Game Eleven Recap: SIU Edwardsville @ Bradley

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Clank.

Fans heard a lot of that sort of sound Tuesday night, when the Braves (6-5) only knocked off an inferior SIU Edwardsville (2-10) team by six points at home.

The inexperienced Braves showed many of the same flaws as in previous games: poor team defense, too many unforced turnovers and bad free throw shooting. Sure, "a win is a win," but going into conference play, these sorts of games don't really build confidence.

Bradley led by 12 points early in the second half, but couldn't put away the Cougars, who went on an 18-7 run to cut the Braves lead to 52-51 with 10:18 left.

SIU Edwardsville proceeded to not score for the next five minutes of the game, but Bradley only managed eight points in that span. A few good defensive stops in the last few possessions of the game helped offset an embarrassing display from the free throw line.

The Braves only hit 5-of-12 free throw attempts in the last five minutes of the game, a good way to lose a game against even an average opponent.

Center David Collins stood out this game for generally good reasons. He scored nine points, grabbed nine rebounds and also had four blocks. Collins still had his usual problems of getting stripped on rebounds by bringing the ball down to smaller defenders. But overall, he had a solid game.

Fans were treated to the full spectrum of forward Theron Wilson's skills - both good and bad. His athleticism helps him make some plays that others simply can't. He all three 3-pointers he attempted, scored 17 points and pulled down eight rebounds.

On the other side, Wilson had a series of foolish plays on offense. At one point in the first half, he had committed three of Bradley's six turnovers. He had a total of six on the game and was one of many Braves who couldn't hit free throws (2-of-6).

Both guards Eddren McCain and Chris Roberts had quiet offensive performances, but still made contributions. McCain had five assists to go along with only one turnover, while Roberts made two spectacular blocks and overall had a much bigger commitment to the defensive side of the ball.

Head coach Jim Les shortened the rotation yesterday, only playing six guys regularly. Guard Darian Norris, forward Taylor Brown and center Anthony Thompson all played under 12 minutes. Will this be a sign for the future?

For the development of the team for future season, let's hope not. Bradley will need all three of these men going forward in order to be as successful as it hopes to be in the future.

Game Ten Recap: Bradley @ Milwaukee

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Giving up 50 points in a half isn't a recipe for success in basketball, especially at the college level. Unfortunately for the Bradley (5-5), that's exactly what the team did en route to a 86-74 defeat Saturday in Milwaukee, Wis.

With a combination of slow defensive of rotations and white hot shooting by Milwaukee (6-5), the Braves dug a 50-32 deficit at halftime. Guard Avery Smith had 19 of his 21 points going into the break including five 3-pointers.

To the Braves credit, they did start the second half with greater intensity and narrowed the Panthers' lead to six points in the second half. But Bradley clearly tired as the half went on and just ran out of energy trying to come back.

As tiredness sets in, jump shots start getting shorter. This fatigue showed in the form of 3-of-16 shooting from 3-point range (18.8 percent) during the second half. Even after getting thoroughly dominated in the first 20 minutes, the Braves could have caught Milwaukee by just hitting a few outside shots.

Guards Darian Norris and Chris Roberts both went 0-for-6 from the 3-point line. Bradley simply has too many streaky shooters and not one consistent performer from beyond the arc. Maybe guard Eddren McCain will become that player, but the sample size still is too small to tell for sure.

Even though Milwaukee appeared to rebound better Bradley, the road team actually missed 22 more shots than the Panthers. So clearly, the advantage in total rebounds should have favored Milwaukee (52-46).

But, the overall commitment to rebounding was better for the Braves. The problem was that when Bradley really needed a defensive stop, those were the times that the team gave up second and third opportunities to the Panthers.

Get used to being frustrated if you're a Bradley fan this season. Six of the nine players last night in red are new to the system. Couple that with the loss of three regular contributors to injury and the frustrations seem a bit more understandable (though certainly not any less annoying).

This team continues to search for an identity and with less than a week until Southern Illinois comes to Peoria, the learning curve might be too acute for the current roster of healthy players.

Other observations:

* - Downtown Milwaukee made me feel like I was back in Peoria again with many of the main streets and sidewalks poorly cleared of snow. The showing of Bradley fans at the game was admirable, especially considering how poor the weather got to be two hours before game time.

* - U.S. Cellular Arena had a pretty good feel once fans got inside. The atmosphere certainly trumped that of Illinois-Chicago or Loyola in basketball appeal.

* - Speaking of turnout, the overall attendance (3,020) wasn't bad and most of the Milwaukee fans were into the game.

* - Hopefully all Bradley fans returned home safely today as blowing snow made driving conditions nasty for most of the ride through Wisconsin (and likely in central Illinois, too).

* - I've pulled together another slideshow of photos from the game. Enjoy!

Click the photo above to view a slideshow.

In case you missed it ...

