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Pregame notes from BradleyBraves.com-
PEORIA, Ill. – Bradley will shoot for its fifth all-time postseason tournament title Tuesday night when the Braves (21-14) host Old Dominion (24-10) in the championship game of the inaugural CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament at Carver Arena. Bradley is trying to add the CIT championship to its four NIT titles won in 1957, 1960, 1964 and 1982.
Game Information • Championship Game
TV: Fox College Sports (Chris Munson, Kyle Macy, Horace Broadnax)
Free Video Stream: www.foxsports.com/fcs
Radio: 1470 WMBD (Dave Snell and Joe Stowell) and WCKY AM 1530 (Frank Santore and Dan Buchanan)
Live Stats: http://www.bubraves.com/liveStats/li...DB_OEM_ID=3400
Tickets: $30, $25, $20, $14 and $9, based on location -- http://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/8...00&list_view=1.
Series: Bradley leads 1-0
Last: Bradley, 79-75, March 22, 1994 at BU (NIT 2nd Rd.)
Bradley Braves
2008-09 Record: 21-14
Missouri Valley: 10-8 (4th)
Head Coach: Jim Les (Bradley ’86)
Career: 126-104 (7th year)
at Bradley: Same
Website: www.BradleyBraves.com
Old Dominion Monarchs
2008-09 Record: 24-10
Colonial: 12-6 (T3rd)
Head Coach: Blaine Taylor (Montana ’81)
Career: 302-159 (14th year)
at ODU: 160-94 (8th year)
Website: www.odusports.com
The Opening Tips
• Bradley will shoot for its fifth postseason tournament championship Tuesday night when the Braves (21-14) host Colonial Athletic Association member Old Dominion (24-10) at Carver Arena.
• Bradley is completing its 34th all-time postseason tournament run and the Braves now have advanced to a tournament’s championship game for the 11th time.
• Bradley has not won a tournament of any kind since claiming the 1988 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship, which was played entirely at Carver Arena.
• Bradley won its only previous meeting against Old Dominion, knocking off the Monarchs (79-75) in the second round of the 1994 NIT at Carver Arena.
• Bradley’s 34 postseason appearances have come in seven different events, including four different tournaments the last four years.
105th Season
• Now in its 105th men’s basketball season, Bradley is 25th in NCAA Division I history with 1,537 wins.
• Bradley played its first men’s basketball game Jan. 1, 1903 defeating a YMCA program known as the Invincibles, 12-8.
Postseason Streak
• Bradley is playing in the postseason for a fourth consecutive season, equalling the longest postseason streak in program history (1957-60) and 1994-97).
• Bradley now has won at least one postseason game in four straight years, the longest such streak in program history.
Style of Play
• Due in large part to the loss of all-star big men Patrick O’Bryant (early entry NBA lottery pick) and Marcellus Sommerville (graduation) following the 2006 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 season, head coach Jim Les installed a “spread motion” offense modeled after the Phoenix Suns’ system in 2006-07.
• Bradley has recruited to the system for three years and has assembled an athletic, skilled lineup that continues to fit with the uptempo style of play.
• The system often utilizes a four-guard attack and has helped Bradley rank sixth nationally with 907 3-pointers the last three years.
• More notably, Bradley has won at least 21 games for a fourth consecutive season and is tied for tied for fourth nationally with 10 postseason wins the last four years.
New-Look Braves
• While returning seven lettermen from the 2007-08 squad, Bradley is working six newcomers and a redshirt freshman into the lineup this season.
• Bradley entered the season with only two scholarship players boasting more than one year of experience in the program -- fifth-year senior center Sam Singh and junior guard Andrew Warren, both of whom have missed games this season due to injury.
Unique Staff Makeup
• Bradley’s coaching staff is believed to be one of just only a handful in the country to boast two staff members with NCAA Tournament head coaching wins.
• Seventh-year head coach Jim Les led the Braves to the 2006 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, while second-year Bradley assistant Steve Merfeld coached Hampton to the second round of the 2001 NCAA Tournament.
• The Arkansas, Michigan and North Carolina all boast similar staff scenarios.
