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From BradleyBraves.com
Bradley Plays Final Non-Con Game Saturday
Courtesy: BradleyBraves.com
Release: 02/17/2011
PDF Version of Bradley's Pregame Notes Package Listen Live Live Stats
Radio: 1470 AM WMBD -- Dave Snell (play-by-play), Danny Adams (analyst) and Dan DiOrio (in-studio pregame host)
Online: www.BradleyBraves.com - free audio streams; www.utmsports.com/livestats/mbasketball/xlive.htm -- live stats
Tickets: $10 General admission seating available at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center box office.
THE STORYLINE
Bradley will play its final non-conference game of the regular season Saturday when the Braves visit Ohio Valley Conference member Tennessee-Martin in a 2 p.m. game ... Saturday's game was created out of participation in the Sears BracketBusters event ... Bradley owns a 2-0 lead in the all-time series against UT-Martin, winning both of the previous meetings in Peoria (see series results to the right) ... Bradley owns an 8-5 overall record in games created through the BracketBusters series, including a 6-1 record in the initial February matchups ... The Braves have won five straight February games in the BracketBusters series by an average of 12.6 ppg.
AGAINST THE OVC
Although a neighboring conference, Bradley has played only a handful of games against current Ohio Valley Conference programs through the years ... Saturday's game will be the 40th all-time game against the current OVC membership and the Braves enter the game against UT-Martin with a 22-17 record against the OVC ... Ninth-year Bradley head coach Jim Les owns a 5-2 record versus the OVC, including an 0-1 road record ... The only road game Les has coached against the OVC was created through the BracketBusters event, an 86-84 loss at Tennessee Tech Nov. 26, 2009 ... Saturday's game will be just Bradley's 10th road game against a current OVC team and the Braves are 3-6 in their first nine OVC road trips.
CALENDAR EFFECT
January has by far been the coldest month for ninth-year Bradley head coach Jim Les ... The Braves are 33-51 (.393) in January under Les, while playing 51 of those 84 games without the likes of Phillip Gilbert (missed nine January games due to injury), Jeremy Crouch (eight), Daniel Ruffin (six) Will Egolf (eight), Andrew Warren (eight), Dodie Dunson (10), Dyricus Simms-Edwards (two), Taylor Brown (10) and Sam Maniscalco (10) -- 71 individual games missed ... Aided by its 3-2 record so far this month, February is Les' winningest month (39-29, .574) and is second only to November (.660) by percentage ... Not coincidentally, the Braves have been without the above nine players for just 25 February games due to injury: Warren (11), Egolf (eight), Dunson (nine), Brown (5) and Maniscalco (5) -- 38 individual games missed -- though Brown and Maniscalco will not return this season.
CHANGING TREND
In Bradley's first 12 league games, the Braves dug themselves deep first-half holes by averaging just 25.1 points on collective 38.4 percent (114-297) shooting from the field in the opening half ... In the last four games, however, Bradley has taken the halftime lead each time by averaging 34.3 points on a combined 50.9 percent (55-10
shooting from the floor.
FEBRUARY OFFENSE
In the season's first 22 games, the Braves averaged just 63.2 points per game while shooting 41.3 percent overall from the field ... The cold shooting contributed to Bradley's 6-16 record through the end of January ... While posting a 3-2 record so far this month, the Braves are averaging 69.0 ppg on 46.4 percent shooting from the floor.
PAINT POINTS
Bradley has outscored the opposition, 698-600, in the paint this season ... During the first five games this month, Bradley's paint presence has been a focus and the Braves have outscored the opposition by a 170-82 count in the lane, an average of 17.6 points per game.
FEWER THREES
The sacrifice the Braves have made to control the paint has led to a big discrepancy in 3-point shooting ... The opposition has made more 3-point field goals than Bradley in seven of the last nine games, outscoring the Braves by a 75-36 margin from behind the arc in those nine outings ... Bradley is averaging just 4.0 3-point field goals per game in the last five games, while allowing 9.2.
AND FEWER TURNOVERS
Bradley is 2-12 this season when committing at least as many turnovers as the opposition, but the Braves have been taking better care of the ball of late ... So far this month, the Braves are averaging just 9.8 turnovers per game ... In the last five games, Bradley boasts a 1.3 assists-to-turnover ratio ... Strangely, in Bradley's last six games, though, the team that committed more turnovers has won the game.
LOOKING AHEAD
Bradley will play its final regular-season road game of the year Tuesday by visting Interstate 74 rival Illinois State in a 7:05 p.m. game that will be televised by the MVC-TV Network ... The two rivals are tied for ninth in the current MVC standings and the game will determine who will be the No. 10 seed at Arch Madness ... In the event of a final tie between the two teams, a Bradley win Tuesday will lock the Braves into the 8-9 game because Bradley (263 nc sos) would win a tie-breaker against Illinois State (340) based on non-conference strength of schedule ... If the Redbirds win, they will play in the 8-9 game by virtue of a season sweep in the series ... Neither team can finish better than tied for eighth in the final regular-season league standings.
