Game Three Recap: Missouri-Kansas City vs. Bradley

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Don't expect any more "fun in the sun" for the Bradley Braves after they dropped a dismal game to the lowly Roos of Missouri-Kansas City.

Bradley (1-2) could take positives from the Florida loss, but after a flat performance Monday, this one must be forgotten - and quickly. The Braves face CBE subregional host Florida Gulf Coast on Tuesday, who lost to Richmond 69-58 tonight in game two.

UMKC (2-3) packed into a tight zone for most of the game, daring the once prolific 3-point shooting Braves to make some attempts from the outside. Just like the first two games of the season though, Bradley was dismal from 3-point range, hitting 3 of 17 shots (17.6%). Combine that with a sluggish performance by center David Collins and there is a blueprint for disaster.

Collins had a meager 1 point and 2 rebounds in 12 minutes of action. He had been making strides in his game since last year's postseason, but this game he slid back to his tentative self. Collins should have had a big game against a team whose tallest player was five inches shorter than the Bradley 7-footer.

The Braves were again without talented guard Andrew Warren, who still continues to come back from his foot injury. He's expected to miss the entire tournament.

Sam Maniscalco had been held out of practice due to a series of minor injuries, though coach Jim Les said that none of them were too serious. Maniscalco did come off the bench and led the Braves with 16 points.

All ten Bradley players had at least one turnover, resulting in 23 for the game. With so many newcomers to the team though, this number should go down as the season progresses.

The apathetic performance translated to the defensive side as well, where Bradley allowed UMKC to shoot 56 percent from the floor.

Bradley fans can just hope this is only one a few bumps in the road during a long season. The game against Florida Gulf Coast would be a major confidence booster to a team that looked asleep against UMKC.

Other observations:

* - Why don't more people attend these nonconference tournaments? The listed attendance for the game was 1,205, but the crowd looked barely half of that. Maybe conference fans get spoiled by the crowds for MVC games, but the attendance was sad. Not that a team should need incentive to get up for any game, but it's reasonable to see why this game could translate to a bad performance from an atmosphere perspective.

* - Eggson meter: 12 total minutes all season for forward Will Egolf and center Anthony Thompson - Bradley desperately needs something from these guys. For all of the so-called size the Braves have, small lineups still usually fill out the floor. Maybe both would be a liability for extended periods, but Les needs to give these guys a few more minutes per game.