Initial Thoughts, Changes for the Season

Opening night is tomorrow! That should be a pretty good reason to get the blog going in full swing.

First, let me begin by announcing some changes to the blog this season. For anybody who read the game-by-game reactions from 2008-09, these will return. The format will be retained, focusing on a combination of game flow description and reaction to individual player performance.

Some new additions:

• Game previews - At least an hour before game time (preferably the night before), I will be providing some information on the upcoming Bradley game. As many of you know, the game notes provided by schools are filled with data but are often a little cumbersome to read. I'd like to provide a "cheat sheet" for anyone looking to quickly get useful information. I will provide a link to each press release and pull out any important facts. Hopefully these snippets can help people looking for a brief synopsis, but also allow anyone to take a deeper look at the great work that is done by the sports information directors. Lastly, I will provide some keys to victory and make a prediction.

Date/time to be published: Varies; At least one hour before tip-off and most likely the night before the next game

• Missouri Valley Conference rankings - This was a project I thought about mid-season last year and now I'd like to implement it. Many websites/blogs post polls on how they rate the teams in a conference, nationally, etc. In reality, I have yet to find anything that is more than a popularity contest, especially on the national level. Teams get honored/ignored because of who gets seen on ESPN and not necessarily because of their on-the-court performance. For the first few weeks, I will rely on my unbiased look at the conference to rate the teams. Once a solid set of statistics have been established, look for an incorporation of a rating system to help support (or possibly refute) my rankings.

Date/time to be published: Weekly on Monday

• "In Case You Missed It" - Even though it isn't as long as the Major League Baseball season, college hoops is truly a grind. Teams play 1-3 games per week for 4 months (the good ones play for five!). If your favorite team is Bradley, that can be enough of a homework assignment just to keep up with them. What about other teams in the MVC? Are there any big national games? What about scandals, suspensions, and other major news stories?

Certainly, I can't keep up with everything either, but hopefully I can provide a rundown of stories you need to read. In many cases, this might just be a short blurb and a link, but I'm hoping this can be a useful way of sifting through all of the information we get inundated with through different news outlets, blogs and websites. If I notice something interesting, I'll try to put it in here.

Date/time to be published: Daily, on non-game days (in the evening) as my schedule permits

Hopefully if you're reading this post, you're excited as I am for the start of college basketball and the improvements to this blog. As always, please let me know if you have any suggestions/comments about new ideas for this season.

Coming up next: Bradley at BYU preview

MVC tournament quarterfinal: No. 4 Bradley vs. No. 5 Southern Illinois

55	67

For once, the thuggery of Southern Illinois didn't prevail. In fact, those tactics actually helped ignite a huge effort from the Bradley team to take a quarterfinal victory over the Salukis 67-55.

After playing seven minutes of bad basketball, Bradley trailed SIU 10-3 and were slipping into some of the bad habits that had plagued the team earlier in the season — too many 3-point attempts and turnovers. The game looked like one of the typical kinds of performances Bradley seems to put up against the Salukis once or twice a year.

But then with 12:39 to play in the half, forward Theron Wilson got thrown to the ground on a fast break attempt by SIU's Anthony Booker. After the unnecessary cheap shot, Wilson looked woozy and missed both free throw attempts after an intentional foul was called.

Bradley would score later that possession after a few misses by forward Taylor Brown on a classic "Sam-to-Sam" play. Guard Sam Maniscalco hit forward/center Sam Singh near the hoop for a layup and the Braves got off of three points, their first in more than six minutes.

The numerous opportunities on that one possession showed that Bradley wasn't going to get bullied by SIU anymore this game. Trailing 17-9 after a Carlton Fay jumper with eight minutes left in the half, the Braves went on 13-0 run during the next four minutes. Guard Darian Norris had five of his seven points during the run, including a 3-pointer that gave Bradley its first lead since 3-2 early in the half.

Bradley continued to play well into halftime, leading 34-25 and forcing the young SIU team into numerous turnovers. The second half wasn't much different.

The Braves led by as many as 15 points and never allowed the Salukis to close within seven. One of the biggest keys was understanding SIU's tight, pressuring defense. As the Salukis continually tried to push guards away from the basket, Bradley adjusted and began taking the ball into the defense, not letting the opponent dictate the style of the game.

Bradley also used the Salukis' pressure against them by drawing a ton of fouls and getting its best free-throw shooters to the line. Maniscalco, who had the highest free-throw percentage during conference play (89 percent), made all 14 attempts in the game. The sophomore's game-high 21 points and three assists show why he's a team leader.

Up and down the lineup, the Braves got contributions. Singh looks better every game he's healthy, showing good footwork and contributing eight points and five rebounds. Guard Chris Roberts had six points, seven rebounds and a dynamic block that further shows his unbelievable athleticism.

Even Wilson, who seemed to be out of sorts for awhile after the throw down, made some important shots. Wilson had 14 points and nine rebounds, showing the senior leadership that helped earn him all-conference honors.

Though disposing of the hated Salukis tastes sweet, Bradley's road to the NCAA tournament gets much more difficult today. The top-seeded, co-conference champion Northern Iowa Panthers will certainly give the Braves all that they can handle. UNI won both meetings in the regular season, but those only came by a combined eight points. In fact, Bradley led both games with five minutes to play. The Braves will need to finish off the dynamic 3-point shooters from Cedar Falls in order to advance to the tournament's championship game.

No. 4 Bradley vs. No. 1 Northern Iowa, 1:35 p.m. (CST), Sat. 3/7, St. Louis, Mo.

Game Twenty-Nine Recap: Bradley @ Evansville

49	56

Individual games can be a microcosm of a season.

Wednesday night felt like just that as the up-and-down Braves fell on the road to Evansville (17-11, 8-9) by a score of 56-49. Bradley (16-13, 9-8) didn't play well and again showed its vulnerability when the team shoots poorly overall and takes too many 3-point shots.

The Braves made 6-of-24 from behind the arc, only 25 percent. Bradley hasn't shot that many threes in any conference game this season, and it was the most since the dismal performance at Milwaukee on Dec. 20 (6-of-27, 22 percent).

Compare the results in wins versus losses and the discrepancy is even more evident. In nine conference wins, Bradley has made 51-of-130 attempts from the 3-point line, good for 39 percent. In the eight losses, the Braves have not only shot a much lower percentage (30 percent) but they've also taken 15 more shots (145) in one less game. This team simply can't keep trying long range shots at the rate of previous teams.

As for this particular game, Evansville showed the emotion expected on senior night. After a dunk by Bradley center David Collins, the Purple Aces went on 8-2 run to pull ahead 17-7. Most of the half was pretty sloppy overall and Evansville maintained its 10-point lead going into halftime at 30-20.

The Braves never could put together enough scores in a row to close the lead within four points until late in the second half. Often this was attributable to lax defensive possessions. Though the overall defensive effort looked good on paper (Evansville shot only 40 percent from the floor), too many times the Braves were beaten off the dribble or were too slow to rotate. This led to numerous layups and free throw opportunities by the Purple Aces.

