GETTING INSIDE
Coming off its first Missouri Valley Conference-opening victory on the road in seven years, Bradley will be trying to keep the momentum going against one of the most physical teams in the MVC when Southern Illinois comes to Carver Arena on Friday.
The Salukis have long built their reputation on defense, and this year is no exception. SIU went into the conference season holding opponents to just 65.9 points per game. Bradley, meanwhile, was scoring just 65.5 points per contest, good for ninth in the league.
SIU loves to put pressure on the opposition, generating offense from turnovers. The Salukis’ high-powered offense was leading the Missouri Valley with 75.4 points per game.
If Bradley is going to build on its 1-0 conference mark, it’s going to need to withstand the defensive pressure the Salukis are sure to bring on New Year’s. The Braves have one of the lowest turnover averages in the MVC at 12.5 per game, but that won’t mean anything to the Salukis, who will look to pressure the Braves into many more turnovers than they’re used to.
Bradley 67, Drake 59: The Braves pulled away from a one-point halftime lead to earn the victory in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both teams thanks to their defense. Bradley held Drake to just 34.4 percent shooting for the game, including 28.1 percent from 3-point range. The Braves also used a solid inside game to gain a 28-10 advantage on points in the paint. Andrew Warren led the way with 24 points and eight rebounds, while Taylor Brown had 17 points and 11 boards.
NOTES, QUOTES
• Freshman G Jake Eastman made his first appearance of the season on Dec. 20 at Iowa State. Eastman scored four points and grabbed a team-high five rebounds in 16 minutes. Eastman was going to redshirt before freshman Dyricus Simms-Edwards was lost from three to six weeks because of a stress reaction in his left foot in mid-December.
• Bradley needs to find a way, any way, to get to the 70-point mark. The Braves are 3-0 this season when scoring 70 or more points and 1-5 when scoring fewer than 70.
January At A Glance: With four of its first six Missouri Valley Conference games on the road, Bradley must regroup quickly after falling apart in December. The Braves must get at least a split on the road to show it will be in the Valley race for the long haul.
Quote To Note: “The key is not to pout and worry about the past. It’s to make changes in our approach that won’t allow us to have this feeling again.”—Bradley coach Jim Les, to the Peoria Journal-Star, after an 87-68 loss to Iowa State on Dec. 20.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
Season Recap: Bradley played one of the toughest nonconference schedules among Missouri Valley Conference teams. It met Brigham Young, Oklahoma State, Illinois, Western Carolina, Loyola and Iowa State. Except for a 19-point loss at Iowa State, Bradley was in every game, and it beat Illinois. The Braves faltered late in most of their five losses, and they must find a way to make plays at the end of the game.
Player Rotation: Usual Starters—F Taylor Brown, C Will Egolf, G Sam Maniscalco, G Andrew Warren, G Chris Roberts. Key Subs—C Anthony Thompson, G Eddren McCain, F Milos Knezevic, C Sam Singh.
Game Review:
Western Carolina 75, Bradley 67
Loyola 68, Bradley 65
Iowa State 87, Bradley 68
Bradley 67, Drake 59
Game Preview:
vs. Southern Illinois, Friday, Jan. 1
at Wichita State, Sunday, Jan. 3
vs. Indiana State, Wednesday, Jan. 6
at Missouri State, Saturday, Jan. 9
In Focus: Bradley needs to hold serve at home against Southern Illinois on New Year’s Day after losing its previous two home games. Chris Roberts has emerged as a defensive stopper for the Braves, and he likely will draw Tony Freeman, an Iowa transfer who was a preseason all-Valley first team selection.
On The Spot: The Braves aren’t exactly considered a deep team, but the bench scoring against Drake was still appalling. Bradley’s reserves were outscored by the Drake reserves 23-3, with only six of the Braves’ 55 field-goal attempts coming from the hands of a bench player. Bradley can’t afford to get such little production from its bench against a Southern Illinois team that will be looking to wear out the team’s starters with defensive pressure.
Roster Report:
• F Taylor Brown became only the third active Bradley player to score in double figures against Drake with his 17 points in Tuesday’s win. He joined Sam Maniscalco and Andrew Warren, who had both achieved the feat and did it again in the victory.
• G Chris Roberts came into the Drake game tied for second in the MVC with 1.8 steals per game, but he failed to record a steal against the Bulldogs. It was only the second time this year Roberts didn’t have a steal and the first since a Nov. 15 win over Idaho State.
• With his 4-of-6 shooting performance from 3-point range, Andrew Warren boosted his career 3-point shooting percentage to 41.3, moving him into third place on the Bradley career list.