Semester exams aren't just an annoyance for students. They also keep teams off the floor for many days, making fans a bit restless.

The wait for Bradley's next game (at UW-Milwaukee, Sat.) has seemed like about a month. So for those who've been hibernating, here's the news from the Valley since Sunday's matinee:

Award-winner

Guard Sam Maniscalco received the Country Financial Bradley Scholar-Athlete of the Week award on Wednesday. The Bradley sophomore won the award for the first time in his career.

He's the first men's basketball player to have the honor since April 2, 2008. Jeremy Crouch won it that day for the eighth and final time in his career.

Maniscalco will need to have some more big games, but he could end up having as successful of a Bradley career as Crouch did on and off of the court.

Read the press release from Bradley University: here

On the mend

Forward Sam Singh had surgery on his broken nose after getting whacked in the face against Southeast Missouri State. His status for Saturday sounded uncertain at the time of the report, but don't count on Singh against UW-Milwaukee.

As expected, no progress has been shown from guard Andrew Warren. Even though his original foot fracture looks healed, another smaller break may have occurred in his foot now.

Considering how important he will be to Bradley in the coming season(s), watch for him to get a medical redshirt soon. The Braves won't want to take chances with one of their best players and Warren, who has always shown a great love for the game, wouldn't likely want to waste a year of eligibility.

Read the full story by Dave Reynolds of the Journal Star: here

Recruit in limbo

The Braves still await a decision by the NCAA on forward John Wilkins, who was hoping to transfer to Bradley at the semester.

The situation is difficult because Wilkins played a few games with a professional team in Belgium. So, even if Wilkins is allowed to play at Bradley, he'll have to sit for five games as an NCAA punishment.

If I had to place a bet right now, I'd feel pretty safe putting it on the side that he isn't in a Bradley uniform this season, maybe ever.

A few more details in the Journal Star story: here

Playing the best

Even in a loss, Evansville continues to impress. The Purple Aces (7-2) lost by 18 points at No. 1 North Carolina (10-0) tonight but managed to play the unbeaten Tar Heels even for the first 10 minutes of the game.

Sure the best team in the nation pulled away and won fairly easily, but this is also a group that beat Michigan State in Detroit by 35 points. The Tar Heels have appeared invincible so far.

The bigger story must be that Evansville competed so well in extremely challenging circumstances. Little argument can be made that the Purple Aces should be competitive again in conference play. But are they contenders along with Creighton and Illinois State?

Once MVC games begin, the intensity level gets ratcheted up and familiarity sets in. Teams don't radically change their styles on a season by season basis, so every team in the Valley comes in with a built-in advantage against one another.

This doesn't bode well for Evansville, as their talent level doesn't match up to some of the top teams in the Valley. But, with their experience against some good non-conference opponents, the Purple Aces could finish in the upper half of the MVC. Like most of the conference, Evansville is just as puzzling as the next. Only time will tell how it will stacks up against the other nine.

Birds keep flapping

Speaking of puzzles, Illinois State continued its perfect season (10-0) by bullying another weak opponent. This time though, the weakling almost got in the final blow.

The Redbirds won at Central Michigan (3-6) by three points, 72-69. Not a single opponent that Illinois State has played this season has a winning record against Div. I opponents.

The UIC Flames (7-2) head to Normal on Saturday, giving the Redbirds a chance to finally knock off a good opponent. This game will give fans across the Valley a chance to see how good Illinois State can be going into conference play.

Countdown

Only 10 more days until conference games begin!

Game Nine Recap: SE Missouri State @ Bradley

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The result was never in doubt, but the progress was in question. Bradley (5-4) cruised to an easy 75-62 victory over Southeast Missouri State (2-8) on Sunday afternoon.

The Braves jumped out to a 12-2 start and would eventually extend that lead to 30-10 in the first half. After the end result seemed pretty safe, head coach Jim Les began tinkering with the lineup, trying to see who will be able to provide quality minutes for the team.

Nine players were on the floor for double-digit minutes and that would have been 10 players if forward/center Sam Singh hadn't broken his nose early in the first half.

The Braves showed defensive intensity that wasn't there enough against Butler. Even though SEMO was fairly inept on offense, Bradley's 20 steals were still a remarkable total.

Both of Bradley's speedy freshman guards had good games. Darian Norris and Eddren McCain earned roles in the starting lineup after Les had put all spots up as an open competition this week.

Norris had a career high 12 points to go along with two assists and three steals. McCain's stat line was impressive as well, with seven points, six assists and two steals. Aside from a couple poor passes, McCain showed again why he should be the starting point guard for the rest of the season.

Saying that isn't a slight to guard Sam Maniscalco, who had five assists and only one turnover. But, when the lineup has both of these men in there, Maniscalco can slide to his more natural two-guard position. In reality, the Bradley offense involves so much motion that having two players with point guard ability only helps the offense run smoother.

