Scouting: Butler Bulldogs

The Bulldogs from Butler University come to Peoria for a big game Wednesday. Most of Bradley's games have been against teams that weren't equally matched. Florida and Michigan State clearly have more talent than the Braves. But, the Braves certainly were better than the likes of Florida Gulf Coast and East Tennessee State.

The Butler game will be different, giving Bradley a chance to play a quality opponent who shouldn't overpower them.

The Bulldogs have run off seven straight wins to start the season but have a lot of inexperience in their lineup. Most notably, they have beaten two Missouri Valley Conference teams (vs. Evansville, at Drake) as well as a home win against Northwestern. Most of their victories have been anywhere between eight- and ten-point margins.

Statistically, the Bulldogs only have given up 52.4 points per game, good for sixth overall in Division I. They are a team that plays tenacious man-to-man defense, but with how poorly Bradley has been shooting from the perimeter, will that change?

Even with three road wins, none of these came in a boisterous place like Carver Arena. Fans of the Braves will need to be loud and try to rattle the inexperienced Butler team.

From a personnel perspective, Butler has three players that average double figures in scoring: forward Matt Howard (6'7" So.), guard Shelvin Mack (6'3" Fr.), Gordon Hayward (6'8" Fr.). All three shoot at least 46 percent from the floor.

Howard had a good game against Bradley last season at Hinkle Fieldhouse. He finished with 14 points and six rebounds, easily pushing around the Bradley post players.

To make matters more challenging for Bradley, the trio of Mack, Hayward and Zach Hahn (6'0" So.) all have outside shooting ability (38, 44 and 40 percent, respectively).

Butler also takes care of the ball well, only turning the ball over 11 times per game. Maybe Bradley's team quickness will be able to disrupt the Butler offense more than the Bulldogs' first opponents have.

Butler plays ten players, all of whom have played in every game. The Bulldogs aren't an overly big team though, so size isn't as big of a concern as it often can be for the Braves.

Important aspects to watch:

Slow down Howard - This young big man looked pretty impressive last season. He looked too quick for forward Sam Singh, so it'll be interesting who matches up against him. In Singh's defense, he's looked more nimble himself this year, so I'd imagine we'll see a lot of this matchup.

No freebies - The team shooting percentage from the free throw line is only 68 percent. But these numbers are skewed by poor totals from some of the players who don't see much time. Of the six players who have at least 10 shot attempts, only guard Ronald Nored (6'0" Fr.) shoots less than 71 percent.

Bradley must play smart defense and will likely need to play more zone in order to stay out of foul trouble.

Freshman mistakes - Just as the Braves need to limit their turnovers (which on the whole has improved lately), they also must force the Bulldogs into committing some. Nored averages 2.0 assists but 2.4 turnovers per game. Using the home court to its advantage, Bradley must cause Nored to make mistakes.

Play your game - These two teams play contrasting styles, with Bradley trying to get out and run and Butler looking to slow down. The Braves need to get out in transition and not let Butler dictate the pace, which is what happened in Indianapolis last year.

***

Bradley really needs to win this game as its on their home court. The team needs proof that it can not only play with some of the better teams in the nation, but actually beat them. Hopefully the first half of the Michigan State game showed the Braves a glimmer of that chance. Butler's team is just as young as Bradley's and the Bulldogs are the on road. This one should be a thriller.

Final prediction: Bradley 67, Butler 65

Game Seven Recap: Bradley @ Michigan State

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Another big name opponent, another big time defeat.

Bradley dropped to 4-3 after No. 12/13 Michigan State (5-2) exploded for 43 second half points and a 16-point victory. The Braves kept the game close for awhile, only trailing at the half by five, but persistent poor shooting dug themselves into a insurmountable deficit.

Playing a full 40-minutes must be a focus for Bradley in the weeks and months ahead. For the signs of brilliance that the Braves show, these often are counteracted by pronounced dry spells.

For as often as a "team-first" attitude can lead to on-the-court results, the importance of a dynamic player also has value in college basketball. The teams who have played the best in the Missouri Valley Conference this season (Illinois State, Creighton, Drake) all have at least one, if not two or three, players who can take over a game.

Unfortunately for Bradley, that young man hasn't stepped on the court all season. Guard Andrew Warren was sorely missed today, more than any other game.

The Braves shot a dismal 4-of-22 from 3-point range (18.2 percent) and 20-of-59 from the floor (33.9 percent). This type of shooting led to long stretches where Bradley simply couldn't score. Warren may have been able to break the Braves from their doldrums.

Even when the team got to the line, that didn't seem to help either. Bradley hit 57.7 percent of its free throws (15-of-26), another ingredient in the recipe for a road loss. Many of the most critical misses occurred late in the first half when Bradley was still in the game.