Graduate Players
• For the fourth consecutive year, Bradley’s roster features a player who already owns his degree.
• Fifth-year senior center Sam Singh received his bachelor’s degree in communications-public relations during commencement ceremonies May 17, 2008.
• Previously, Brandyn Heemskerk (‘05), Danny Adams (‘06) and Daniel Ruffin (‘07) all earned their degrees before completing their eligibility the following season.
• Singh has been granted a sixth year of eligibility and plans to return next year.
About the Monarchs
• Old Dominion tied for third in the Colonial Athletic Association regular-season race and the Monarchs lost to Virginia Commonwealth in VCU’s home city, Richmond, in the semifinals of the CAA Tournament.
• Since an 11-8 start to the season, Old Dominion has won 13 of its last 15 games.
• The Monarchs are led by 6-foot-10, 250-lb. Finnish forward Gerald Lee, who averages 15.5 ppg and shoots 54.9 percent from the field.
• Sophomore swingman Ben Finney (6-5) is the team’s only other double-digit scorer at 10.0 ppg and also leads the team in rebounding at 6.1 rpg.
• Old Dominion outrebounds its opponents by 7.0 boards per game.
Bradley-Old Dominion Series
• Bradley won the only previous meeting against the Monarchs, earning a 79-75 victory in the second round of the 1994 NIT at Carver Arena.
• The crowd of 9,940 for that 1994 NIT matchup remains the largest among Bradley’s 20 all-time postseason home games.
• The Braves are 10-4 all-time against the current Colonial Athletic Association membership, but most recently dropped a 79-64 decision at home to VCU Dec. 22, 2007 at Carver Arena in the return game of the annual BracketBusters series.
College Basketball History
• Bradley has played in seven different postseason basketball events and is the only school to play in all six postseason events sanctioned by the NCAA.
• Bradley was invited to the first offering of all six college basketball tournaments over the years: 1938 NIT, 1939 NCAA Tournament (declined bid in favor of return trip to the NIT), 1951 National Campus Tournament, 1974 Commissioner’s Classic, 2008 College Basketball Invitational and 2009 CollegeInsider.com Tournament.
• Jim Les is believed to be the first person to both coach and win games in four different tournaments: 2006 NCAA Tournament (2-1), 2007 NIT (1-1), 2008 CBI (4-2) and 2009 CIT (3-0).
• Seniors Sam Singh and Brian Lavin are believed to be the first-ever players to take part in four different postseason tournaments (Singh was injured during the 2006 NCAA and Lavin did not play in the 2006 NCAA or 2008 CBI, however).
Bradley’s Postseason Success
• Bradley is making its 34th all-time appearance in a postseason tournament, the most among the 10 current Missouri Valley Conference members.
• Bradley owns a 48-31 (.608 ) all-time postseason record, including a 10-4 record since 2006.
• Including two NCAA Tournament runner-up finishes, four NIT championships and last year’s CBI runner-up finish, Bradley has reached the championship in 11 postseason tournaments.
• Bradley’s 10 postseason wins since 2006 are the nation’s seventh-best total the last four years.
Team Of The Future
• Injuries have forced Bradley to play the entire year without its top returning scorer, junior guard Andrew Warren (13.2 ppg in 2007-08 ), and all but five games without emerging post Will Egolf.
• Although Bradley will graduate leading scorer Theron Wilson, as well as starting center David Collins, the Braves have a bright future as Warren and Egolf figure to return to a lineup that will boast 10 other returning lettermen in 2009-10.
Injury Bug Bites Yet Again
• For the third consecutive year, the injury bug has taken a big bite out of the Bradley lineup.
• Junior guard Andrew Warren, the team’s top returning scorer (13.2 ppg in 2007-08 ), has not played this season due to a stress fracture in his right foot.
• Sophomore center Will Egolf, who was making his third career start, suffered a torn ACL in his right knee with 10:02 remaining Nov. 29 versus East Tennessee State and underwent season-ending surgery Dec. 18.
• Senior center Sam Singh suffered a broken nose Dec. 14 and missed the next two games after undergoing corrective surgery Dec. 17.