The game may have been more one-sided if Evansville had hit more than 15-of-24 free throws (62.5 percent). And at this point, it almost goes without saying that a Jim Les-coached team would give 100 percent effort. That certainly wasn't in question tonight, but without a go-to scorer, Bradley couldn't make enough shots to win.

Collins needs to be singled out for Bradley. He led the Braves in scoring for the first time this season with 10 points. Anyone who knows this team should understand though, that if Collins is the high-point man, Bradley is probably going to lose the game.

That shouldn't take away from Collins' game. He showed a tenacity that fans have rarely seen from him in road games this season. Collins grabbed 10 rebounds and was credited with five blocks (though it surely looked like 6 or 7 when watching).

Another thing to like about Collins tonight is that he generally made good decisions with the ball. When he had man-to-man coverage, he took the ball to the basket aggressively. But when Evansville doubled down on him, Collins found the open man — helping contribute to his four assists.

Nobody else really stepped up for Bradley. Guard Sam Maniscalco and forward Theron Wilson have generally been the guys to do it, but they finished with just nine and six points respectively.

The Braves were also at a disadvantage as guard Dodie Dunson played the whole game with a heavily wrapped right hand. The injury greatly affected his ability to make any offensive contribution, therefore putting more pressure on Maniscalco and Wilson.

Jason Holsinger had a great game for Evansville on his senior night. The sharpshooting guard led all scorers with 19 points.

Next game:

As noted in my post about the MVC standings, Bradley needs to forget about this loss quickly. The Braves will likely finish 4th in conference, but they need some momentum going into the conference tournament in St. Louis.

Drake comes to Peoria for the final game of the regular season after a heartbreaking home loss to Southern Illinois tonight. Bradley definitely appears to be the better team, but that doesn't mean much in the Valley this year. The Braves put up a terrible performance Feb. 7 in Des Moines, falling to the Bulldogs 68-54.

A win secures the 4th seed in the conference tournament. But it's hard to guess who Bradley will play until all games are complete.

Next game: Drake @ Bradley, Sat. 2/28, 7:05 p.m.

Missouri Valley Picture Gets Clearer

Northern Iowa's big win at Illinois State assures the Panthers of finishing in the top two in the Valley, while ISU has locked up the third seed in the tournament.

Let's check out the full standings after 17 of 18 league games:

			Conference		Tiebreaker Pts.
		Place	Wins	Losses	Max.	Earned
Northern Iowa		1	13	4	173	125 (+18)
Creighton		1	13	4	173	107 (+11)
Illinois State		3	11	6	179	91 (+1)
Bradley		4	9	8	183	62 (+3)
Wichita State		5	8	9	189	75 (0)
Evansville		5	8	9	189	50 (+8)
Drake		7	7	10	197	72 (+2)
Southern Ill.		7	7	10	197	48 (+8)
Indiana State		9	6	11	201	65 (-1)
Missouri State		10	3	14	207	26 (-1)

Just like last time, I'll remind those who read breakdown that we're merely talking about tournament seeding. If Northern Iowa and Creighton both win Saturday, they'd be crowned conference co-champions. But UNI would be the top seed.

The Panthers split with Creighton, so they would win any tie by virtue of an insurmountable advantage in tiebreaker points. Even with a Creighton win over Illinois State this weekend, it would not be enough to catch UNI.

So with things pretty simple at the top, it's still very foggy in the middle of the Valley. Bradley's disappointing performance at Evansville drops the Braves much closer to the pack. A win would have clinched the 4th seed, but now Saturday's home finale against Drake has even greater importance than just senior night.

Bradley could make it very simple and just win at home, which would lock up the 4th seed. The Braves might be able to back into that same seed by Wichita State (at Southern Illinois) and Evansville (at Northern Iowa) both losing, which is very plausible.

If we have some ties, here's how it will look:

-If Bradley ties Wichita State at 9-9, then the Braves take the 4th seed (head-to-head, 2-0)

-If Bradley ties Evansville at 9-9, then the tiebreaker points would get extremely close. I've ran through some of the more likely scenarios of outcomes and it looks like the Purple Aces would claim the 4th seed — barely. The key is all of the points that Evansville would be making by knocking off one of the top two teams in the league. But what are the chances that Evansville can go into Cedar Falls and knock off a team that is trying to clinch a conference championship?

-If there's a tie at 9-9 between all three teams, Bradley wins this tiebreaker as well. The league adds together the head-to-head records against all tied opponents. Bradley won three of four, while Evansville was 2-2 (and would earn the 5th seed) and Wichita State would be 1-3 and be seeded sixth.

Looking at all of those possibilities, it seems almost certain that Bradley's going to be seeded 4th in the Valley tournament. Wichita State, Evansville and even Southern Illinois could be potential opponents.

The seeding from 5th to 8th is even worse than 4th to 6th. There's a definite possibility that there could be a three- or four-way tie at 8-10. If all of the home teams win this weekend, then Wichita State, Evansville and Southern Illinois would be tied (Drake would fall to 7-11 and be seeded 8th or 9th). Southern Illinois would actually win this tiebreaker, securing two wins over Wichita State.

The team that has no idea where it is going has to be the Salukis. SIU could finish as high as 5th (if that four-way tie were to happen) but could drop as low as 9th! Wichita State has almost as confusing of a situation, looking at somewhere between 5th and 8th.

With so many possibilities still out there, keep in mind a few things:

-Evansville and Wichita State stay out of the play-in game with wins.

-SIU is the only team in this bunch that is at home, which is certainly an advantage.

-Wichita State would lose a head-to-head tie with SIU, but otherwise has the most tiebreaker points at the moment.

-Anything can happen - the Valley is really mediocre this year and nothing surprises me anymore!

Looking near the bottom of the standings, Indiana State is locked in the play-in game, but could finish anywhere between 7th and 9th still. Missouri State will be the 10th seed, having already clinched the cellar in the conference.

Bradley @ Loyola: Photos

I put together a slideshow of the pictures I took at the Bradley-Loyola game. Enjoy!

Click the photo above to view a slideshow.

(Note: I'm back dating this post, as I don't want to confuse anyone who is looking for the MVC standings update. I am really posting this on 2/25.)

Missouri Valley Standings Update

Things got even more interesting after Northern Iowa blew a game at home to Drake and Indiana State stole a road win at the once invincible SIU Arena.

So, here's how we stand after 2/18:

			Conference		Tiebreaker Pts.
		Place	Wins	Losses	Max.	Earned
Northern Iowa		1	12	4	173	107 (-1)
Creighton		1	12	4	173	96 (+7)
Illinois State		3	11	5	179	90 (+10)
Bradley		4	9	7	183	59 (-2)
Evansville		5	7	9	191	42 (+5)
Wichita State		5	7	9	191	75 (+3)
Drake		5	7	9	191	70 (+18)
Southern Ill.		8	6	10	201	66 (+7)
Indiana State		8	6	10	201	40 (-1)
Missouri State		10	3	13	207	27 (+1)

The Drake win moves them into a tie with Wichita State and Evansville for fifth place in the Valley. But, the Bulldogs would still be in the play-in game right now as they would lose the mini-round robin tiebreaker between the three teams. Evansville is 3-1, Wichita State is 2-2 and Drake is 1-3 versus one another.