Bradley Plays Final Non-Con Game Saturday
Courtesy: BradleyBraves.com
Release: 02/17/2011
PDF Version of Bradley's Pregame Notes Package Listen Live Live Stats 2010-11 Bradley Basketball Game Notes
Game 28 - Bradley (9-18, 3-13 MVC) at Tennessee-Martin (10-18, 5-11 OVC)
Saturday, Feb. 19 - 2 p.m. CST - Martin, Tenn. - Kathleen and Tom Elam Center (5,000)
Series History - Bradley leads 2-0
Television: NoneSaturday, Feb. 19 - 2 p.m. CST - Martin, Tenn. - Kathleen and Tom Elam Center (5,000)
Series History - Bradley leads 2-0
Radio: 1470 AM WMBD -- Dave Snell (play-by-play), Danny Adams (analyst) and Dan DiOrio (in-studio pregame host)
Online: www.BradleyBraves.com - free audio streams; www.utmsports.com/livestats/mbasketball/xlive.htm -- live stats
Tickets: $10 General admission seating available at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center box office.
THE STORYLINE
Bradley will play its final non-conference game of the regular season Saturday when the Braves visit Ohio Valley Conference member Tennessee-Martin in a 2 p.m. game ... Saturday's game was created out of participation in the Sears BracketBusters event ... Bradley owns a 2-0 lead in the all-time series against UT-Martin, winning both of the previous meetings in Peoria (see series results to the right) ... Bradley owns an 8-5 overall record in games created through the BracketBusters series, including a 6-1 record in the initial February matchups ... The Braves have won five straight February games in the BracketBusters series by an average of 12.6 ppg.
AGAINST THE OVC
Although a neighboring conference, Bradley has played only a handful of games against current Ohio Valley Conference programs through the years ... Saturday's game will be the 40th all-time game against the current OVC membership and the Braves enter the game against UT-Martin with a 22-17 record against the OVC ... Ninth-year Bradley head coach Jim Les owns a 5-2 record versus the OVC, including an 0-1 road record ... The only road game Les has coached against the OVC was created through the BracketBusters event, an 86-84 loss at Tennessee Tech Nov. 26, 2009 ... Saturday's game will be just Bradley's 10th road game against a current OVC team and the Braves are 3-6 in their first nine OVC road trips.
CALENDAR EFFECT
January has by far been the coldest month for ninth-year Bradley head coach Jim Les ... The Braves are 33-51 (.393) in January under Les, while playing 51 of those 84 games without the likes of Phillip Gilbert (missed nine January games due to injury), Jeremy Crouch (eight), Daniel Ruffin (six) Will Egolf (eight), Andrew Warren (eight), Dodie Dunson (10), Dyricus Simms-Edwards (two), Taylor Brown (10) and Sam Maniscalco (10) -- 71 individual games missed ... Aided by its 3-2 record so far this month, February is Les' winningest month (39-29, .574) and is second only to November (.660) by percentage ... Not coincidentally, the Braves have been without the above nine players for just 25 February games due to injury: Warren (11), Egolf (eight), Dunson (nine), Brown (5) and Maniscalco (5) -- 38 individual games missed -- though Brown and Maniscalco will not return this season.
CHANGING TREND
In Bradley's first 12 league games, the Braves dug themselves deep first-half holes by averaging just 25.1 points on collective 38.4 percent (114-297) shooting from the field in the opening half ... In the last four games, however, Bradley has taken the halftime lead each time by averaging 34.3 points on a combined 50.9 percent (55-10
shooting from the floor.FEBRUARY OFFENSE
In the season's first 22 games, the Braves averaged just 63.2 points per game while shooting 41.3 percent overall from the field ... The cold shooting contributed to Bradley's 6-16 record through the end of January ... While posting a 3-2 record so far this month, the Braves are averaging 69.0 ppg on 46.4 percent shooting from the floor.
PAINT POINTS
Bradley has outscored the opposition, 698-600, in the paint this season ... During the first five games this month, Bradley's paint presence has been a focus and the Braves have outscored the opposition by a 170-82 count in the lane, an average of 17.6 points per game.
FEWER THREES
The sacrifice the Braves have made to control the paint has led to a big discrepancy in 3-point shooting ... The opposition has made more 3-point field goals than Bradley in seven of the last nine games, outscoring the Braves by a 75-36 margin from behind the arc in those nine outings ... Bradley is averaging just 4.0 3-point field goals per game in the last five games, while allowing 9.2.
AND FEWER TURNOVERS
Bradley is 2-12 this season when committing at least as many turnovers as the opposition, but the Braves have been taking better care of the ball of late ... So far this month, the Braves are averaging just 9.8 turnovers per game ... In the last five games, Bradley boasts a 1.3 assists-to-turnover ratio ... Strangely, in Bradley's last six games, though, the team that committed more turnovers has won the game.
LOOKING AHEAD
Bradley will play its final regular-season road game of the year Tuesday by visting Interstate 74 rival Illinois State in a 7:05 p.m. game that will be televised by the MVC-TV Network ... The two rivals are tied for ninth in the current MVC standings and the game will determine who will be the No. 10 seed at Arch Madness ... In the event of a final tie between the two teams, a Bradley win Tuesday will lock the Braves into the 8-9 game because Bradley (263 nc sos) would win a tie-breaker against Illinois State (340) based on non-conference strength of schedule ... If the Redbirds win, they will play in the 8-9 game by virtue of a season sweep in the series ... Neither team can finish better than tied for eighth in the final regular-season league standings.
...or 3 games...or even 2?
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