Center David Collins, who was one of the players demoted from the starting lineup, responded to the backup role. He posted 10 points, three rebounds and five blocks. His intensity was turned up again on both ends of the floor.

Not to be lost in the shuffling should be forward Theron Wilson, who had his best game of the season, filling the stat sheet with 17 points, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks, four steals. Though not technically a team captain, Wilson's play often mirrors how the team performs as a whole.

The other member of the team that continues to deserve playing time is forward Taylor Brown. Even though he's a bit undersized for his position, Brown looks to be one of the best pure rebounders on the team, pulling in seven more Sunday. He has now averaged more than five per game since the Richmond matchup Nov. 26.

Bradley doesn't play again until Saturday when the Braves head north to Wisconsin to take on the UW-Milwaukee Panthers (5-5). This game is the final road test for Bradley before conference play begins. UWM has been inconsistent this season, just like the Braves, so this should be a pretty good matchup.

Other observations:

* - Rebounding still must a point of emphasis for Bradley. The team gave up too many offensive rebounds to SEMO (14 total). This will be a major downfall for the Braves come conference season if it isn't corrected soon.

The problem still remains though, that Les plays undersized lineups against every opponent. Much of rebounding involves desire, but team size also is a contributing factor.

* - Redshirt freshman center Anthony Thompson saw his first extended minutes of the season (11) and had his first basket in a Bradley uniform. He also chipped in three rebounds and a block. Thompson clearly has skills and looks smooth in the paint. Once he gets more seasoning for the Braves, Thompson will surely be a major contributor for years to come.

* - Even walk-ons Ned Goertzen, Brian Lavin and Ryan Phillips saw some time this game. Phillips made a rare appearance in the first half, playing the final two minutes.

Important games for the Valley this weekend

Most of the games involving Missouri Valley conference teams this weekend look one-sided. But, if the teams hope to raise the conference's overall RPI, an upset or two needs to happen.

Scouting the Braves

Bradley certainly needs a confidence boost after its performance against Butler on Wednesday. The Braves should get that Sunday against Southeast Missouri State, a team whose only Division I win this season comes against Longwood.

The Redhawks have a few good players, including forward Calvin Williams (6'9" So.). He has shot 59.7 percent from the floor this season and also grabs seven rebounds per game.

Most of his best games though have come against inferior competition. He didn't play against New Mexico and Kansas State. Williams' only game that he shot under 50 percent (3 of 8 shooting) was 34-point loss at Iowa.

SEMO also has two other players who average in double figures, guard Kenard Moore (15.3 PPG) and forward Jaycen Herring (14.7 PPG). Just like Williams, both players had bad games against the better opponents on the Redhawks' schedule.

Games like these often come down to depth, as Bradley usually outlasts these smaller conference teams. The Redhawks only play eight guys regularly, whereas the Braves will go nine to ten players deep.

The biggest question about this game isn't whether or not the Braves are going to win but rather who will be the guys on the floor bringing home the victory. Coach Jim Les declared that "changes will be made" after the Butler loss. Will this difference include a change in playing time for certain players or different lineups on the floor?

With the start of conference play only 15 days away, Bradley needs to start shaping its identity and finding players that can be consistent contributors.

Biggest opportunity for a statement

Evansville (6-1) gets a chance to truly show if it's going to be a serious league contender tonight at Western Kentucky (5-2). The Purple Aces have beaten a couple decent opponents (Austin Peay, Buffalo), but this game should be their toughest test yet. Western Kentucky has already knocked off nationally ranked Louisville on the road.

Evansville has shot well as a team this season at 44 percent. The team will need to have a big game from its leaders Shy Ely and Jason Holsinger in order to pull off the upset.

Intriguing games

Two enigmatic teams this season have been Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa. Both have had good and bad performances and look to make statements on the road this weekend.

Southern Illinois (3-4) goes to Nevada (4-4) as a return game from last year's Bracketbuster matchup, one that the Salukis won 74-49. Neither team has gotten off to a good start this season, but SIU has played a much tougher schedule. Maybe the young Saluki team can come together and bring home a win for the Valley.

Northern Iowa (5-4) also heads west to play Wyoming (6-1). Having seen Northern Iowa play in person against Auburn led me to believe that this would be a solid team. But, the Panthers have also had some really poor performances and playing on the Cowboys' in Wyoming (though not their home floor) won't be easy.

Look for a Valley win in at least one of these games.

Predictions

Saturday

No. 17 Purdue over Indiana State

Wyoming over Northern Iowa

Creighton over Northern Colorado

Western Kentucky over Evansville

Missouri State over Central Arkansas

Drake over Stephen F. Austin

Sunday

Bradley over Southeast Missouri State

Illinois State over Morehead State

Southern Illinois over Nevada (Upset of the weekend)