Now of course, if Drake falls out of a tie, then Wichita State will move ahead of Evansville, as the Shockers have a lot more of tiebreaker points.

For those of you who hope Bradley could somehow move up to third with two wins and two Illinois State losses, don't count on it. The Braves will only make up approximately 20 points on Illinois State with two wins, not enough to secure the third seed, even as the point values get shifted slightly in the last week.

On the positive side, Wichita State's loss tonight to Illinois State secures Bradley a spot in Friday's games, no matter what happens. In the unlikely event there is a 4-way tie for fourth place, Wichita State's two wins against the other three teams (Bradley, Drake, Evansville) would be the worst total and would push the Shockers into the play-in game.

At the top of the Valley, things could get extremely interesting, especially since Illinois State has games against both Northern Iowa and Creighton remaining. If the Redbirds could find a way to win both, they'd almost surely have the most tiebreaker points (and would hold the head-to-head advantage over Creighton) and take the top seed.

Of course, if Northern Iowa and Creighton tie, then the Panthers will finish first. As the two are in almost a dead heat in playoff points, you need to look at their remaining games. They both have a common opponent of Illinois State. As long as both have the same result, then those points are a wash. But, Creighton has lowly Missouri State left, while Northern Iowa still has a game against Evansville, which will have a much higher point value.

But, so much is still left to be determined. With the large amount of accumulated points that Indiana State has, the Sycamores could easily get out of the play-in game if they could pull off a road upset over Wichita State next week. Even SIU, who may be struggling more than any other Valley team (lost 5 of 6) could still move up, with games against Drake and Wichita State.

The wild and crazy Valley race continues next week after BracketBuster weekend...

MVC tiebreaker update

Last year I took the time to create a spreadsheet that would calculate the MVC tiebreaker procedures. Even to this day, it's a work in progress. The challenging part about the system is that depending on every game, the numbers change. So, the spreadsheet has to be set up to make that fluid.

So, here's the current tiebreaker breakdown as I have everything calculated:

			Conference		Tiebreaker Pts.
		Place	Wins	Losses	Max.	Earned
Northern Iowa		1	12	3	171	108
Creighton		2	11	4	175	96
Illinois State		3	10	5	179	80
Bradley		4	8	7	183	61
Wichita State		5	7	8	189	72
Evansville		5	7	8	189	37
Drake		7	6	9	197	52
Southern Ill.		7	6	9	197	41
Indiana State		9	5	10	203	59
Missouri State		10	3	12	207	26

(Wichita State would be the 5 seed right now, as it split with Evansville and has a sizable margin in tiebreaker points. Drake has won the only game between it and the Salukis and also is the leader in tiebreaker points. An SIU win over Drake could make it very interesting.)

Now, here's a team-by-team breakdown. Please note the semantics here. If the season ended today, Wichita State and Evansville would both be considered in a tie for fifth place. But all we're looking at now is the possibility of seeding for Arch Madness in St. Louis.

First let's look at who holds head-to-head tiebreakers:

Northern Iowa - Bradley, Missouri State, Southern Illinois

Creighton - Bradley, Indiana State, Southern Illinois

Illinois State - Evansville, Missouri State, Southern Illinois

Bradley - Indiana State, Wichita State

Wichita State - None

Evansville - Drake, Indiana State

Drake - None

Southern Illinois - Missouri State

Indiana State - Illinois State

Missouri State - None

Bradley's two wins over the Shockers will almost surely keep the Braves ahead, barring a very poor finish from the Bradley against some weak opponents. Evansville's sweep of Drake should prevent the Aces from being in the play-in game.

Some important scenarios obviously haven't been determined yet. Illinois State leads its series with Creighton 1-0. The Redbirds trail the series with Northern Iowa but Illinois State has its chance against UNI in Normal next week. Southern Illinois will likely have a lot to do with who is in the play-in game, as it still has games against Drake and Wichita State remaining.

Predicted finish as of 12/15 (assuming generally that home teams will win in close matchups):

1. Creighton 14-4 (W vs. Evansville, W @ Missouri State, W vs. Illinois State / Would likely lead in tiebreaker points over UNI if they win out)

2. Northern Iowa 14-4 (W vs. Drake, L @ Illinois State, W vs. Evansville)

3. Illinois State 12-6 (W vs. Wichita State, W v. Northern Iowa, L @ Creighton)

4. Bradley 10-8 (W vs. Missouri State, L @ Evansville, W vs. Drake)

5. Wichita State 9-9 (L @ Illinois State, W vs. Indiana State, W @ Southern Illinois - just have a feeling)

6. Evansville 8-10 (L @ Creighton, W vs. Bradley, L @ Northern Iowa)

7. Drake 7-11 (Will edge SIU due to "prospective" head-to-head sweep / L @ Northern Iowa, W vs. Southern Illinois, L @ Bradley)

8. Southern Illinois 7-11 (W vs. Indiana State, L @ Drake, L vs. Wichita State)

9. Indiana State 6-12 (L @ Southern Illinois, L @ Wichita State, W vs. Missouri State)

10. Missouri State 3-15 (L @ Bradley, L vs. Creighton, L @ Indiana State)

But as any Valley fan knows, things could change in a heartbeat. Illinois State could make a run for the title still.

Game Twenty-Four Recap: Bradley @ Creighton

65	79

Games like these are when Bradley really misses players like Andrew Warren and Jeremy Crouch.

Creighton proved why its a perennial Missouri Valley Conference powerhouse, outlasting a gutsy performance by the Braves 79-65. The Bluejays (20-6, 10-4) kept pace with Northern Iowa, who beat Southern Illinois easily tonight, holding onto second place in the Valley, two games back. Bradley (13-12, 7-7) has lost seven of 10 conference games now after starting 4-0 in league play.

Unlike the flat performance at Drake, Bradley battled hard in an arena (Qwest Center) that the team has never won. After allowing a 3-pointer to start the game by guard Dodie Dunson, Creighton ran eight straight points on the Braves. For a long time, the game simply looked out of reach.

The Bluejays always had an answer to any run the Braves made. Two free throws by forward/center Sam Singh trimmed the Creighton lead to 25-23 with 5:50 left in the first half. But a bad four possessions (two turnovers by forward Theron Wilson, two tough shots made by Booker Woodfox) quickly extended the lead back to six, 29-23.

Bradley looked as if it would surely trail going into the half, but a half court buzzer beater by guard Sam Maniscalco gave Bradley its first lead going into halftime, 39-37. Creighton had played a really sloppy half and still only trailed by two. With how inconsistent Bradley's shooting has been all season, it would be hard to imagine how the team could put up another big scoring half.

And unfortunately for the Braves, they didn't. Bradley could have folded, falling behind 55-47 in the midst of an 8-0 Creighton run. Instead, the team stormed back, and went on a 10-0 run of its own.

But the offense was nonexistent for the final nine minutes and the Bluejays finished the game scoring 24 of the final 32 points. Not only were the Braves not making shots, but they also were turning the ball over too much. Just like at Drake, Bradley finished with 19 turnovers.

