Next game- BU at Northern Iowa, Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 8:00 pm

[Da Coach]

Bradley (7-8, 2-3) plays at UNI (14-1, 5-0) Tuesday, Jan. 12, at 8:00 pm.
The game is on ESPNU.
UNI has started the same 5 players in all 15 games, and they get almost 80% of their scoring from their srarting 5:



UNI basketball website-

http://www.unipanthers.com/sports/m-baskbl/niwa-m-baskbl-body.html

Roster-

http://www.unipanthers.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/niwa-m-baskbl-mtt.html

UNI Stats-

http://www.mvc.org/mbb/stats/UNI.HTM

BU stats-

http://www.mvc.org/mbb/stats/BU.HTM

MVC stats-All games-

http://www.mvc.org/mbb/stats/CONFLDRS.HTM

Conference only-

http://www.mvc.org/mbb/stats/CONFONLY.HTM

[BradleyBrave]

We were so very close to beating these guys twice last year. They have the same personnel. We've lost TW and DC, and added AW, WE, and a much improved TB. Give me a reason why this won't be close!

[Monmouth_Bradley_Fan]

IMO Northern Iowa should be in the top 25. They are one fluke loss away from being undefeated. Its gonna be a tough game. As long as they dont have a Michael Jordan that makes 22 points in 6 minutes, or make ten threes in a row, and make 16 in the game, I think this will be a decent game., This win goes a long way for bradley. But I would never bet on that being the outcome...! Get em' soldiers.

[AZ BU Fan]

We were so very close to beating these guys twice last year. They have the same personnel. We've lost TW and DC, and added AW, WE, and a much improved TB. Give me a reason why this won't be close!

BU should be able to play anyone in the MVC close if the team that beat Illinois shows up.

BU will need to neutralize UNI's inside game without selling out their perimeter defense. If UNI guards are shooting well from the perimeter Tuesday night, it will be real difficult for BU to hang with UNI.

Of course, BU will also need to continue to make their FT's, get TB untracked, and hope 1-2 of their guards have a big game. Hopefully this will be one of the MVC games BU wins when they will be big road underdogs.

[Da Coach]

UNI is currently at an RPI of 15 and Bradley is at 98.
Strength of schedule for UNI is 86.
Bradley is the only other MVC with a SOS in double digits at 24.
MVC- http://realtimerpi.com/rpi_mvc_Men.html

UNI's RPI might have been in the top 10 RPI by now if they had scheduled a little better. The only team on their non-conference schedule with an RPI under 100 is Siena and they can't take credit for that one- it's the return game for last season's BracketBuster.
UNI schedule with RPI- http://realtimerpi.com/rpi_300_Men.html

Bradley's Strength of Schedule is currently the 24th best in Division I.
Their next 2 games will probably push that higher-
Bradley schedule with RPI- http://realtimerpi.com/rpi_294_Men.html

[BradleyBrave]

UNI is currently at an RPI of 15 and Bradley is at 98.
Strength of schedule for UNI is 86.
Bradley is the only other MVC with a SOS in double digits at 24.
MVC- http://realtimerpi.com/rpi_mvc_Men.html

UNI's RPI might have been in the top 10 RPI by now if they had scheduled a little better. The only team on their non-conference schedule with an RPI under 100 is Siena and they can't take credit for that one- it's the return game for last season's BracketBuster.
UNI schedule with RPI- http://realtimerpi.com/rpi_300_Men.html

Bradley's Strength of Schedule is currently the 24th best in Division I.
Their next 2 games will probably push that higher-
Bradley schedule with RPI- http://realtimerpi.com/rpi_294_Men.html

Agreed. Had they not had that one fluke 2nd half against DePaul, they would probably have an RPI in the Top 10, be undefeated, and be ranked! I am kind of surprised they aren't ranked yet, but the national media doesn't really care about the MVC so I guess I am not surprised.

[Tulsa Brave]

We were so very close to beating these guys twice last year. They have the same personnel. We've lost TW and DC, and added AW, WE, and a much improved TB. Give me a reason why this won't be close!

Missouri State 88 Bradley 69

[TheAsianSensation]

UNI scheduled fine - if they beat DePaul they get Tennessee and probably Purdue on the sked. They actually got pretty unlucky (including Wyoming, Iowa, and Iowa St all having terrible profile numbers compared to what they needed).

