Game Five Recap: Richmond vs. Bradley

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Every season has signature games — and this was one of them.

Bradley (3-2) used contributions from nine different players to beat a talented Richmond (3-2) team 80-66 on Wednesday. The win gets the Braves over .500 and playing with confidence as they return home to face East Tennessee State on Saturday at Carver Arena.

This game showed how the Braves will need to play in order to be successful this season:

* - Newcomer contributions: Bradley got 42 points from the guys only making their fifth official Division I game. Guards Dodie Dunson and Chris Roberts continue to show that they will be integral parts on this team. Dunson had 13 points, with most of these coming early in the game to help the Braves get off to a fast start. Roberts played well throughout, also scoring 13 and grabbing four rebounds.

Will Egolf started for the second straight game at center chipping in six points. The young player needs to cut down on his silly fouls, but he showed that the game against Florida Gulf Coast was no fluke.

Guard Eddren McCain had four points and ran the offense effectively when Sam Maniscalco was on the bench. Fellow 5'11" guard Darian Norris also looked good, hitting an important 3-pointer and scoring five points in all.

Not to be forgotten is forward Taylor Brown, whom radio voices Dave Snell and Chuck Buescher named the player of the game. Brown's final stat line included seven points, five rebounds, four assists and no turnovers.

* - Protect the basketball - Bradley significantly cut down on the amount of turnovers (11) and had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.72). The Braves took care of the ball so well that this number actually felt like less, but a few moving screen and offensive foul calls helped push up this number.

* - Play to your strengths - Bradley doesn't have as many great jump shooters as past seasons, so the Braves finally took the ball to the hoop much more often. A few players, like Maniscalco for instance, have the ability to knock down shots.

But, everyone struggles unless they have open looks at the basket. By making focusing on making entry passes into the post, Bradley forced the Spiders to sink down on defense, allowing for more open shots.

Similarly, when given an opportunity, both Egolf and forward Sam Singh showed they could make their opportunities near the basket if given the opportunity.

Other observations:

* - Wednesday was Maniscalco's 20th birthday. The sophomore played through a nagging foot problem and contributed 12 points, as well as team highs of six rebounds and six assists.

* - Forward Theron Wilson shot free throws better, knocking in 8-of-10 attempts. He will need to keep shooting at a 70 to 80 percent clip in order to maximize his effectiveness in getting to the hoop.

* - Dunson has embraced the role of guarding a team's most talented guard. He shadowed Richmond's David Gonzalvez, who had been shooting 62 percent from the floor in the Spiders first four games. Gonzalvez had few open looks and though he still had 16 points, that was only on 5-of-13 shooting.

Game Four Recap: Bradley @ Florida Gulf Coast

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Bradley supporters all thought that sophomore Will Egolf would eventually become a contributor for the Braves basketball team. Few would have thought his first big game would take place 4,253 miles from his home.

Egolf helped carry a struggling Bradley (2-2) team past tournament site host Florida Gulf Coast (1-3) 58-54. The 6'9 forward from Alaska had 8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal in his first college start.

His performance included an amazing conclusion to the game: a basket that beat the shot clock and broke the tie at 54-54, securing one of the most important loose balls of the contest and calmly knocking down two free throws to put the game out of reach.

A game like this had potentially bigger implications on this team moving forward. Coach Jim Les decided to play the guys who were performing the best down the stretch, not just who had the so-called "experience." This decision might also (hopefully) result in Bradley playing more lineups with size going forward.

The Braves only shot 40.8 percent as a team, which included 5 for 21 beyond the arc (23.8 percent). These numbers will improve as the season progresses, but that expectation doesn't change the fact Bradley simply doesn't have the shooters from the past.

Going inside will need to be stressed even more as this team develops chemistry together.

Not to be overshadowed, senior Theron Wilson had big game again, pouring in 13 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Until Bradley sees junior Andrew Warren back on the court, Wilson must be the catalyst for an inexperienced team on both ends of the floor.

Freshman Darian Norris had his best game as a Brave, hitting three 3-pointers and securing three rebounds. Norris might only be listed at 5'11" but he makes up for his small frame with desire.

Bradley finishes the CBE Tournament tomorrow against Richmond, a team who has been playing very well. Even with all of the nice things that came from the Florida Gulf Coast game, the Braves will need to play much better if they hope to beat the Spiders.

Other observations:

* - David Collins rode the bench for most of the game. Many Bradley fans are down on him, but hopefully Collins hasn't lost all of his confidence and can continue to help the team moving forward.

* - Look how far from home Will Egolf really was ... 3 days by car!

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* - Eggson meter: 21 minutes. In addition to Egolf more than doubling his total minutes played for the season, even Anthony Thompson got in for two minutes. Bradley gives these guys a chance a good things happen. Keep an eye on their minutes as the season goes on.

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.

Game Two Recap: Bradley @ No. 19 Florida

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Twenty-three point losses shouldn't sit well with any team. But after Bradley's first loss, nobody should think that the Braves (1-1) are going to have a bad season.

Some stat lines were ugly — 19 offensive rebounds for Florida (2-0); another poor performance from the 3-point line for Bradley (7 of 24, 29 percent). Clearly Bradley isn't going to be ranked anytime soon.

Outside of Michigan State though, Bradley also won't face a more athletic and skilled team all season. This game provided a barometer for the work that needs to be done but the possibility of being able to stay with a really good team for the majority of it.

There's a fire in this Bradley team that was enjoyable to watch. Sure, mistakes were made and can be expected for awhile. What the box score doesn't show is that Bradley held a lead for the majority of the first half. Then, after Florida surged going into halftime, the Braves chopped a 17-point lead to eight in just two minutes.