Michigan State simply hit more shots than the Braves and that's what cost the road squad a chance at victory. Bradley didn't give up an exceptional amount of offensive rebounds like last year's game in Peoria. The team also had less turnovers than the Spartans (Bradley 16, Michigan State 19).

Some of the other stat lines look deceiving. The Spartans held a 45-32 advantage in overall rebounds, but Bradley also missed a lot more shots, so Michigan State was bound to have more rebound opportunities.

Bradley only had six assists, but if the team had shot better, then the assist totals would have obviously gone up, too.

Give Michigan State credit for getting through this one with as much as ease it did. The Spartans didn't play well for much of the game, missing some easy layups and making ill-advised turnovers.

This Bradley team has proven that it can't hang with the top teams in the country when its top scorer from last season is still sidelined. But, with most of the rest of the MVC teams struggling, Bradley still has as good of a chance as any to be a contender.

Other observations:

* - Center David Collins came out with some intensity and had two baskets early in the game. He finished with nine points altogether, but only grabbed two rebounds. Hopefully this game was a sign of him improving again and not just an aberration.

* - Forward Theron Wilson looked noticeably frustrated with the quickness of Michigan State. His ability to drive to the basket should pick back up in future games against less talented teams.

* - The most worrisome shooting performance came from guard Sam Maniscalco, again. He missed all five three-pointers he took and also committed six turnovers.

* - Center Anthony Thompson barely saw the floor, which came as a surprise. Instead of taking over injured center Will Egolf's minutes, Collins and forward Taylor Brown saw increased playing time. Hopefully head coach Jim Les will give Thompson a chance soon.

* - One of the first true barometers for this Bradley team comes Wednesday against the undefeated Butler Bulldogs at Carver Arena. These are the types of teams the Braves will need to beat if they are to truly have another positive season.

(I will be in attendance for this game, so expect another photo slide show if I can get any interesting pictures.)

Some Michigan State nostalgia

Even though Bradley lost to Michigan State on December 4, 2007, the game had the feel like no other game I've ever attended at Carver Arena. The entire crowd, even the older folks, stood from nearly start to finish.

Both star point guard Drew Neitzel and head coach Tom Izzo had very complimentary things to say about Bradley's fans after the game. If only it were like that every night at Carver Arena.

Anyway, it's fun to think back to that game and how electric everything was about playing the Spartans. To pay tribute to that, I've compiled another slideshow of pictures. This time unfortunately, the quality leaves something to be desired. But, that's what you get indoors on a little Kodak point-and-shoot from the stands.

Click the photo above to view a slideshow.

(Note: I have only been following Bradley since 2002, so I'm certain there are other games that those "older" folks may remember that rank up there with this game. I've read plenty about the mythical seven overtime game against Cincinnati in 1960. To read more about this game and other Bradley classics, check out the Journal Star's Fieldhouse tribute here: http://www2.pjstar.com/index.php/fieldhouse/archives/bradley_stuns_cincinnati/)

Finding a way to beat the Spartans

For Bradley fans, the optimists will see that Michigan State just got whipped by North Carolina and squeaked by Wichita State (who was picked to finish 9th in the Valley this year). The pessimists can simply reply, "But it's still Michigan State."

The Braves will need a herculean effort to beat the Spartans on their home floor, especially without center Will Egolf and guard Andrew Warren. Michigan State will be out for blood after losing by 35 to the No. 1 team in the country.

How does Bradley stand a chance? Quite a few things need to fall the Braves way, including:

* - Outside shooting - Wichita State hung close with the Spartans, but only hit 7-of-23 from 3-point range (30.4 percent). With an even better shooting team last year, Bradley hit 8-of-25 (32 percent) against Michigan State. Guards Chris Roberts and Dodie Dunson will need to keep knocking down treys if Bradley's going to stay in the game.

* - Rebounding - On the opposite side of the spectrum, this year's team has been rebounding much more effectively than the 2007-08 team. The ugliest aspect of the matchup last season came in this department, where the Spartans clobbered Bradley on the boards, 48-29.

Good news for the Braves: Michigan State center Goran Suton had arthroscopic knee surgery and will miss the next 2-4 weeks. Suton had 11 rebounds against Bradley and fellow big man Drew Naymick (10 rebounds) graduated.

* - Maturity - Good thing most of the players on the Bradley roster didn't play in the game last time the Braves were in East Lansing, Mich. The 82-53 drubbing was one of the worst losses in recent memory.

But, just as all the new players don't have memories, they also haven't had to play in a hostile environment yet. Turnovers have been a problem for Bradley so far, and this game must be the one to correct that. What Bradley lacks in talent must be made up in heart and intelligence.