• Junior guard Dodie Dunson, the team’s third-leading scorer at 10.4 ppg, injured his shooting hand toward the end of the Feb. 21 game at Loyola and did not dress for the regular-season finale versus Drake as a result.
Newcomer Impact
• With junior guard Andrew Warren (foot) and sophomore forward Will Egolf (knee) out, Bradley’s lineup features six rookies and four returning players.
• The six newcomers -- Dodie Dunson (27.0 mpg), Chris Roberts (25.9), Eddren McCain (25.0), Darian Norris (12.2), Taylor Brown (11.6) and Anthony Thompson (4.2) -- have combined for 3,565 of the team’s 7,050 total minutes played -- 50.6 percent.
• The six rookies also combine to average 31.1 points per game, compared to 35.5 ppg by the four returning players in the current rotation.
Bonus Games
• Thanks to the additional regular-season games allowed by the NCAA and Bradley’s extended play in the 2008 CBI and 2009 CIT, sophomore guard Sam Maniscalco will have played in 74 games in his first two years.
• By playing Tuesday night, Maniscalco will equal former Brave Fred Schlictman (1949-51) for the most games ever played by a second-year player in Missouri Valley Conference history.
• Bradley veterans Elmer Behnke, Charley Grover, Gene Melchiorre and Aaron Preece all played in the 75 games the Braves played in the 1949-50 (37) and 1950-51 (38 ) seasons -- the most games ever played in a two-year span in Valley history.
Playing the Percentages
• The Braves are 17-1 (.944) this season when they shoot at a better percentage than their opponents and 4-13 (.235) when colder from the floor.
• Along those shooting percentage lines, Bradley is 9-0 when shooting at least 50 percent from the floor and 11-0 when limiting the opposition to less than 40 percent.
Hot Shooting To Start CIT
• Bradley is shooting 51.5 percent from the field in the first three games of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
• The Braves have made 28-of-58 (.483) 3-point field goal attempts in the first three CIT games.
• Junior guard Dodie Dunson (5-10), sophomore guard Sam Maniscalco (10-20) and junior guard Chris Roberts (6-10) have combined to make 21-of-40 (.525) 3-point tries.
Free Throw Differential
• Bradley enters Tuesday’s game second in the MVC by averaging 23.0 free throw attempts per game.
• Bradley is 14-0 this year when it makes at least six more free throws than its opponent, but just 7-14 when the differential does not favor the Braves by at least six.
Leading The Parade To The Line
• Senior forward Theron Wilson continues to lead the parade to the line.
• After easily pacing the Braves with 179 free throw attempts last season (4.8 FTA/gm), Wilson already has smashed that total with 247 charity shots through 35 games (7.1 FTA/gm).
• Wilson’s 247 free throw attempts this season rank 14th nationally, are the seventh-best single-season total in program history and are the most by a Brave since Hersey Hawkins set the school record with 335 in 1987-88.
• Wilson already has been fouled 217 times in 35 games, drawing 30.3 percent of the total fouls (715) committed against the Braves.
• The number of trips Wilson makes to the free throw line is a good gauge of Bradley’s overall success this season: Wilson has averaged 8.3 free throw attempts in the 21 wins, compared to 5.1 attempts in the 14 losses.
Bench Provides A Lift
• Although the Braves have used nine different starting lineups throughout the season, the lineup shuffle has not prevented the reserves from being contributors off the bench.
• Bradley’s bench has outscored the opposition reserves by 139 points (+4.0 ppg) so far this year, 703-564.
• The Bradley bench has been particularly strong of late, winning the reserve scoring battle in 11 of the last 19 games by a combined 113 points (392-279).
Scoring In Threes
• Bradley is fourth nationally with 907 total treys since the start of 2006-07.
• Bradley became the first-ever Missouri Valley Conference team to make as many as 300 3-pointers in a season with 349 during the 2006-07 season and the Braves followed with 346 more last season.
Changing Gears
• Bradley entered the season as one of the nation’s most proficient 3-point shooting teams the last two years and the Braves still rank sixth nationally with 890 3-pointers since the start of the 2006-07 campaign.
• During a 5-5 start to the season, the Braves were averaging 21.3 3-point field goal attempts per game, but were shooting just 28.6 percent from behind the arc.
