Next game- Bradley at Missouri State- Sat. 1/9/10, 2:05 pm

[AZ BU Fan]

Here are the free throw percentages in Conference play. Despite a bad game against Indiana State, Bradley is 2nd in FT percentage only to UNI, and has made more free throws than any other team.-
..........................GAMES...FTM....FTA....Pc t
1.Northern Iowa........4........71......83..... .855
2.Bradley.................4........75......99..... .758
3.Southern Illinois......4........49......65..... .754
4.Missouri State........4........56......75..... .747
5.Indiana State.........4........56......77..... .727
6.Wichita State.........4........47......65..... .723
7.Drake....................4........36......51.... .706
8.Illinois State...........4........58......84..... .690
9.Creighton...............4........57......89..... .640
10.Evansville.............4........42......68..... .618

Thanks for the great stats DC...

I guess it comes back again to which BU team will show up vs MSU - the one that shot >80% from the FT line in four of the past five games , or, the one that shot <60% from the FT line last Wednesday .

The average American has one ..., well you know how this saying goes...

[LittleBrave]

I just registered today on BradleyFans.
Wanted to let Chicago BU backers know that you may need to add Channel 102 (Spotlight) to the regular cable package and you'll get all of the games broadcast by Comcast 74 in Peoria (I think). It's a pretty good deal if you plan to watch the rest of the Bradley games. Some I.S.U. (Red) games are included too.

[BradleyBrave]

Here are the free throw percentages in Conference play. Despite a bad game against Indiana State, Bradley is 2nd in FT percentage only to UNI, and has made more free throws than any other team.-
..........................GAMES...FTM....FTA....Pc t
1.Northern Iowa........4........71......83..... .855
2.Bradley.................4........75......99..... .758
3.Southern Illinois......4........49......65..... .754
4.Missouri State........4........56......75..... .747
5.Indiana State.........4........56......77..... .727
6.Wichita State.........4........47......65..... .723
7.Drake....................4........36......51.... .706
8.Illinois State...........4........58......84..... .690
9.Creighton...............4........57......89..... .640
10.Evansville.............4........42......68..... .618

The FT's have definitely improved. The more we get AW, TB, and SM there, the better. WE is improving as well, and I think CR is better than he's shown. Sure would like to have the WCU and Loyola games back, as I think a few more made FT's would have this season looking a lot different. Just shows how slim the margin is between good, average, and bad.

[chitown fanatic]

Mo St is one of the few valley teams that our guards are better than so we just need to get something from our bigs and this game will be a lot closer than those on the other board think. Springfield had been our house of horrors for years, but we have played well in their new facility. This is the team we will be battling for 6th so we better come prepared to play 40!

[Da Coach]

Mo St is one of the few valley teams that our guards are better than...

This year, this may not be true. Missouri State is #1 in 3-point field goal percentage in the MVC, and that is due to their guards. They also have the best turnover margin, and the best assists/turnover ratio.
Adam Leonard is having agreat season. He is a transfer from Eastern Kentucky, and is their 2nd leading scorer. He leads the MVC in 3-pointers made. They have a junior college guard named Jermaine Mallett who is 3rd in scoring, and is tied for their team lead in rebounding, and is almost as good a shooter as Leonard.
And they still have Justin Fuehrmeyer, who is now a senior, who is a steady point guard who doesn't score much, but can still shoot the ball well.

[SaintLouBrave22]

This year, this may not be true. Missouri State is #1 in 3-point field goal percentage in the MVC, and that is due to their guards. They also have the best turnover margin, and the best assists/turnover ratio.
Adam Leonard is having agreat season. He is a transfer from Eastern Kentucky, and is their 2nd leading scorer. He leads the MVC in 3-pointers made. They have a junior college guard named Jermaine Mallett who is 3rd in scoring, and is tied for their team lead in rebounding, and is almost as good a shooter as Leonard.
And they still have Justin Fuehrmeyer, who is now a senior, who is a steady point guard who doesn't score much, but can still shoot the ball well.