Maybe living with the center David Collins, whose soft play can often be brought into question, is rubbing off on Wilson. His overall stat line doesn't look bad on paper (15 points, 11 rebounds), but he also made numerous bonehead mistakes and just hasn't been himself since defenses have committed to shutting him down. He's really going to need to get it together and start playing like the leader he showed to be earlier in the season.

Guard Chris Roberts, who can be frustratingly inconsistent, had one of his good nights. He had 11 points, three rebounds, a steal and a block — filling up the stat sheet as he generally does during his positive games. If only he could put together games like this nightly, he'd start every game.

Maniscalco also finished in double figures with 13. But as much as Sam can be praised for his heart, determination and overall basketball IQ, even he made some silly turnovers that helped seal Bradley's fate.

Without Warren and Will Egolf, this team just isn't that great. If the team had a finisher, like Creighton has P'Allen Stinnett and Woodfox, then a few of these close games would have likely swung in Bradley's favor. Fortunate for them, as the rest of the league isn't that impressive either. This has helped the team stay afloat through the last difficult part of the schedule.

Up next:

Realistically, Bradley will finish somewhere between fourth and sixth once conference play ends. Which, considering what was lost, isn't the worst end result to the season. If the Braves are to assure fourth place (or attempt an outside chance at third), the winning must start again Saturday. Evansville comes to Peoria, who shares fourth place currently with Bradley.

Teams as average as Evansville must be beaten at home. Expect Bradley to finish the season strong, with all five games (two with Evansville, one with both Missouri State and Drake and the Bracketbuster at Loyola) being winnable. As big of a rut as this team has been in closing out games, the talent level for the Braves still is superior to all of the remaining opponents.

Game Twenty-Three Recap: Bradley @ Drake

54	68

For the people who regularly check my site, you might be wondering why you don't see a recap from the Bradley-Drake game.

Well, unfortunately this game had the unbeatable combination of being played while I was unable to watch the game and not archived on BUBraves.tv. I wasn't even aware (until after the fact) that this was an MVC-TV game, so it wouldn't be streamed online. My oversight cost me an opportunity to see the Braves fall bitterly to defeat in Des Moines, IA.

Reading through the recaps and message board posts though, one thing was pretty clear - Bradley played poorly. This wasn't a Drake team that just came out and took it to the Braves. And after taking care of the ball well for a nice stretch, Bradley turned it over 19 times, which is never a recipe for success.

With a big game tonight at Creighton, Bradley had better be ready to play against a much better Bluejay team. Otherwise the Braves' slide will continue and the team will really be muddled in the middle the pack in the Valley.

Game Twenty-Three Recap: Northern Iowa @ Bradley

61	58

Northern Iowa stunned Bradley 61-58 with five 3-pointers in the last 3:21 of the game to win its seventh straight road game and 11th overall.

The Panthers (17-6, 11-1) trailed 58-52 after guard Sam Maniscalco made two free throws with 1:38 to play. But Northern Iowa would get a trey in each of its last three possessions, the final one coming from Johnny Moran with five seconds left in the game.

The shocking finish veils a truly spirited effort from Bradley (13-10, 7-5). The host team trailed for nearly 28 minutes until a three point play by Maniscalco gave the Braves its first lead at 39-38. Maniscalco finished with a game high 19 points, scoring a number of his baskets in the first half when Bradley was having some trouble scoring.

Forward Theron Wilson also played well while battling foul trouble the entire game (13 points, five rebounds). But it was the post players for the Braves who really made some key contributions. Center David Collins finally showed some aggressiveness and ended up with 11 points, six rebounds and two dunks (both on plays where he might ordinarily try to lay it up).

Forward/center Sam Singh also chipped in six points. Ordinarily when the Braves get 17 from their post players, they win.

But, as is with any loss, there were also negatives. Northern Iowa center Jordan Eglseder was simply unstoppable in the first half, scoring all 12 of his points before halftime. Neither Collins or Singh seemed to pose much of a challenge and never received help from the rest of the Bradley defense who was overly concerned with shutting down the Panther 3-point attack.

The Braves tried to adjust during the break, focusing more attention on Eglseder. Credit Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobsen for shifting his offensive focus to forward Adam Koch. The senior hit all 10 of his free throw attempts in the game and helped force Bradley into bad foul trouble.

That's a big reason why Northern Iowa keeps winning. The Panthers have so many different options that whoever seems to be able to exploit a mismatch gets the ball. Point guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe took the reigns from Koch as the second half progressed, beating just about any Bradley defender who was matched up with him.

As the Braves defense had to start helping on Ahelegbe's drives to the hoop, this opened up a few layups for Lucas O'Rear as well as the 3-point barrage to finish the game. Ahelegbe had an assist on five of the last seven baskets for the Panthers.

While Bradley certainly could have defended better in the last few possessions of the game, give a ton of credit to the Panthers. Some of these makes were closely guarded and the Braves couldn't do much about it. Northern Iowa doesn't go 7-0 in league road games without making some very difficult shots.

Bradley's offensive execution didn't get it done either in the final moments. Guard Dodie Dunson, who had one of his worst games in awhile (2 points, 1-7 shooting), committed a bad turnover by dribbling the ball off of his foot. Maniscalco had another chance to make a game winning shot, but missed a layup in the waning moments for the second straight game.

Up next:

Another close game goes against the Braves and now they are falling back to the pack in the conference. Bradley temporarily sits in fourth place with all other teams in action tomorrow and faces two tough road games coming up (at Drake, at Creighton).

After such a promising start, the Braves are in danger of coming back to .500 if the road swing doesn't go well. The injuries to Andrew Warren and Will Egolf seem to be catching up with Bradley as the conference season goes on. The depth simply isn't as good as the top teams in the conference.

Though they could certainly finish higher, I think a 4th-6th place finish will be where the Braves end February. Drake is one of the teams battling for position and Bradley needs this next game even more than the Northern Iowa game (who weren't likely to be caught, even with a Bradley win).

Bradley @ Drake, 7:05 p.m., Sat. 2/7

(Interesting side note: As I wrote this story, I had no prior knowledge of what headline the PJ Star would use for their story. Yet, we both came out with "stunned" as the verb describing this one. I guess that one really sums up this game.)

Bracketbuster Announced - Another Chicago Game

The matchups were announced today for the annual BracketBuster weekend, giving an additional game to help boost the mid- and low-major school profiles for the NCAA tournament. But in a season where Bradley's 13-9 record simply isn't good enough to get an at-large bid, the event doesn't carry as much excitement as usual.

Though the top teams often go all over the country in order to play the featured matchups, many of the games take location more into account than actual record or RPI. If the Braves hadn't already faced them in December, they probably would have gotten Milwaukee (111 RPI - realtimerpi.com). But instead, the Braves drew the next team down in the Horizon League - Loyola (12-11, 150 RPI).

Overall, this doesn't really look like a great draw. Loyola has a 4-7 record in the Horizon League, good for 6th out of 10 teams. For the most part, the Ramblers have beaten the bad teams on their schedule and lost to the rest. They did beat Wisconsin-Green Bay at home, who knocked off nationally-ranked Butler tonight.