• During the last 25 games, however, the Braves have become more selective with their long range shooting, averaging only 16.9 3-point attempts per game, but are connecting on 35.7 percent of those tries.
Offensive Magic Number is 66
• The Braves are 14-2 (.875) this year when scoring at least 66 points and have won 18 of their last 21 overall when hitting for at least 66.
• Bradley has won 10 straight when scoring at least 66 points.
First Half Momentum
• Bradley is 17-2 (.895) this year when leading at the half, but 4-12 (.250) when tied or trailing at the break.
Winning The Close Games
• Including the 76-75 win Monday against Oakland, the Braves are 8-4 (.667) in games decided by six points or less this season.
• In the last six years, Bradley is 38-22 (.633) in games decided by six points or less.
Big Media Numbers
• Now in his 30th year as the radio Voice of the Braves, Dave Snell has participated in 920 Bradley Basketball game broadcasts, all in succession, on WMBD AM 1470 since taking over play-by-play duties for the 1979-80 season.
• Snell’s longtime radio sidekick, Joe Stowell has been witness to 1,526 Bradley Basketball games in his various roles as player (103, 1947-50); assistant coach (250, 1956-65); head coach (344, 1965-78 ); assistant athletic director (107, 1978-85); and radio analyst (722, 1985-present).
• Peoria Journal Star beat writer Dave Reynolds has covered 584 Bradley Basketball games, all in succession, since taking over the beat for the start of the 1990-91 season.
Two-Year Numbers
• Senior forward Theron Wilson has scored 927 points in his two years as a Brave.
• Wilson is tied for 51st on Bradley’s all-time scoring list, but second only to Curtis Stuckey (1,248 points) among the school’s two-year players.
• Wilson needs just six points to move into the top 50 on Bradley’s career scoring list.
• Sophomore guard Sam Maniscalco has made 124 3-pointers in his first two years as a Brave, for the best-ever career total by a second-year Brave.
• Maniscalco is now 10th in school history for career 3-pointers made.
Inaugural CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament • March 31 • Peoria, Ill. • Carver Arena (11,164)
Bradley Hosts Old Dominion for First CIT Championship
Bradley Hosts Old Dominion for First CIT Championship
PEORIA, Ill. – Bradley will shoot for its fifth all-time postseason tournament title Tuesday night when the Braves (21-14) host Old Dominion (24-10) in the championship game of the inaugural CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament at Carver Arena. Bradley is trying to add the CIT championship to its four NIT titles won in 1957, 1960, 1964 and 1982.
Game Information • Championship Game
TV: Fox College Sports (Chris Munson, Kyle Macy, Horace Broadnax)
Free Video Stream: www.foxsports.com/fcs
Radio: 1470 WMBD (Dave Snell and Joe Stowell) and WCKY AM 1530 (Frank Santore and Dan Buchanan)
Live Stats: http://www.bubraves.com/liveStats/li...DB_OEM_ID=3400
Tickets: $30, $25, $20, $14 and $9, based on location -- http://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/8...00&list_view=1.
Series: Bradley leads 1-0
Last: Bradley, 79-75, March 22, 1994 at BU (NIT 2nd Rd.)
Bradley Braves
2008-09 Record: 21-14
Missouri Valley: 10-8 (4th)
Head Coach: Jim Les (Bradley ’86)
Career: 126-104 (7th year)
at Bradley: Same
Website: www.BradleyBraves.com
Old Dominion Monarchs
2008-09 Record: 24-10
Colonial: 12-6 (T3rd)
Head Coach: Blaine Taylor (Montana ’81)
Career: 302-159 (14th year)
at ODU: 160-94 (8th year)
Website: www.odusports.com
The Opening Tips
• Bradley will shoot for its fifth postseason tournament championship Tuesday night when the Braves (21-14) host Colonial Athletic Association member Old Dominion (24-10) at Carver Arena.
• Bradley is completing its 34th all-time postseason tournament run and the Braves now have advanced to a tournament’s championship game for the 11th time.
• Bradley has not won a tournament of any kind since claiming the 1988 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship, which was played entirely at Carver Arena.