We may have Warren, they counter w/ Leonard. Advantage: Warren

Roberts v Mallett: Advantage: Mallett (off); CRob (def)

Fuehrmeyer (41a in 11g) v Maniscalco (47a in 14g): Both have their strengths and weaknesses, BUT what are they supposed to do, run the team, Advantage: Fuehrmeyer (slightly on O), (heavily on D)


Its close, but their real advantage is their bench it seems...

According to the stats that were given, they have 10 total players that play 10+ min and only Leonard plays over 30 min, so they stay pretty fresh, and their bench combines for ~33 pts/game.

Both of those will play an integral part in the game when Andrew, Sammy, and Chris all hit the 30 min wall and we still have 8 min left in the game.

[BradleyBrave]

Im a believer that road teams in the MVC basically start down six to eight points. As a result, you need to not just be better on that night, you need to be about 10 points better to win.

This is a winnable game for Bradley. It would be a nice win for Bradley. I don't have confidence it will happen but I will be pleased if it does.

A split on this road trip would really bode well for BU's chances of a respectable finish in league play. They'd be 3-3, with a 7-5 ratio of home games to road games, with 2 road wins in hand. I know we've stunk at home this year, but sure as heck would rather take my chances at home then on the road.

[Da Coach]

Pregame notes from BradleyBraves.com

http://www.bradleybraves.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=25965&SPID=1498&ATCLID=204866544&DB_OEM_ID=3400

Game Info
Game 15 - Bradley Braves (7-7, 2-2 MVC) at Missouri State Bears (12-3, 2-2 MVC)
Saturday, Jan. 9 - 2:05 p.m. CST - Springfield, Mo. - JQH Arena (11,000)
Series History - Missouri State leads 25-16