Some of Coach Jim Les' lineup choices still may make fans shake their heads, but he's improving as an in-game coach. Les understood the need to show Florida different looks on defense, which confused the Gators.

He also has cured the Braves propensity to play terrible on the road. Bradley looked confident and not like a bunch of scared kids walking into the arena of a recent national champion.

Many of the offensive rebounds allowed in the past were due to bad positioning and an apparent lack of desire to grab the ball more than the opponent. Today had a different feel, as Florida used its athleticism to create situations where if it missed a shot, somebody would be ready on the back side to clean up the mess. These sorts of situations will not happen as frequently against Missouri Valley Conference teams.

With all the new players Bradley has this season, this game was perfect to show all of them what it takes to be really great.

Other observations:

* - No individual players were named in the recap as the consequences of this game weren't really about any single performance. That being said, junior guard Dodie Dunson had another solid game (15 points, 3-of-9 from 3-point range) and senior center David Collins (6 points, 3 rebounds) started to show more of his potential against the solid interior core of the Gators. Collins must stay out of foul trouble though in order to be effective.

* - Sophomore guard Sam Maniscalco had another poor shooting game, finally knocking down his first three-pointer of the season. He has only hit one of his first twelve attempts from behind the arc. He needs to slow his game down and stop putting so much pressure on himself — pressing isn't a good thing, especially for your starting point guard.

* - Junior guard Chris Roberts and freshman forward Taylor Brown continue to impress, especially with their athleticism and energy. Roberts had 13 points and 5 rebounds while Brown chipped in six points while only playing 13 minutes.

* - Coach Les picked up his first technical foul of the season on a questionable no-call for goaltending. Though the announcers on ESPNU didn't seem to understand the rule, here's how it's officially defined (http://www.coabb.org/pdf/2008_m_w_basketball_rules.pdf):

Section 34. Goaltending
Art. 1. Goaltending shall have occurred when a player touches the ball during a field-goal try and each of the following conditions is met:

a. The ball is in its downward flight; and

b. The entire ball is above the level of the ring and has the possibility,
while in flight, of entering the basket and is not touching the
cylinder.

This certainly was the case on the play, but the announcers argued in-favor of some new rule about pinning the ball on the glass before it makes contact with the backboard. The problem is, as the rules state, that the ball was on the downward flight and above the rim. Les was justified in his frustration.

Game One Recap: UIC @ Bradley

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That was how preseason basketball should look!

Oh, that was a regular season game? Well, for Bradley and UIC's sake, it is only mid-November. After 52 fouls and 27 turnovers, both teams will have plenty of film to watch. Bradley (1-0) picked up its first win of the season without top returning scorer Andrew Warren (13.2 PPG in 2007-08), who still is still recovering from a surgery on his foot for a stress fracture.

Bradley made 33 of 47 free throws (70 percent), which helped offset the dismal shooting performance in the first half of the game (3 of 17, 17.6%). The Braves trailed 28-20 at halftime, which could have been much worse considering how sloppy the team's play.

Along with missing Warren's contributions, Bradley didn't get much contributions from their other returning leaders Theron Wilson and Sam Maniscalco during the first half. Wilson in particular looked particularly passive, choosing to pass outside when he got into a scoring position in the lane. Maybe Coach Jim Les gave them a swift kick in the rear at the break, as both looked like they were on a missing once the second 20-minute session began. Wilson finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds while Maniscalco chipped in 14 points himself.

New Braves Dodie Dunson and Chris Roberts arguably had the biggest influence on the outcome of the game. Dunson achieved his primary purpose by being Bradley's defensive stopper, slowing down Preseason Horizon League Player of the Year Josh Mayo to 13 points on 5 of 14 shooting. Dunson also led Bradley in scoring with 21 points and 10 of 12 free throws.

Roberts had a nice stat line as well, scoring 12 and pulling down 7 rebounds. Roberts also had a thundering tip-slam that sent Carver Arena into a frenzy during the second half. His athleticism should be a big plus for a team that doesn't look like it will have the same outside shooting prowess that previous teams have had.

For as lethargic the Braves looked during stretches of the game Friday, a commitment to defense and rebounding was a welcomed change. This team showed that it has the ability to be good again, but it will need to win more games in the 60s instead of the 70s if it wants to finish near the top of the Missouri Valley Conference.

Other observations:

* - Freshman Taylor Brown looked good again for the third straight game. His inside/outside game suits the Bradley offense well. Brown also brings a lot of energy to the floor, which was certainly lacking at times.

* - Redshirt freshman Anthony Thompson and sophomore Will Egolf did not play in the game. Coach Les used 9 players Friday and once Warren returns, another player's minutes will likely be reduced as well. Hopefully both get in the Florida game, as we need to get these players experience playing against other talented big men.

* - The new "boards" at Carver Arena are pretty noticeable, with new LCD-like screens on the press table as well as the baselines. Even though I had read some speculation about it being distracting, I don't feel like this has any influence on either team's performance.

* - Bradley needs to scrap the white-out idea. The primary color of the university is red and most wear that to the game. The participation last year for the Michigan State game was amazing, but that was a once in a lifetime game. But in reality, when you use a color that bright and you just get partial participation, it comes out looking strange:

(Note: I'd normally crop out people's heads from photos. But, anyone knows that when you have a part of "Super Fan Jay" in your shot, he has to stay there.)

* - This was the first of a few games I'll actually be able to attend in person this season. I tried to take some other photos too, and I'll post them soon.