• Bradley won its only previous meeting against Old Dominion, knocking off the Monarchs (79-75) in the second round of the 1994 NIT at Carver Arena.
• Bradley’s 34 postseason appearances have come in seven different events, including four different tournaments the last four years.
105th Season
• Now in its 105th men’s basketball season, Bradley is 25th in NCAA Division I history with 1,537 wins.
• Bradley played its first men’s basketball game Jan. 1, 1903 defeating a YMCA program known as the Invincibles, 12-8.
Postseason Streak
• Bradley is playing in the postseason for a fourth consecutive season, equalling the longest postseason streak in program history (1957-60) and 1994-97).
• Bradley now has won at least one postseason game in four straight years, the longest such streak in program history.
Style of Play
• Due in large part to the loss of all-star big men Patrick O’Bryant (early entry NBA lottery pick) and Marcellus Sommerville (graduation) following the 2006 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 season, head coach Jim Les installed a “spread motion” offense modeled after the Phoenix Suns’ system in 2006-07.
• Bradley has recruited to the system for three years and has assembled an athletic, skilled lineup that continues to fit with the uptempo style of play.
• The system often utilizes a four-guard attack and has helped Bradley rank sixth nationally with 907 3-pointers the last three years.
• More notably, Bradley has won at least 21 games for a fourth consecutive season and is tied for tied for fourth nationally with 10 postseason wins the last four years.
New-Look Braves
• While returning seven lettermen from the 2007-08 squad, Bradley is working six newcomers and a redshirt freshman into the lineup this season.
• Bradley entered the season with only two scholarship players boasting more than one year of experience in the program -- fifth-year senior center Sam Singh and junior guard Andrew Warren, both of whom have missed games this season due to injury.
Unique Staff Makeup
• Bradley’s coaching staff is believed to be one of just only a handful in the country to boast two staff members with NCAA Tournament head coaching wins.
• Seventh-year head coach Jim Les led the Braves to the 2006 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, while second-year Bradley assistant Steve Merfeld coached Hampton to the second round of the 2001 NCAA Tournament.
• The Arkansas, Michigan and North Carolina all boast similar staff scenarios.
Graduate Players
• For the fourth consecutive year, Bradley’s roster features a player who already owns his degree.
• Fifth-year senior center Sam Singh received his bachelor’s degree in communications-public relations during commencement ceremonies May 17, 2008.
• Previously, Brandyn Heemskerk (‘05), Danny Adams (‘06) and Daniel Ruffin (‘07) all earned their degrees before completing their eligibility the following season.
• Singh has been granted a sixth year of eligibility and plans to return next year.
About the Monarchs
• Old Dominion tied for third in the Colonial Athletic Association regular-season race and the Monarchs lost to Virginia Commonwealth in VCU’s home city, Richmond, in the semifinals of the CAA Tournament.
• Since an 11-8 start to the season, Old Dominion has won 13 of its last 15 games.
• The Monarchs are led by 6-foot-10, 250-lb. Finnish forward Gerald Lee, who averages 15.5 ppg and shoots 54.9 percent from the field.
• Sophomore swingman Ben Finney (6-5) is the team’s only other double-digit scorer at 10.0 ppg and also leads the team in rebounding at 6.1 rpg.
• Old Dominion outrebounds its opponents by 7.0 boards per game.
Bradley-Old Dominion Series
• Bradley won the only previous meeting against the Monarchs, earning a 79-75 victory in the second round of the 1994 NIT at Carver Arena.
• The crowd of 9,940 for that 1994 NIT matchup remains the largest among Bradley’s 20 all-time postseason home games.
• The Braves are 10-4 all-time against the current Colonial Athletic Association membership, but most recently dropped a 79-64 decision at home to VCU Dec. 22, 2007 at Carver Arena in the return game of the annual BracketBusters series.
College Basketball History
• Bradley has played in seven different postseason basketball events and is the only school to play in all six postseason events sanctioned by the NCAA.
• Bradley was invited to the first offering of all six college basketball tournaments over the years: 1938 NIT, 1939 NCAA Tournament (declined bid in favor of return trip to the NIT), 1951 National Campus Tournament, 1974 Commissioner’s Classic, 2008 College Basketball Invitational and 2009 CollegeInsider.com Tournament.