But, from a selfish point of view, this is a great development. Now I will get a chance to likely see another Bradley game in person and only have to travel a short distance to get there. Local yokels may complain down in Peoria, but with the amount of alumni that live in the area, this is always a great fit. I'd expect the Bradley fans to be even louder than the Loyola fans, just like last season.

Thinking ahead, this game will also provide a good schedule filler for next season in Peoria. With all of the tough non-conference games planned (at Brigham Young, at Butler, possibly at Iowa State, the Las Vegas tournament with two games against Utah, Oklahoma State or Illinois), a game like this will help round out the schedule to not make it impossible. Sure, Bradley should be better next year with Andrew Warren and Will Egolf returning from injury, but they still will need some easier opponents, too.

So, all you Chicago alumni get excited as the Braves are returning to Chicago. Hopefully they can take care of Loyola, who Bradley should be able to beat.

Other MVC games:

Northern Iowa at Siena

Illinois State at Niagara

George Mason at Creighton

Miami (OH) at Evansville

Austin Peay at Drake

Southern Illinois at Illinois Chicago

Cleveland State at Wichita State

Toledo at Indiana State

Missouri State at Tennessee-Martin

Game Twenty-Two Recap: Bradley @ Illinois State

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Squandering opportunities generally results in road losses.

For as well as Bradley (11-5, 7-4) played during stretches, the Braves couldn't come up with enough big plays to defeat the host Redbirds, falling 69-65. Illinois State (18-4, 7-4) evened the season series with Bradley and kept its home record a perfect 12-0.

Credit the Braves for their usual determination, climbing back even with ISU twice after falling behind by 9-10 points in each half. Forward Theron Wilson exhibited his senior leadership throughout, scoring 17 points, grabbing nine rebounds and making 9-of-9 from the free throw line.

In fact, Bradley had been woeful lately from the free throw line, only making 60.5 percent (23-of-38) during the last two home games. But today the Braves hit 14-of-15, helping keep the game close.

Unfortunately, the only miss came after an aggressive layup by guard Dodie Dunson with 30 seconds left in the game, pulling Bradley within 1 at 64-63. Too bad for the Bloomington native, who scored all 15 of his points in the second half. The miss summed up the day for the Braves, who simply never got any of the bounces to go their way.

Bradley still had a chance to tie or win with 15 seconds to go, trailing ISU 67-65. Guard Sam Maniscalco made a drive through the Redbird defense and had an easy layup bounce off the rim. But don't lay too much blame on Maniscalco, who knocked down two 3-pointers in the last 6:15 of the game. If he doesn't make those, Bradley never has a chance to take the tying shot.

Maniscalco's miss was the final one in a long list of botched close shots, many of which came big men David Collins and Sam Singh. Collins especially had one of his poorer games, missing five shots, all of which were either layups or ill-advised attempts. When Bradley wins, the team gets solid contributions from its big men. Nine points and six rebounds simply isn't enough from this duo on a nightly basis.

Another reason why Bradley managed to stay so close in the game was the lack of turnovers. The Braves only committed five in the game, but also only had nine assists.

For the first time in awhile, both Bradley and Illinois State are good teams. Each were a few points better on its home floor. Hopefully the two will meet up again in St. Louis to break the tie.

Next game:

Bradley's second tough stretch continues as it must host conference-leading Northern Iowa on Tuesday night. The Panthers won its 10th in a row today, beating Indiana State on the road. That makes a perfect 6-0 road record in MVC play for Northern Iowa.

The Panthers now lead the Valley by three games and will be hard to catch with four of its last six at home following the Bradley game. But the Braves need this win to keep pace with Illinois State. According to the league tiebreaker formula (which I plan on releasing the totals in the next couple days), Illinois State holds a pretty wide margin over Bradley in the event the two teams finish the season tied. A victory over the number one team in the MVC would go a long way to closing that gap.

Northern Iowa @ Bradley, 7:05 p.m., Tues. 2/3

Game Twenty-One Recap: Wichita State @ Bradley

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Bradley (13-8, 7-3) took care of business again against another bad Valley team. Even though Wichita State (9-12, 3-7) kept the game close for awhile, at no point did it feel like the Braves were in danger of losing. Beating the cellar dwellers at home is a necessity for any contender for a conference title. But the chances of actually taking that title may very well be decided in the next two games (at Illinois State, vs. Northern Iowa).

The statistics don't lie. Bradley did just about everything better than Wichita State (FG %, 3PT %, rebounding, points in the paint, fast break points, bench points, etc.). If it weren't for some careless turnovers, which still can be expected with how young this team is, Bradley would have won by 20 or more.

Give head coach Jim Les credit. He's had this team well exceed any fans' hopes coming into conference play considering the injuries to Andrew Warren and Will Egolf. Sure the team has lapses (see: the first three minutes when the Shockers led 6-0), but an overall commitment to team basketball has really allowed this team to thrive.

He's also doing a better job of spacing out the minutes. All nine guys who were in the regular rotation played at least 17 minutes. These splits will help the team grow for the rest of this season, be much more ready for next year and also allow everyone to be a bit fresher as the grind of conference play continues.

Bradley hung not one, but two lengthy scoring droughts on Wichita State (zero points for six minutes in the first half, two points for five and a half minutes in the second). The second of these proved to be the most pivotal sequence of the game.

The Braves led 36-34 with just under 15 minutes to go when a steal by guard Sam Maniscalco ignited the run. The play ended in guard Chris Roberts going to the line and missing both free throws. But senior leader Theron Wilson grabbed a pivotal rebound and scored to put Bradley up four.

The next five possessions included four scores: a 3-pointer by guard Dodie Dunson, a great Sam-to-Sam assist (Maniscalco to Sam Singh), a transition hoop by guard Eddren McCain and another 3-pointer, this one by Maniscalco (who had been having a really tough game from the floor). Bradley also had three steals in that stretch and suddenly the lead was up to 48-36.

The Shockers had one last run in them, cutting the score to 53-44 on a J.T. Durley layup with 5:40 left. But the Braves quickly answered on the next possession with another huge 3-pointer from Dunson. Wilson iced the game by taking a charge and then throwing down a huge tip slam dunk at 4:12.

Dunson, who finished with 18 points and seven rebounds, had another impressive game. Wilson's 11 points and six rebounds also helped in securing the win. But others may have had almost as important of an influence on the outcome.

Maniscalco needs to be recognized, as he had an awful game shooting (2-12 from the floor) but didn't let it affect the rest of his performance. His four assists and no turnovers were especially important because McCain had one of his worst games in awhile. Not only was the Bradley freshman making more inexperienced turnovers, but he also was playing the game too fast and didn't help the Braves get in sync early. Maniscalco helped settle down the team and show more leadership even though he hasn't been starting lately.

Freshmen Taylor Brown and Darian Norris continue to earn more minutes with their athleticism and work ethic. They also make their share of mistakes, but this can be expected at their age. Unless Bradley gets a junior college forward, nothing should stop Brown from having a good chance at being a starter next year.

Next game:

The last two wins have certainly helped to build some confidence going into two of the biggest games of the season. First up: Illinois State. Not only will the Redbirds be out for revenge in round two of the War on 74, but a disappointing loss at Northern Iowa tonight will have the 'Birds extra angry. Instead of moving one game out of first place, now Illinois State could possibly fall into fourth or fifth place in the Valley.

