Bradley's 2014-15 Schedule

[Bobby Parker]

I know the game has been out there, but just posted a release announcing the Nov. 19 game versus Robert Morris: http://www.bradleybraves.com/ViewArt...CLID=209530670 Name might not be sexy, but the team sure is - 72 wins the last three years and back-to-back conference titles.

[tornado]

we had some info on the RMU game a couple weeks ago - earlier in this thread

http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showpost.php?p=296193&postcount=14

[wizard1]

Bradleys 2014-2015 schedule

While Eureka is a lovely school and I mean them no disrespect, the addition of Eureka to the BU schedule is a joke, an embarrassment, and a slap in the face to BU fans who are paying max. $$ to watch a very poor team play a bad schedule at home. This will not help the game attendance problem and it will serve to further deteriorate interest in BU basketball. I hope like H--- it is not played in the RC. IMO the JG induced financial problem at Bradley was probably behind this terrible move. Divn. II here we come!
Wiz

[Chibearsfan10125]

As soon as I heard that the news Bradley was playing Eureka, I knew the fans on here would not be happy about it. I came on here, and was not surprised at all by what I saw. It's certainly not an ideal game, nor is it a game that hardcore Bradley fans will be excited about.

All of that being said, this game is NOT for us. This game is for the general people in the Peoria area who don't follow Bradley basketball that closely. There are plenty of people around the Peoria area who love the idea of the two local teams playing each other (just like I know several people who think we should play ICC). I can pretty much guarantee, Bradley is going to market/advertise this game like crazy in an attempt to draw in a much different crowd than those who usually attend Bradley games. Personally, I would have preferred to see it as an exhibition before the season, but I completely understand why the administration would want a game like this. I normally would see no reason for us to play a D-II or D-III opponent, but with the local "rivalry" that can be played up with this game, I can understand it.

[Chico]

The game isn't for us? "Us" have been loyal fans for years. With a schedule like this, eventually ICC will be on the schedule. Rivalry with a Div III team? Us loyal fans deserve better than this.

[tornado]

"The game is NOT for us"?

well if that's true then it means essentially what Da Coach just said in another thread...

Bradley has always had the BIGGEST fanbase of the most intense, loyal, and eternal fans any smaller school could ever have or ever want to have...

Probably over 7,500 season ticket holders who came year in and year out, win or lose, loyally renewing every single year from the 1960's through the 1980's through 2010, 2011....then .....

then just look at the numbers - they are disappearing faster than anyone could have ever imagined!!! The season ticket base has shriveled from 7,000-8,000 to about 4-5,000 in just 3-4 seasons' time span.
These were fans who were so loyal they stayed with Bradley when Albeck drove us to being one of the worst D-I teams....
they stayed loyal despite Molinari getting run out of town, and stayed loyal continually through the down years until Jim Les rebuilt Bradley into a Sports Illustrated cover-team...

But now those fans who were so loyal that nobody ever thought they'd bolt, are now bolting...
If we keep scheduling the IUPUI's and Eureka's and if we keep finishing at the bottom, playing on Thursdays, raising ticket prices, and running 8 or 9 new players in and out the revolving door every season, then we're gonna lose even more fans...
How many saw this coming? ...a few did ...

[tornado]

..btw --
for all the talk here and elsewhere how this game can't hurt us or our RPI (when was our RPI even relevant?)

here are a few reminders of how this game could indeed hurt us other than the drop in interest as fans shrug this game off...

-Even though it didn't hurt our RPI, Bradley struggled mightily and barely held on to defeat a weak UPPER IOWA team 85-83 ...can you imagine had we lost??

-BU also struggled to get by Wisconsin-Parkside & Wooster

-We have even lost to Wisconsin-Platteville & Lubbock Christian - didn't hurt our RPI but fans rode their ridicule over those losses for several years - some still bring it up even now...

[Mikovio]

I'm disappointed we didn't get a series going with a good team. Unless I'm mistaken the only series extending beyond next season is with Texas Arlington (a recent Sun Belt entrant). I don't know why we couldn't at least get a decent A-10 or Horizon series going like we have in the past.

That said, if you're going to schedule a non-DI to spare the SOS you might as well make it Eureka. At 20 minutes from Peoria it's the closest NCAA school and for that reason there will be a lot more interest in this game than with Quincy or Lewis, even though those programs are better, just because there are thousands of people in town with Eureka ties. My girlfriend's sister goes to Eureka so my party might be a little bigger. We shouldn't make this an every year occurrence but one game out of 34 won't hurt anything. I would though like to see more emphasis on home and homes with quality programs like VCU (which a couple Valley mates have signed to H&Hs), instead of loading up on cupcakes and balancing those out with buy games. Maybe we need to demonstrate we're not an SOS drag ourselves before we can make that happen first.

[tornado]

article on MVC scheduling...
several quotes from Gregg Marshall, Geno Ford, Barry Hinson...

http://thesouthern.com/sports/college/basketball/mens/any-time-any-place-valley-hoops-teams-offer-anything-for/article_b2af2558-853d-57bd-9633-905d69b2db1e.html

[tornado]

Eureka releases their entire schedule, and they do play one other D-I team.
They play at Eastern Illinois on Nov. 17, so if they win that one - we might be in trouble...
But they come into Peoria on December 18 well rested with 12 days off since their previous game with ... the Fontbonne Griffins.

http://www.eurekareddevils.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball

[Chico]

Eureka releases their entire schedule, and they do play one other D-I team.
They play at Eastern Illinois on Nov. 17, so if they win that one - we might be in trouble...
But they come into Peoria on December 18 well rested with 12 days off since their previous game with ... the Fontbonne Griffins.
http://www.eurekareddevils.com/sched...px?path=mbball

Don't start making excuses already. Having this game on the schedule is a joke and a slap in the face to long time season ticket holders.

[Big Mike]

Have to admit......didn't think the schedule could get any weaker.......but they prove me wrong again!

[bradleyfan124]

Goes to show all the great leadership we have up at Bradley

[AZ BU Fan]

Any idea of date of MVC Conference opener ?

[Buesch N Chips]

I predict the eureka game will set lack of attendance records, wherever it is played.