• Jim Les is believed to be the first person to both coach and win games in four different tournaments: 2006 NCAA Tournament (2-1), 2007 NIT (1-1), 2008 CBI (4-2) and 2009 CIT (3-0).
• Seniors Sam Singh and Brian Lavin are believed to be the first-ever players to take part in four different postseason tournaments (Singh was injured during the 2006 NCAA and Lavin did not play in the 2006 NCAA or 2008 CBI, however).
Bradley’s Postseason Success
• Bradley is making its 34th all-time appearance in a postseason tournament, the most among the 10 current Missouri Valley Conference members.
• Bradley owns a 48-31 (.608 ) all-time postseason record, including a 10-4 record since 2006.
• Including two NCAA Tournament runner-up finishes, four NIT championships and last year’s CBI runner-up finish, Bradley has reached the championship in 11 postseason tournaments.
• Bradley’s 10 postseason wins since 2006 are the nation’s seventh-best total the last four years.
Team Of The Future
• Injuries have forced Bradley to play the entire year without its top returning scorer, junior guard Andrew Warren (13.2 ppg in 2007-08 ), and all but five games without emerging post Will Egolf.
• Although Bradley will graduate leading scorer Theron Wilson, as well as starting center David Collins, the Braves have a bright future as Warren and Egolf figure to return to a lineup that will boast 10 other returning lettermen in 2009-10.
Injury Bug Bites Yet Again
• For the third consecutive year, the injury bug has taken a big bite out of the Bradley lineup.
• Junior guard Andrew Warren, the team’s top returning scorer (13.2 ppg in 2007-08 ), has not played this season due to a stress fracture in his right foot.
• Sophomore center Will Egolf, who was making his third career start, suffered a torn ACL in his right knee with 10:02 remaining Nov. 29 versus East Tennessee State and underwent season-ending surgery Dec. 18.
• Senior center Sam Singh suffered a broken nose Dec. 14 and missed the next two games after undergoing corrective surgery Dec. 17.
• Junior guard Dodie Dunson, the team’s third-leading scorer at 10.4 ppg, injured his shooting hand toward the end of the Feb. 21 game at Loyola and did not dress for the regular-season finale versus Drake as a result.
Newcomer Impact
• With junior guard Andrew Warren (foot) and sophomore forward Will Egolf (knee) out, Bradley’s lineup features six rookies and four returning players.
• The six newcomers -- Dodie Dunson (27.0 mpg), Chris Roberts (25.9), Eddren McCain (25.0), Darian Norris (12.2), Taylor Brown (11.6) and Anthony Thompson (4.2) -- have combined for 3,565 of the team’s 7,050 total minutes played -- 50.6 percent.
• The six rookies also combine to average 31.1 points per game, compared to 35.5 ppg by the four returning players in the current rotation.
Bonus Games
• Thanks to the additional regular-season games allowed by the NCAA and Bradley’s extended play in the 2008 CBI and 2009 CIT, sophomore guard Sam Maniscalco will have played in 74 games in his first two years.
• By playing Tuesday night, Maniscalco will equal former Brave Fred Schlictman (1949-51) for the most games ever played by a second-year player in Missouri Valley Conference history.
• Bradley veterans Elmer Behnke, Charley Grover, Gene Melchiorre and Aaron Preece all played in the 75 games the Braves played in the 1949-50 (37) and 1950-51 (38 ) seasons -- the most games ever played in a two-year span in Valley history.
Playing the Percentages
• The Braves are 17-1 (.944) this season when they shoot at a better percentage than their opponents and 4-13 (.235) when colder from the floor.
• Along those shooting percentage lines, Bradley is 9-0 when shooting at least 50 percent from the floor and 11-0 when limiting the opposition to less than 40 percent.
Hot Shooting To Start CIT
• Bradley is shooting 51.5 percent from the field in the first three games of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
• The Braves have made 28-of-58 (.483) 3-point field goal attempts in the first three CIT games.
• Junior guard Dodie Dunson (5-10), sophomore guard Sam Maniscalco (10-20) and junior guard Chris Roberts (6-10) have combined to make 21-of-40 (.525) 3-point tries.
