rattle him a bit.

Credit him for knowing that good players need to keep trying to score, though. The majority of his attempts for the rest of the game were open looks but just weren't falling. He'll almost surely be back to his dynamic self against Missouri State on Saturday.

Sophomores Taylor Brown and Will Egolf dealt with foul trouble the entire game and never really got into the flow of the action. Each had just four points but did combine for 11 rebounds.

Considering how ineffective most of the starters were on offense, it's remarkable the Braves kept the game so close. But good defense does that - allows for the opportunity to steal a victory when your best players don't contribute as much as usual.

Looking across the court

The point that needs to be emphasized is how good this Northern Iowa team can be. The Panthers were coming off of two road victories against Southern Illinois and Illinois State where they controlled both contests.

The argument can be made that Northern Iowa did have an off night, especially from guards Kwadzo Ahelegbe (eight turnovers) and Johnny Moran (zero points). But the problems resulted more from the fact that Bradley defended well and wouldn't allow for too many open perimeter looks.

One of the most pleasant surprises was the game that senior center Sam Singh had. The Brave has been used sparsely this season but really helped to slow down the Panthers' talented big man, Jordan Eglseder. Singh chipped in three points to go along with his five rebounds.

Shortening the bench

Les has tightened up the rotation and only played eight guys tonight, electing to keep freshman forward Milos Knezevic and sophomore guard Eddren McCain on the bench. Both of these players' minutes have been slipping as the season has gone on, mostly it seems because of defense.

Maybe there are other things behind the scenes that Les is noticing in practice as well. At least he's not just sticking with rotations just for the sake of doing them.

Simms-Edwards saw significant spike in time, especially with how well he played against Ahelegbe. Since he's come off of the redshirt, guard Jake Eastman has also seemed to pass up McCain on the depth chart. Hopefully this will be a wake-up call for the speedy guard as McCain can still be a contributor for this team now and going forward.

Turning this into a positive

This has to be the most upbeat the team has been all season after a loss. And this is critical considering the schedule coming up. For starters, Bradley needed to realize it still can compete at a high level in the league after the drubbing it took at Missouri State on Saturday. Now just seven days later, the Braves have another crack at the Bears and have them at Carver Arena this time.

And then the schedule gradually gets easier for about a month. This team could be poised to go on a run if it can remember how it played tonight and not the previous three games. Maybe the Braves won't necessarily live up to all expectations, but the opportunity is coming to still salvage a lot from a tough first half of the season.

This point is really a crossroads to see what this team can truly be capable of doing - will it continue to be stuck in "neutral", hovering around .500? Or will the talent and cohesion start to show, possibly making a run at the upper half of the conference?

Wainwright's departure draws some comparisons

Jerry Wainwright is out as DePaul's men's basketball coach.

Official release from DePaul

This is disappointing news, though most fans expected this sooner rather than later. Wainwright had to have felt very uncomfortable since his staff was let go after a dismal 0-18 Big East season in 2008-09.

But though some in the blog/message board world are surely rejoicing today, this isn't the happiest day for me. DePaul was my team growing up and I've been following them since I was a little kid, which included the days of David Booth (now a current assistant).

I want DePaul to be successful and will always have a part of me that will care about the program. When a coach leaves/gets fired, that shows failures on many levels.

You might ask: What does this have to do with Bradley?

Though the recent success of the two programs can't really be compared, there are similar aspects to the Wainwright situation as to what is going on in Peoria.

Wainwright has many of the same great qualities that Bradley's Jim Les has - he has very likable personality, a good interview (especially in Wainwright's case, who is very funny and doesn't mind being self-deprecating), cares deeply about the school/area where he's coaching. Just like Les, Wainwright has always seemed like the kind of guy who would have stayed at DePaul for 20 years if possible.

But in a similar light, he also hasn't lived up to expectations as a coach. Just like most Bradley fans hoped that Les' teams would be competing for conference championships on a yearly basis, DePaul fans have hoped that in a ridiculously difficult conference like the Big East, the Blue Demons could at least stay competitive.

And if you want to play the "what-if" game, Wainwright has had to deal with a lot of similar things. He's had injuries to key players and has lost important players to the program (in DePaul's case, to the NBA).

Having an opportunity to watch a lot of both Bradley and DePaul games, the two head coaches have stuck with a system that hasn't always meshed with the team's personnel. Wainwright allowed way too much 1-on-1, NBA-style basketball and with the exception of a couple players, DePaul simply didn't have the talent to play that way. The team was showing signs of at least playing better defense this season, but that wasn't enough.

I'm not sure how this is radically different to how some of the recently Bradley teams have been. Fundamentals of winning basketball - defense and rebounding - are often stressed in interviews with the media, but then the carryover doesn't generally happen in games.

At least in Wainwright's case, he's had a proven track record of success. He'll get another job because of his three conference championships and two NCAA appearances at UNC-Wilmington. Unfortunately for Wainwright, he almost seemed destined to fail considering the current state of DePaul's program.

Even though Chicago is a hotbed for talented basketball players, it's difficult to get recruits to stay nearby and play at DePaul. The Allstate Arena is a nice place to catch a sporting event, but it's 15 miles from the main campus.

That is simply too far for the majority of students to travel for a game. Bradley has often had trouble getting enough students to its games and though the Braves also have an off-campus arena, it's only two miles away and a bus ride in just takes a matter of minutes.

The only way DePaul will get good student support again is if the program starts doing well. Unfortunately, lots of kids in college are fickle and don't necessarily care as much about the game as being part of a social experience. If the team starts playing well again, it will be the "place to be" and those fans will come back.

The other problem with DePaul is that because of the way administration handled the past few coaching moves. This has alienated many long-time supporters of the program.

Whether it was the lousy coaching of Pat Kennedy, the fickleness of Dave Leitao, or the problematic athletic director Bill Bradshaw (see an article from the Sporting News from way back in 1996: Here), things haven't been going consistently right for more than a decade.

The combination of bad basketball, dwindling fan support and minimal media coverage have really doomed the Blue Demons for years.

Credit DePaul for making a change when sticking with a likable local man would have been the easy route. If Bradley continues to stick in the doldrums of the Missouri Valley Conference, hopefully it will have the same courage if that determination has to be made at a future date.