Anyway, when the RPI is that high and the record that good, it doesn't really matter. They sure as heck better be ranked this week too.

As for the game, @UNI was the one game out of the entire 18 I'd expect a loss to. I'll honestly be alright with a close loss. In a way, I'm glad we get this game out of the way now because a red-hot Bradley team would have trouble winning @UNI the way they're playing, let alone a cold Bradley team.

[Buesch N Chips]

Go Braves! Get better!

[jasonpeoria911]

UNI takes this 1 by at least 15 points, probably closer to 25 points. They won with ease at Creighton, SIU and IL State as well as knocking off MO State by 8 points at home. UNI's rebounding is top notch and they can shoot it from inside and outside. Bradley stands virtually no chance but even the worst of teams get lucky once in awhile LOL.

Jason

[UNIpanthers]

We were so very close to beating these guys twice last year. They have the same personnel. We've lost TW and DC, and added AW, WE, and a much improved TB. Give me a reason why this won't be close!

Not so fast BradleyBrave...

First off, good luck to you guys this Tuesday. Should be another great Valley game.

As for having the same personnel...that is just not the case. We have added Jake Koch and Marc Sonnen who have been HUGE for us thus far. They give us added depth, and they can both shoot the three. J. Koch also gives his brother Adam a rest from time to time.

The most improved player in the Valley is Jordan Egleseder. He is becoming a completely unstoppable force down low. His rebounding is superb, and he is able to score at will against most centers.

We have a much more experienced team that simply does not make mistakes. That is what is separating us from a lot of other teams in the Valley right now...we just do not beat ourselves.

I am hoping that we are ranked come Monday, but the bad thing about that is UNI is known to give that ranking right back after they get it. I am hoping that is not the case in this game. GO PANTHERS!!!

Prediction:

UNI 71
Bradley 58

[BradleyBrave]

Not so fast BradleyBrave...

First off, good luck to you guys this Tuesday. Should be another great Valley game.

As for having the same personnel...that is just not the case. We have added Jake Koch and Marc Sonnen who have been HUGE for us thus far. They give us added depth, and they can both shoot the three. J. Koch also gives his brother Adam a rest from time to time.

The most improved player in the Valley is Jordan Egleseder. He is becoming a completely unstoppable force down low. His rebounding is superb, and he is able to score at will against most centers.

We have a much more experienced team that simply does not make mistakes. That is what is separating us from a lot of other teams in the Valley right now...we just do not beat ourselves.

I am hoping that we are ranked come Monday, but the bad thing about that is UNI is known to give that ranking right back after they get it. I am hoping that is not the case in this game. GO PANTHERS!!!

Prediction:

UNI 71
Bradley 58

It was tongue-in-cheek. I'll be shocked if it isn't a blowout.

[bigdaddystuck]

Obviously I want the win and feel the team needs a big win to help turn things around...

But I am really looking to see how this team responds. Do we come out on fire (like we did at Missouri St. and at home for the last month!) and then fade? Or do we battle and play consistantly well the entire game? For me, if we play well and to the level we are capable of and still lose...I can live with that.

UNI by 12...but hoping for the best!

[tulip]

Obviously I want the win and feel the team needs a big win to help turn things around...

But I am really looking to see how this team responds. Do we come out on fire (like we did at Missouri St. and at home for the last month!) and then fade? Or do we battle and play consistantly well the entire game? For me, if we play well and to the level we are capable of and still lose...I can live with that.

UNI by 12...but hoping for the best!

I think the Braves are going to do some soul searching and fight this one out. I think it will be a good game and that the Bradleys will win.

[Da Coach]

BU-UNI game notes from BradleyBraves.com-

http://www.bradleybraves.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=3400&ATCLID=204867473

Note the different start time- 8:05 pm Central time.

Game Info
Game 16 - Bradley Braves (7-8, 2-3 MVC) at UNI Panthers (14-1, 5-0 MVC)
Tuesday, Jan. 12 - 8:05 p.m. CST - Cedar Falls, Iowa - McLeod Center (6,650)
Series History - Bradley leads 25-15

