Looks like Bradley may be short-handed tonight. Not a good omen ...
Dave Reynolds of the Journal Star: http://pjstarpeoria.com/bradleyhoops/pressrow/2009/11/13/taylor-browns-status/
November 13, 2009
Bradley opens season at BYU
Here's the preview for game one of the season. This will be a very tough test for Bradley as the opening game of the Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge.
Statistical Comparison (Stats from 2008-09)
| 6th | 2009-10 Conf. Poll | 1st | |
| 3/2 | Starters Returning/Lost | 4/1 | |
| 21-15 | Record (Overall) | 25-8 | |
| 10-8 (4th) | Record (Conference) | 12-4 (t-1st) | |
| 67.1/66.3 | Points/Game (Off./Def.) | 77.1/65.2 | |
| 32.2 | Rebounds/Game (Defense) | 36.2 | |
| 12.6 | Assists/Game (Defense) | 16.3 | |
| 7.8 | Steals/Game (Defense) | 7.3 | |
| 3.5 | Blocks/Game (Defense) | 3.6 | |
| 14.5 | Turnovers/Game (Defense) | 11.4 | |
| 44.0.4/43.3 | FG% (Offense/Defense) | 48.4/40.7 | |
| 32.8/34.5 | 3PT% (Offense/Defense) | 38.1/30.1 | |
| 6.0 | 3PT/Game (Made) | 7.2 | |
| 71.9 | FT% (Defense) | 72.9 |
(Statistics in bold are points of emphasis for this game.)
On paper, this doesn't look too promising for Bradley. Not only is BYU a dynamic scoring team but the Cougars also held their opponents to a meager 40.7 percent from the floor and 30.1 percent from the 3-point line.
BYU notes (.pdf): Here
Bradley notes (.pdf): Here
Some other reasons for concern, from the BYU press release:
"The Cougars are coming off a season in which they finished 25-8 overall and 12-4 in the Mountain West Conference to claim their third-straight regular season league title and earn a third-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament."
This team was really good last season and they've got four of five starters back. Two were named to the preseason all-conference team, senior forward Jonathan Tavernari and junior guard Jimmer Fredette. The latter was also named as the Mountain West's Preseason Player of the Year.
"Since [Head Coach Dave] Rose took over as head coach of BYU basketball, the Cougars are 61-3 in the Marriott Center, including a 53-game winning streak from 2005 to 2008 — the longest in school history. The Cougars were 14-2 at home last season."
Beating BYU on a cruise ship in the Caribbean would be difficult, but winning in Provo, Utah is nearly impossible the past few seasons for any team.
After their final preseason game, coach Rose noted:
“We still have a lot of evaluation left to do. We’ll watch Bradley and our lineup up may be determined by their personnel but I think we have eight or nine different players who could start.”
This team does indeed have depth, but one aspect that bodes well for Bradley is the size of BYU's four returning starters. The Cougars go 6-2, 6-3, 6-6 and 6-11, with Tavernari as an undersized post player at 6-6. So, the prospective lineups might be:
Sam Maniscalco (6-0)/Eddren McCain (5-11) vs. Lamont Morgan Jr. (5-10)
Dodie Dunson (6-3) vs. Jimmer Fredette (6-2)
Andrew Warren (6-5)/Chris Roberts (6-4) vs. Jackson Emery (6-3)
Taylor Brown (6-6) vs. Jonathan Tavernari (6-6)
Will Egolf (6-9) vs. Chris Miles (6-11)
So, if that's really how it shakes out, Bradley won't be dominated with a huge size disadvantage as they often are against good opponents. Of course, what really matters is what both sides can do on the floor. Height only makes a small difference if the talent level is drastically different.
Tips to victoryIf Bradley's going to take down such a good opponent, the Braves are going to need to really play good defense and take care of the basketball. These seem like two very simple facts, but generally it has provided a formula for success. If somehow Bradley can keep this game in the 60s, there's a chance at winning. But, if Tavernari starts raining 3-pointers (he's second on the all-time BYU list) and the Braves get into a running game, this could get ugly.
Final score: BYU 82 Bradley 68November 12, 2009
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
October 6, 2009
In case you're wondering ...
The blog is definitely still alive and will be continued this season. I haven't decided on a lot of particulars yet, but I hope to have a more regular publishing schedule and try to write about some different topics as the season progresses. As is with a lot of us, basketball hasn't been a big priority for a while. But as the season previews start coming out, the banter has already begun. Anyway, look for some interesting content coming up this season!
March 24, 2009
Chris Roberts' miracle shot stuns Oakland
 |  |
75 | 76 |
Something about Oakland University brings out historic events for the Bradley basketball program.
Any Bradley fan remembers 2006 - the Sweet 16 season. Well, even though the games were played at the Palace at Auburn Hills (Detroit Pistons arena), the host school for the first two games was none other than Oakland University. That looked like the last time there would be any connection between the two schools.
But, as a result of Bradley playing the inaugural CollegeInsider.com tournament, the schools came together again, this time with both playing on the court. The Braves looked to be saddled with a disappointing home loss after Oakland's Johnathon Jones made a shot with 0.9 seconds left.
Then junior guard Chris Roberts threw the ball the length of the court and made one of the most improbable buzzer beaters in Bradley history.
Here's a link to the video provided by WEEK-TV: Here
Bradley advances to the semifinals of the CIT and will face Pacific on Wednesday.
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