Free Throw Differential
• Bradley enters Tuesday’s game second in the MVC by averaging 23.0 free throw attempts per game.
• Bradley is 14-0 this year when it makes at least six more free throws than its opponent, but just 7-14 when the differential does not favor the Braves by at least six.
Leading The Parade To The Line
• Senior forward Theron Wilson continues to lead the parade to the line.
• After easily pacing the Braves with 179 free throw attempts last season (4.8 FTA/gm), Wilson already has smashed that total with 247 charity shots through 35 games (7.1 FTA/gm).
• Wilson’s 247 free throw attempts this season rank 14th nationally, are the seventh-best single-season total in program history and are the most by a Brave since Hersey Hawkins set the school record with 335 in 1987-88.
• Wilson already has been fouled 217 times in 35 games, drawing 30.3 percent of the total fouls (715) committed against the Braves.
• The number of trips Wilson makes to the free throw line is a good gauge of Bradley’s overall success this season: Wilson has averaged 8.3 free throw attempts in the 21 wins, compared to 5.1 attempts in the 14 losses.
Bench Provides A Lift
• Although the Braves have used nine different starting lineups throughout the season, the lineup shuffle has not prevented the reserves from being contributors off the bench.
• Bradley’s bench has outscored the opposition reserves by 139 points (+4.0 ppg) so far this year, 703-564.
• The Bradley bench has been particularly strong of late, winning the reserve scoring battle in 11 of the last 19 games by a combined 113 points (392-279).
Scoring In Threes
• Bradley is fourth nationally with 907 total treys since the start of 2006-07.
• Bradley became the first-ever Missouri Valley Conference team to make as many as 300 3-pointers in a season with 349 during the 2006-07 season and the Braves followed with 346 more last season.
Changing Gears
• Bradley entered the season as one of the nation’s most proficient 3-point shooting teams the last two years and the Braves still rank sixth nationally with 890 3-pointers since the start of the 2006-07 campaign.
• During a 5-5 start to the season, the Braves were averaging 21.3 3-point field goal attempts per game, but were shooting just 28.6 percent from behind the arc.
• During the last 25 games, however, the Braves have become more selective with their long range shooting, averaging only 16.9 3-point attempts per game, but are connecting on 35.7 percent of those tries.
Offensive Magic Number is 66
• The Braves are 14-2 (.875) this year when scoring at least 66 points and have won 18 of their last 21 overall when hitting for at least 66.
• Bradley has won 10 straight when scoring at least 66 points.
First Half Momentum
• Bradley is 17-2 (.895) this year when leading at the half, but 4-12 (.250) when tied or trailing at the break.
Winning The Close Games
• Including the 76-75 win Monday against Oakland, the Braves are 8-4 (.667) in games decided by six points or less this season.
• In the last six years, Bradley is 38-22 (.633) in games decided by six points or less.
Big Media Numbers
• Now in his 30th year as the radio Voice of the Braves, Dave Snell has participated in 920 Bradley Basketball game broadcasts, all in succession, on WMBD AM 1470 since taking over play-by-play duties for the 1979-80 season.
• Snell’s longtime radio sidekick, Joe Stowell has been witness to 1,526 Bradley Basketball games in his various roles as player (103, 1947-50); assistant coach (250, 1956-65); head coach (344, 1965-78 ); assistant athletic director (107, 1978-85); and radio analyst (722, 1985-present).
• Peoria Journal Star beat writer Dave Reynolds has covered 584 Bradley Basketball games, all in succession, since taking over the beat for the start of the 1990-91 season.
Two-Year Numbers
• Senior forward Theron Wilson has scored 927 points in his two years as a Brave.
• Wilson is tied for 51st on Bradley’s all-time scoring list, but second only to Curtis Stuckey (1,248 points) among the school’s two-year players.
• Wilson needs just six points to move into the top 50 on Bradley’s career scoring list.
• Sophomore guard Sam Maniscalco has made 124 3-pointers in his first two years as a Brave, for the best-ever career total by a second-year Brave.
• Maniscalco is now 10th in school history for career 3-pointers made.
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