Television: ESPNU - Dan McLaughlin (play-by-play) and Mac McCausland (analyst)
Radio: 1470 AM WMBD -- Dave Snell (play-by-play), Chuck Buescher (analyst) and Dan DiOrio (pregame studio host)
Online: BradleyBraves.com -- free audio streams; UNIPanthers.com - live stats
Return to the Road
The only Missouri Valley Conference team to play four of its first six league games on the road, Bradley will complete that starting stretch Tuesday night when the Braves visit league-leading Northern Iowa in an ESPNU nationally-televised game...Ending with Tuesday's game at UNI, Bradley's three road games to start the new calendar year are being played against the league's top three teams (Wichita State, Missouri State and UNI), a trio that has combined for a 32-6 (.842) overall record and a 24-1 (.960) home mark...Bradley owns a 25-15 lead in the all-time series versus UNI, but the Panthers rallied late in both games to sweep last year's regular-season series and added a third straight win against the Braves in the quarterfinals of the State Farm MVC Tournament.
BU Coast-to-Coast
The Bradley University Alumni Association is hosting a national television viewing party for Tuesday night's ESPNU broadcast of the Bradley-UNI game...The BUAA is organizing 21 viewing parties in 18 locations from coast-to-coast...For more information on the national viewing party, visit www.BradleyBraves.com and click the "BU Coast-to-Coast" graphic in the top left corner.
Series Information
Bradley Leads 25-15...UNI owns a 10-8 all-time home record against Bradley, including a 2-1 record at McLeod Center. UNI has won three straight versus Bradley...Braves head coach Jim Les owns a 7-9 record against UNI, while Panthers head coach Ben Jacobson owns a 6-2 record against Bradley.
Frequent Travelers
In addition to being the only Valley team to play four of its first six game on the road, Bradley will join Indiana State as the only teams to play five of their first eight league games on the road...Following Tuesday's visit to UNI, Bradley will make a quick trip home for the immediate return game against Missouri State, then will play its fifth Valley road game Jan. 20 at Southern Illinois...After visiting the Salukis, Bradley will have played 10 games away from home this year, compared to just eight at Carver Arena...The flip side to Bradley's road-heavy start in the league: six of its final 10 Valley games will be played at home.
Scoring Not The Issue
Through the first five rounds of league play, Bradley leads the league in scoring at 75.4 points per game...The other nine teams in The Valley have averaged 64.8 ppg in their first five league games...Defensively, however, Bradley is last by surrendering 79.8 ppg in conference play, while the other nine league teams allow just 64.3 ppg.
Percentages Tell Story
Field goal percentage has been the best predictor for Bradley's first 15 results...The team that has shot at a more efficient clip from the field has won 14 of Bradley's first 15 games: the Braves are 7-1 when they shoot a better field goal percentage than their opponent and 0-7 when the opponent has a better field goal percentage.
About The Stripe
Tuesday's game matches The Valley's top two free throw shooting teams in league play...Both teams struggled from the stripe during the non-conference season, but have been locked in through the first five league games...UNI has made 84-of-99 (.848 ) free throw attempts against The Valley after shooting just 65.5 percent in the non-conference season...Bradley is second in The Valley by hitting at a 77.5 percent clip in league play after making only 64.4 percent in the non-conference season...Bradley also is taking advantage of its improved percentage by leading the league with a league-best 129 free throw attempts in five Valley games, an average of 25.8 FTA/game.
Chasing Their Coach
Bradley junior guards Sam Maniscalco and Andrew Warren both are on pace to join the school's 1,000-Point Club this season...Among the players between them and the 1,000-Point Club is their head coach, Jim Les...Maniscalco begins the week with 905 career points, while Warren owns 814 points...In his two-and-a-half seasons as Bradley's point guard from 1983-86, Les scored 922 points, which currently ranks him 53rd on the school's all-time scoring list...Maniscalco needs just 17 points to catch Les, and at his current average of 10.6 ppg, he needs nine more games to join the 1,000-Point Club -- Feb. 9 versus Illinois State...At his current average of 16.0 ppg, Warren needs 12 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.
Warren is Roarin'
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 20.6 ppg and he ranks third overall at 16.0 ppg...Warren has scored at least 13 points in 10 consecutive games, including at least 24 in three of the first five Valley games...In addition to shooting 50.0 percent from the field, Warren has made 13-of-25 (.520) 3-point field goal attempts and 24-of-26 (.92.3) 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 936 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 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, 1965-78 ); assistant athletic director (107, 1978-85); and radio analyst (730, 1985-present)...A native Iowan, Peoria Journal Star beat writer Dave Reynolds will cover his 600th consecutive Bradley Basketball game Tuesday at UNI since taking over the beat for the start of the 1990-91 season.