Even though Bradley beat ISU once, don't expect this game to be any easier — not that records matter in the rivalry. These games are generally close, especially at Redbird Arena. And for once, the ISU fans will actually fill the arena, so expect about the usual hostile environment (especially with all the profanity thrown around inside).

The next two will prove how much of a contender Bradley can really be. A split should be a reasonable expectation, but who knows how far the overachieving Braves can go?

Bradley at Illinois State, 3:05 p.m., Sat. 1/31

Game Twenty Recap: Indiana State @ Bradley

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This year's Bradley team doesn't resemble the 1985-86 squad in talent or success. But it did do exactly what the 32-3 Braves did throughout conference play — win.

Bradley (12-8, 6-3) finished a season sweep of Indiana State (4-16, 2-7) with a 68-56 victory at Carver Arena on Saturday night. Freshman guard Eddren McCain led a balanced attack with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Overall, the Braves shot 56.8 percent from the floor (25-of-44) including 7-of-15 from beyond the arc.

The formula for Bradley's success this season was followed again: make jump shots, play good defense and get to the free throw line. The Sycamores only shot 40 percent from the floor and had to settle for tossing up too many 3-pointers (9-of-31).

The last part of the equation was poor again by percentage, as Bradley only hit 11-of-20 free throws (55 percent). But, the Braves still hit eight more than Indiana State. If Bradley hits an average percentage, this game may have been a rout.

Credit the Sycamores for hanging with Bradley for awhile. Indiana State led 14-10 with 11 minutes to go in the first half when the Braves went on a 10-2 run to take a lead for good.

The game might have been within a few points at halftime though if it weren't for guard Sam Maniscalco. He knocked down two 3-pointers in the final minute, the last of which coming with just a few seconds on the clock. The dramatic finish gave Bradley a 32-24 advantage.

The Braves led stayed around 8 to 10 points until the 9:30 mark of the second half. The home squad went on a 9-0 run for the next four minutes, making the score 59-42.

The exclamation point on the game may have came with 8 minutes to go when forward Theron Wilson stole the ball and ran it down for a thundering dunk. This was just one of 15 steals Bradley had in the game, using its quickness to disrupt Indiana State all night.

Trying to single out a player of the game might be tough, as six different players had at least seven points. Bradley certainly wasn't perfect — the poor free throw shooting and 16 turnovers still need improvement. But the Braves also did what you need to do be a contender in the Valley — win your home games, especially against the bottom of the league.

Note: Maniscalco left the game after stepping on an Indiana State player's foot during a botched alley-oop play near the end of regulation. Hopefully this will just be a little soreness and he'll be good for the next game Wednesday.

Next game:

Bradley has another game it must win coming up Wednesday night against Wichita State. The Shockers have won three in a row, but all of these have been at home. They haven't won a road game all season and the Braves must keep it that way. Just like Indiana State, if you can beat someone on the road, you can certainly win on your home court against them as well.

Wichita State @ Bradley, Wed. 1/28, 7:05 p.m.

Game Nineteen Recap: Bradley @ Northern Iowa

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(Sorry for the late post. Another commitment kept me from watching the game live, but I did check the game tonight on archive via BUBraves.tv.)

Some losses make you angry. Others are just disappointing.

Bradley's 66-61 loss to league-leading Northern Iowa (13-6, 7-1) certainly was the latter. The Braves (11-8, 5-3) led most of the game but simply couldn't hit enough shots down the stretch to secure another road win.

As much as people try to avoid mentioning them, the referees were a big story Wednesday night. Both teams were whistled way too closely throughout the game and had the benefit/hindrance of numerous lousy calls.

Unfortunately, the biggest call of the game went against Bradley with 22 seconds left in the game. The Braves trailed by only two points and were attempting to defend Northern Iowa's inbounds pass. Bradley's Dodie Dunson got called for an intentional foul before the ball was put into play, apparently holding up a Panther player from moving toward the baseline.

These sorts of decisions are really unfortunate, because both Northern Iowa and Bradley had battled so hard through the tightly contested game. There's no way a game should be decided on a call like that. UNI's Kwadzo Ahelegbe made both free throws, putting the Braves down by two possessions and effectively ending any hope for a comeback.

But, the focus can't entirely sit on the men in stripes. After a Dunson 3-pointer, Bradley held a 50-40 lead with 10 minutes to play in the game. How did the Braves get so far ahead on the road?

Hot shooting put Bradley ahead 10-0 and 15-5 in the first half of the game. The Braves hit 5-of-9 attempts from beyond the arc and shot 50 percent overall for the first 20 minutes. Team defense was also really good, forcing the Panthers into many bad turnovers and holding a good shooting team to just 7-of-21 shooting.

As the game wore on though, the shots started falling for UNI and not for the visitors. Bradley still held a 50-45 lead when forward/center Sam Singh, who had been having a pretty good game, missed an easy layup. UNI quickly countered with a layup by forward Adam Koch.

Things only got worse from that point forward as the Braves committed three turnovers during their next three possessions. Bradley looked as if it were just holding on for dear life.

Guard Sam Maniscalco had a very good game coming off the bench with 16 points. The sophomore had hit his first 22 free throw attempts in conference play, but missed with the score tied at 53 and about 3 minutes left.

A phantom foul call on guard Eddren McCain allowed Ahelegbe to make two free throws and give the Panthers the lead for good.

Individual observations:

To think Bradley had a chance to beat the UNI when leading scorer Theron Wilson got shutout is almost amazing. But, the Panthers did focus their attention on Wilson and really prevented him from getting many offensive looks at the basket. Wilson did contribute eight rebounds and a remarkable hustling play that resulted in a Bradley steal.

Dunson had another big game scoring, putting in 20 and making five 3-pointers. He hit a few important shots and helped Bradley have a chance.

It's a little worrisome how tentative McCain has been on the offensive side of the floor. He's shown the ability to knock down jump shots and slash to the hoop. Yet he passed on a couple wide open looks that he certainly could have made. He's still doing a good job of running the Bradley offense, but he (along with Maniscalco) needs to shoot more.

Forward Taylor Brown continues to show signs of why he'll be a starter by his sophomore or junior year at Bradley. His minutes have been limited because he plays Wilson's position, but his athleticism alone resulted in a great rebound basket. Given the opportunity, Brown continues to look like he'll be a great player at Bradley.

Next game:

The intense part of the schedule finally ends for the Braves. After a rigorous stretch (five of seven on the road with Creighton and Illinois State sandwiched in the middle at home), Bradley needs to get healthy on its next two opponents, Indiana State and Wichita State.

Both of these teams are clear bottom feeders in the league and Bradley has already beaten both on the road this season. To lose to either team at home would be inexcusable.

Indiana State at Bradley, Sat. 1/24, 6:05 p.m.

Game Eighteen Recap: Bradley @ Southern Illinois

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Revenge isn't so sweet when you're on the receiving end of it. Southern Illinois answered Bradley's drubbing in Peoria with a lopsided victory in Carbondale.