Television: Comcast Spotlight (Peoria 74 and Chicago 102) - Frank Bussone (play-by-play) and Dick Versace (analyst)
Radio: 1470 AM WMBD -- Dave Snell (play-by-play), Chuck Buescher (analyst) and Dan DiOrio (pregame studio host)
Online: BradleyBraves.com -- subscription video streams, free audio streams; MissouriStateBears - live stats
Return to the Road
After making a brief home appearance with a 91-85 overtime win Wednesday night versus Indiana State, Bradley returns to the road again, beginning a two-game trip Saturday afternoon at Missouri State...Missouri State is the only Valley team with a winning record against Bradley, but the Braves have won the last three meetings for their longest series winning streak against the Bears...After winning only three times in 17 tries at Hammonds Student Center, Bradley has a chance to become the first visiting team to win twice at the two-year old JQH Arena.
One-Two Punch
Through the first four rounds of league play, Bradley boasts the top two scorers in The Valley...Junior guard Andrew Warren leads the pack by averaging 21.8 ppg in the first four league games...Sophomore forward Taylor Brown checks in with 18.7 ppg...Warren, who has scored at least 13 points in nine consecutive games overall, has poured in at least 24 points in three of the first four league games...And if the Warren-Brown one-two punch was not enough, junior guard Sam Maniscalco is tied for seventh with 15.0 ppg against the MVC.
See You Next Week
Two of Bradley's next three games are being played against Missouri State...Following Saturday's game JQH Arena, Bradley will visit UNI Tuesday night, then will host Missouri State next Saturday afternoon at Carver Arena...Bradley has not faced the same team twice in a 3-game, regular-season span since 1998 against Southern Illinois...The Braves split that regular-season series, winning at home, 86-76, on Feb. 14, 1998 before falling at Southern Illinois, 70-66, on Feb. 21...Bradley faced a similar 2-of-3 stretch three other times from 1994-95 through 1997-98, sweeping Indiana State Jan. 7 &14, 1995; Creighton Jan. 3 & 10, 1996; and Drake Feb. 1 & 7, 1998.
Frequent Travelers
Bradley is the only Valley team to start the league schedule by playing four of its first six games on the road...The Braves will complete the 6-game opening stretch by visiting Missouri State Saturday and league-leader UNI Tuesday night (ESPNU)...Those two teams are a combined 14-1 at home so far this year...Those two road games will be Bradley's eighth and ninth away from home, compared to just seven at home...Bradley has split its first two Valley road games, winning at Drake and falling at Wichita State.
Bradley Basketball Coast-to-Coast
When Bradley visits UNI in its next game Tuesday night, Bradley fans will be gathering together across the country to watch the ESPNU telecast...The Bradley University Alumni Association has organized a national watch party at 21 locations in 18 cities around the country...For more information, visit http://www.bradley.edu/spotlight/10/coasttocoast/.
Trendy Numbers
.500 -- Bradley is 3-0 this year and 46-2 (.95 in the Jim Les era when shooting at least 50 percent from the field.
.400 -- Defensively, Bradley is 4-0 this year and 54-14 (.794) in the Les era when limiting the opposition to less than 40 percent shooting from the field.
60 -- Bradley is 4-0 this season and 48-7 (.873) in the Les era when limiting the opposition to fewer than 60 points.
70 -- Bradley is 4-1 this year when scoring at least 70 points, but 3-6 when scoring less than 70.
Percentages Tell Story
Field goal percentage has been the best predictor for Bradley's first 14 results...The team that has shot at a more efficient clip from the field has won 13 of Bradley's first 14 games: the Braves are 7-1 when they shoot a better field goal percentage than their opponent and 0-6 when the opponent has a better field goal percentage.
About The Stripe
The Braves rank second in The Valley by shooting 75.8 percent from the line through four rounds of conference play...Bradley also leads the league by averaging 24.8 free throw attempts per game in MVC play...Bradley has scored a league-best 75 points from the stripe in conference action.
Chasing 1,000 Points
Bradley junior guards Sam Maniscalco and Andrew Warren both are on pace to join the school's 1,000-Point Club this season...Maniscalco enters the weekend with 893 career points, while Warren owns 798 points...At his current average of 10.5 ppg, Maniscalco needs 11 more games to join the club -- Feb. 13 versus Northern Iowa...At his current average of 16.0 ppg, Warren needs 13 more games to hit the 1,000-point mark -- Feb.20 in the BracketBusters game...Bradley currently boasts 42 members of the 1,000-Point Club.
Back With A Vengance
After missing the entire 2008-09 season due to a stress fracture in his foot, junior guard Andrew Warren leads The Valley in scoring in league play at 21.8 ppg and he ranks second overall at 16.0 ppg...Warren has scored at least 13 points in nine consecutive games, including at least 24 in three of the first four Valley games...In addition to shooting 48.3 percent from the field, Warren has made 11-of-23 (.47 3-point field goal attempts and 20-of-22 (.909) free throw attempts in Valley action.
Big Media Numbers
Now in his 31st year as the radio Voice of the Braves, Dave Snell has participated in 935 Bradley Basketball game broadcasts, all in succession, on WMBD AM 1470 since taking over play-by-play duties for the 1979-80 season...Snell will be inducted into the Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame next Saturday...Snell's longtime radio sidekick, Joe Stowell has been witness to 1,534 Bradley Basketball games in his various roles as player (103, 1947-50); assistant coach (250, 1956-65); head coach (344, 1965-7; assistant athletic director (107, 1978-85); and radio analyst (730, 1985-present)...Peoria Journal Star beat writer Dave Reynolds has covered 598 Bradley Basketball games, all in succession, since taking over the beat for the start of the 1990-91 season.

[Braves4Life]

As I recall, the MSU video stream of last year's game was awesome quality!

[real fan]

I hope our guys are hungry enough to get a win tomorrow as this is a 2 game road trip and the 2nd one is at UNI, hope everyone stays out of trouble and concentrates only on basketball.

[AZ BU Fan]

As I recall, the MSU video stream of last year's game was awesome quality!

BFL - Speaking of "awesome quality"

#1 in 2010 Top Avatar Reader's Poll?

[Braves4Life]

BFL - Speaking of "awesome quality"

#1 in 2010 Top Avatar Reader's Poll?

No! I think SFP just took home the gold.

[SFP]

No! I think SFP just took home the gold.

The year just started! You still have over 11 months to one up me

[BradleyBrave]

Ok...had to take a brake from SFP's last post...BU +9 tomorrow...O/U 134.5

[Braves4Life]

Ok...had to take a brake from SFP's last post...BU +9 tomorrow...O/U 134.5

Would you take BU and the points?