Home teams seem to have a bigger advantage in college basketball than any other major sport. The Breslin Center certainly fits that mold, with the boisterous Izzone student section. Composure will be critical for the Braves in this environment.

* - New roles - Bradley centers David Collins and Anthony Thompson must grow up really quickly. Neither saw many minutes with how well Egolf had been playing. But everything changed with that one nasty slip to the Carver Arena floor.

Collins may be a veteran, but he plays like a boy at times. His lack of aggressiveness can't be taught, he just has to bring it. Collins showed signs of turning the corner at the end of last season but has since regressed.

He has a nice shooting touch and can be an intimidating force in the lane. Some of his critics say he doesn't have as much talent, but that argument is bogus. Forward/center Sam Singh isn't the most athletically gifted player, but he always gives everything he has on the floor and provides positive results. Collins has a second life after the Egolf injury and needs to remind everyone why he's on the team.

Thompson will finally get his chance to play after redshirting last season and playing sparingly in 2008. He received recognition as a pretty highly touted recruit coming to Bradley, but hasn't really gotten to prove why. There's no reason that he can't be the starting center for years to come, so start showing that now.

If the Braves can get a decent amount of production from the two (maybe 8-10 points & rebounds), that will go a long way to giving Bradley a chance Sunday.

* - Make 'em shoot - Michigan State hasn't shot much better than Bradley this season from 3-point range (35 to 32 percent) or from the field (47 to 44). With all of the attention the Braves must focus on preventing second chance opportunities, maybe dropping into a zone and making Spartans shoot over it will help.

You can bet that coach Jim Les will try it at some point during the game. Changing up defenses was what kept Bradley in the game for so long against Florida. With all of the time he has had to prepare, Les should throw many different looks out there to confuse Michigan State.

***

From a scheduling perspective, Bradley catches the Spartans at the best possible time. The Braves have been able to formulate a game plan for a week, whereas Michigan State only has two days. All of the preparation will help Bradley keep the game fairly close, but the talent level of the Spartans (especially at home) will likely win out in the end.

Final prediction: Michigan State 74 Bradley 64

Game Six Recap: ETSU @ Bradley

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Bradley showed it was vastly superior to East Tennessee State even without guard Andrew Warren. Now the Braves will have to come together even more after a serious injury to starting center Will Egolf.

Finally, head coach Jim Les had found an interior player who could play with intensity and skill. But in one ugly twist of the knee, Egolf looks to be gone for the season. He crumpled to the ground after turning to attempt a shot near the basket midway through the second half.

Even watching the game online, you could feel the air go right out of the arena. Bradley finished the game as feebly as Egolf was escorted off the floor, clearly in shock after such a disappointing turn of events.

The game looked very promising as Bradley jumped all over ETSU to start the game, running 17 straight points into a 17-2 lead. Most of these were put in by guard Dodie Dunson who started the game on fire again, just like against Florida Gulf Coast. Dunson finished as the Braves' leading scorer with 17 points.

Guard Chris Roberts continues to improve nightly, scoring 16 points including 4 of 6 from 3-point range. His athleticism makes your jaw drop at least once or twice a game.

Forward Theron Wilson chipped in 12 points, the same total he's had in four of Bradley's six games. His consistent scoring might be trumped in importance by Wilson's rebounding intensity (8 for the game, the same as he's averaging on the season).

The freshmen also continue to show they belong in the Bradley rotation. Guard Eddren McCain had his best game in a Braves' uniform, dishing out four assists to go along with 10 points. Forward Taylor Brown, who will surely see more minutes with the Egolf injury, had a nice performance of seven points and six rebounds.

Other observations:

* - Moving on - In addition to Brown, look for redshirt freshman center Anthony Thompson to be slid into the rotation with Egolf out for at least awhile. Center David Collins needs to show more aggressiveness, otherwise he'll still be planted on the bench even with Egolf going down.

* - Playing hurt - Chicago Cubs radio broadcaster Ron Santo calls pitcher Ted Lilly "The Bulldog" because of his ability to seemingly always get through tough situations. If the Braves have their own "Bulldog," it has to be guard Sam Maniscalco. The sophomore has been playing nearly 30 minutes per game even though he's got a nagging foot problem.

After a torrid week that included travel, four games and his 20th birthday, Maniscalco turned in a flawless eight assist, zero turnover game against ETSU.

* - Root for North Carolina? - This might be a little tough to do if you're a fan of non-BCS conference teams. But, the top-ranked Tar Heels have a date with Michigan State on Wednesday. Hopefully it's a tough game that wears down the Spartans, Bradley's next opponent.

Going up to the Breslin Center isn't an easy task for any team, but especially a Braves' team as ravaged as it is with injuries. Maybe North Carolina's fast paced style can help Bradley keep it close against the Spartans. (But don't count on it.)