Even though the final score doesn't reflect it, Southern Illinois (8-10, 3-4) soundly beat the visiting Braves 68-62 at SIU Arena on Sunday night. Bradley (11-7, 5-2) trailed by as many as 21 points in the second half before chipping away in the final minutes.

Credit the Braves for the typical resiliency that every one of Les' teams have shown. With 1:39 to play, SIU led 57-43. Yet, when most teams would have begun warming the bus, Bradley kept fighting and got the game as close as four points with seven seconds left.

Unfortunately, that's where the positives ended.

Some of the most troublesome numbers included 20 turnovers, seven assists and 9-of-19 from the free throw line (47.4 percent). These stats don't lead to many road wins, especially at SIU arena.

Bradley led 12-9 going into a media timeout with 11:47 left in the first half. Sloppy offensive play and stifling SIU defense resulted in the Braves getting outscored 23-5 for the rest of the half. Guard Sam Maniscalco made a jumper (his only basket of the game) with 6:17 in the first half, which ended up being Bradley's last hoop from the floor until halftime.

Guard Chris Roberts had his third straight game where he failed to score more than five points. He only contributed four for the Braves, as well as committing six turnovers and securing only two rebounds.

Even high scorer Theron Wilson didn't have a spectacular game. He had to take 20 shots in order to get to his 22 point total. The senior forward's performance on the glass was impressive though, grabbing a career high 16 rebounds.

Bradley did get a pretty solid performance from guard Darian Norris. He continues to play his role of "disruptor" on defense, swiping more three steals. In his six conference games playing limited minutes, Norris now has eight steals.

Next game:

The team won't have long to dwell on this loss. The brutal stretch for Bradley finally ends with one more road game, this one at conference leader Northern Iowa. The Braves could move back into first place with a victory at a place where they've played fairly well overall. Bradley has won two of its last three games in Cedar Falls.

Bradley at Northern Iowa, 7:05 p.m. Wednesday (1/21)

Game Seventeen Recap: Bradley @ Indiana State

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When Bradley plays strong defensively, the team is unbeatable — literally. The Braves are now 11-0 when holding opponents under 70 points.

Bradley's effort included 10 steals and held Indiana State (4-13, 2-4) to 34 percent shooting en route to a 63-52 victory in Terra Haute, Ind. The Braves (11-6, 5-1) continue to hold a share of first place in the Missouri Valley Conference with Northern Iowa, who also won tonight at Evansville.

The rugged pressure applied by the Braves helped cover up many offensive inefficiencies. Bradley made just 2-of-13 attempts from beyond the 3-point line (15.4 percent) as well as hitting just 13-of-24 free throws (54.2 percent). If either of these statistics are at a normal percentage, Bradley probably blows out the Sycamores.

The teams traded baskets for much of the first half until center David Collins scored three straight baskets, the last putting Bradley up 22-16 with 7:36 to play. The Braves would maintain that same advantage going into halftime at 28-22, though it could have been a much wider margin.

Bradley called a timeout with 40 seconds in the half to set up a play. But, the Braves made a bad turnover and allowed Sycamore forward Jay Tunnell to make a wide open 3-pointer as the final seconds were ticking away.

Once the second half rolled around, the game had a similar feel to the last game against Creighton. The Sycamores would constantly be trying to make a run and close the gap. But Bradley always seemed to have an answer.

Indiana State cut the lead to 32-30 with 15 minutes to play, but guard Chris Roberts answered by nailing an open jumper in the lane on the next possession. Fellow guard Sam Maniscalco followed that with a dazzling reverse layup to push the Braves lead back to six.

The Sycamores trimmed the Bradley advantage to 40-37 after a sparkling individual effort resulting in a slam dunk by forward Josh Crawford. Again, the Braves would answer.

Guard Dodie Dunson scored five of his game-high 15 points to help Bradley go up by eight at 45-37.

The Braves finally took control of the game with more defensive intensity. Leading only 51-48 with 6:39 to go, Bradley held the Sycamores without a field goal for almost the rest of the game.

Maniscalco hit 4-4 from the free throw line, keeping his percentage in conference play at 100 percent (19-for-19).

For all of the players who made contributions above, the two most important players on the floor were forward Theron Wilson and guard Eddren McCain. Wilson (10 points, 7 rebounds) displayed the leadership needed from a senior, finding seams along the baseline all night and getting critical points when Bradley really needed them.

McCain also scored some big baskets in his eight point effort, but shined more importantly as the Bradley point guard. The freshman had seven assists, zero turnovers and two steals. He's already more under control than a young Daniel Ruffin was, a player Bradley fans won't forget anytime soon from that position.

Overall, head coach Jim Les should be very pleased with this performance. Sure, the shooting was bad, but that isn't this team's strength anyway. Even Les acknowledges that at this point and it has a direct correlation upon how well this team is succeeding. The players are contributing with their strengths and not being forced into a "system" that doesn't suit them.

Next game:

No Valley road game is easy, but so far the Braves have taken care of business in all three. Arguably though, the wins are over the worst three teams in the conference. The other "play-in" team may be Southern Illinois, Bradley's next opponent.

Make no mistake about it though, the SIU arena is another house of horrors for the Braves. No matter how down the Salukis are this year, this will be the toughest Valley road test yet.

Luckily most of the current roster hasn't played in Carbondale, so the intimidation won't be as great. Sunday's game will be televised on ESPNU at 6:05 p.m.

Game Sixteen Recap: Creighton @ Bradley

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No Woodfox? No problem.

A short-handed Creighton team showed why it was picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference Saturday at Carver Arena, handing Bradley (10-6, 4-1) its first loss in MVC play. The Bluejays (13-4, 3-2) didn't have leading scorer Booker Woodfox (16.8 PPG), but still produced a solid team effort to secure a 73-64 road win in Peoria.

Bradley never really got in a good rhythm the entire game on either side of the floor. The defense wasn't terrible, but when the team needed stops, Creighton scored. The offense looked disjointed and the Braves got back into "chuck" mode, launching 18 attempts from beyond the 3-point line.

Post player Kenny Lawson Jr. as well as guard Cavel Witter helped Creighton stretch its first half lead to 10 points with 5 minutes left in the half at 27-17. But the lackadaisical Braves awoke for the last five minutes, scoring the last nine points and trailing 27-26 at the break.

Bradley even stretched that run into the second session, taking a 30-26 lead after a Eddren McCain layup and Theron Wilson dunk. But the Braves wouldn't make another field goal for eight minutes, letting Creighton build its lead back up to seven points.

This game had the classic feel of one that Bradley simply would never get over the hump. Creighton hit big shot after big shot, never allowing the Braves to make a run.

The biggest back breaker might have come with just under 12 minutes to play and Bradley within three points. The Braves had a great defensive possession, forcing the Bluejays to use the entire shot clock. As the buzzer sounded and guard Josh Dotzler threw up a wild shot in the lane, Lawson was there to tip the ball right back into the basket, pushing the score back up to 40-35.

Though the game felt almost unwinnable at that point, the lead was still five points with five minutes to play. A critical four possessions iced the game for Creighton.

First, guard Chris Roberts made a bad decision and committed a turnover. Bluejay star guard P'Allen Stinnett, who was having a terrible game up until that point, nailed a tough jumper to put Creighton up seven. Then McCain made another turnover and Stinnett would take the ball in transition, score and get fouled by guard Sam Maniscalco. In less than a minute, Bradley went from down five to down 10 and the game was essentially over.

And though some Bradley players had good stat lines, nobody really had two good halves. Maniscalco had a huge first half, scoring 11 of Bradley's 26 points. But then Maniscalco was nearly invisible in the second half, making only 1-of-5 attempts.

Conversely, nobody else really showed up for the Braves in the first half. Guard Dodie Dunson had all but three of his 16 points during the final 20 minutes. Nine of McCain's 12 points also came in the second half.

Bradley also only got a combined three points from inside players Taylor Brown, Sam Singh, and David Collins. When the Braves have been successful, they've gotten major contributions from the big men.

Overall, this was a very disappointing loss and a frustrating game to watch. Luckily this wasn't a bottom feeder in the league and nobody expected Bradley to go 18-0 in conference play.

Up next:

The schedule doesn't get any easier for awhile as the Braves now go on the road for three straight (at Indiana State, Tues., at Southern Illinois, Sun., at Northern Iowa, Weds. 1/21). Bradley needs to win two of these if it really wants to continue to consider itself a contender for the conference title.

Any road win is great in the Valley, but the Braves two road wins were against two of the worst teams in the league. Bradley needs to take care of business against Indiana State and SIU, as the Braves are clearly superior on the talent side.

More pictures:

Check out the slideshow of pictures I took at the game.

Click the photo above to view a slideshow.

(Updated at 11:45 PM with full recap.)

Game Fifteen Recap: Illinois State @ Bradley

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After a dismal loss in Milwaukee on December 20, few could have predicted the next five games would be victories. But Bradley (10-5, 4-0) has risen to the top of Valley with a 56-52 victory over previously undefeated Illinois State (14-1, 3-1).

The first round of the "War on 74" lived up to the hype with another Bradley-ISU classic. The teams traded baskets for much of the first half, but then ISU went ice cold after the guard Lloyd Phillips made a layup with 7:50 to play, pulling the Redbirds within two at 18-16. Bradley held ISU to just five points the rest of the half, including a five minute stretch where the Redbirds didn't score.

Bradley took a 30-21 advantage into halftime, much of that caused by a great first session by center David Collins and forward Taylor Brown. Collins showed a renewed intensity on the court while Brown provided his usual energetic spark off of the bench.

Illinois State didn't fold at the break, coming out in the second half much more aggressively on both ends of the court. The Redbirds started playing zone against the Braves, which really muddled the Bradley offense for about five minutes. The home team was stuck in neutral on offense but kept the defensive pressure up.

Guard Darian Norris knocked down a critical 3-pointer for the Braves with 10:06 to play, stretching the lead to 45-33. ISU kept coming though, cutting the lead to six (45-39) at 8:17 and then to five (50-45) with 1:44.

Bradley refused to let the Redbirds get any closer, scoring off a great passing play from Wilson to forward/center Sam Singh to extend the lead to seven points. That led to the most memorable possession of the game, where both guard Chris Roberts as well as Singh had blocked ISU shot attempts. Wilson secured a rebound on a third Redbird miss, then promptly knocked down two free throws and make the score 54-47.

The Redbirds pushed to the very end, getting the game within four points at 54-50 with 8.8 seconds left. But Roberts made two free throws and Bradley kept its Valley record perfect with the 56-52 victory.

Next game:

The schedule doesn't get any easier for Bradley, who has preseason conference favorite Creighton (12-4) coming to Peoria on Saturday night. The Bluejays lost their second consecutive game Tuesday, falling 69-66 at home to Northern Iowa. Though Creighton may only be 2-2 so far in MVC games, nobody should expect this game to be easy. After knocking ISU off the pedestal, now Bradley will have the target on its back from the rest of the Valley.

Game Fourteen Recap: Bradley @ Missouri State

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Bradley completed a two game road sweep by gritting out another tough victory at Missouri State 63-57. The win kept the Braves (9-5, 3-0) perfect in conference play, setting up a Tuesday showdown for first place against rival Illinois State. The Bears dropped to 7-7 overall and 0-3 in conference games.

Previous Jim Les coached teams would have probably lost this game, especially considering a major disadvantage in rebounding as well as lousy officiating. But credit the Bradley head coach for making some key adjustments down the stretch in order to secure another road win.

After getting beat badly on the glass for 35 minutes and the Bears scoring at will in the post during the second half, Les switched to a 1-3-1 zone. The defensive change confused Missouri State and slowed its offense to a halt for the remaining five minutes.

The first 20 minutes had a grinding feel. For as poorly as Bradley rebounded on the defensive side, Missouri State shot even worse. The Bears hit just 8-of-32 shot attempts (25 percent) and trailed 33-24 at halftime.

As most home teams do though, Missouri State made a run at the Braves. The Bears repeatedly fed their post players and whittled Bradley's lead completely away by the 8-minute mark.

Bradley surely would have lost this game if it weren't for guard Chris Roberts, who had his best game as a Brave. The junior scored 14 of Bradley's first 21 points in the second half, knocking down important shot after important shot. He finished the game with 22 points, four blocks, three rebounds and three steals.

But even with Roberts' standout performance, the game was tied at 54 with 2 1/2 minutes to play. Good teams knock down free throws in the final minutes and the Braves did just that, hitting 9-of-10 attempts when it really mattered.

Team leaders Sam Maniscalco and Theron Wilson didn't have their best games of the season. But both made intelligent plays on both ends of the floor near the end of the game that put the Braves over the top. Wilson was the only other Bradley player to finish in double figures with 12.

Other observations:

* - This game was one of the most poorly officiated in recent memory. Bradley got the benefit of some soft calls in the first half and Missouri State got that treatment in the last 20 minutes. Players and coaches just ask for consistency and that aspect wasn't on display for this one.

Bradley was whistled for two technical fouls, one on Les and one on forward/center Sam Singh. The latter came after a questionable foul call after Singh tried to force a jump ball. A quick technical was called as well, giving Singh his fourth and fifth fouls. The disqualification didn't look warranted for Singh's on-the-court actions.

* - Speaking of Singh, this was his last time to play close to home. The senior hails from Ozark, MO, which is only 25 minutes away from Springfield. He joined the post-game show on WMBD and definitely had a lot of emotion coming from this game. Singh gave a great deal of credit to fellow big man David Collins for holding down the paint after he fouled out.

Next game:

The War on 74 resumes as Illinois State travels to Peoria to face Bradley on Tuesday. Both teams are now 3-0 in conference as Illinois State easily beat conference favorite Creighton 86-64 in Normal.

The Redbirds also boast a gaudy 14-0 record, which until the wins over Creighton and surprising Evansville, had very few good opponents on their schedule. Illinois State definitely is for real and should pose a huge challenge for Bradley.

Make no mistake about it — all records should be thrown out for this one. Every Bradley-ISU game has added intensity. The only unfortunate part will be that the Bradley students will still be on break for this one, so hopefully the rest of the crowd will pick up the slack for them.