Top 10 Bradley Games of 2006

[tornado]

Top 10 Bradley Games of 2006

The PJS did a piece on the Top Sports stories of 2006, but I am going to confine the
choices to the Top Bradley Games of 2006, all of which were wins, except two.
(by the way, Dave Reynolds was incorrect in his article today on BU's Sweet Sixteen run.
He said BU is going into presently at 8-3, but it's 9-3!)

Feel free to add your own modifications or additions!

Honorable Mention: BU's win in Des Moines just a little over a week ago,
a BIG win away from home against a BIG XII opponent.
BU beat Iowa State convincingly 76-66 on 12/16/06.

10. Tie -The BracketBuster 77-62 win over Tennessee Tech on 2/18/06
that helped get BU the NCAA bid.
...and...-The 83-73 win over Larry Eustachy's S. Miss. team last Saturday,
just because LE was such a *****.

9. BU's home win last year over ISU. 2/01/06, the 73-44 annhilation at Carver
was one of the most totally satisfying wins and one of the best played games the BU fans
were treated to in a season of lots of great treats.

8. Even more sweet was the road win AT ISU, a 71-59 embarrassment
for the Redbirds In Normal 10 days later on 2/11/06.

7. The first round Valley Tournament win over Creighton 54-47 on 3/03/06,
BU's first MVC Tourney win in a decade.

6. The MVC Tourney Final. Even though it was a hard fought loss to SIU 59-46 on 3/05/06,
the national exposure it got for Bradley surely helped get in the NCAA.

5. BU's 71-49 dismantling of a very good Northern Iowa team IN CEDAR FALLS on 2/22/06
that gave BU a top road win heading into the Valley tourney.

4. Bradley's 2nd round MVC Tourney win over Top seeded Wichita State 60-52 on 3/04/06
that was likely the one game that more than any other was the pivotal win earning BU an NCAA
At-Large bid, and getting BU to the Finals of the Valley Tourney.

3. Bradley's loss in Oakland, CA to a very good, #1 Seeded Memphis team 80-64 on 3/23/06.
Even though this was a loss, it was as far as BU had advanced in the NCAA Tourney
in over half a century and the latest into March that BU was still playing in most
BU fans' memory.

2. Also worthy of the top spot but coming in 2nd in my list, Bradley's win
over Pitt on national TV in the 2nd game of the NCAA Tourney, 72-66 on 3/19/06.
In this game, Patrick O'Bryant's performance locked him into a draft lottery spot.

1. Bradley's first NCAA win in 20 years, and over one of the best programs in D-I basketball,
and one of the best adversaries BU has beaten in a long time.
BU led all the way with exciting team play over Kansas 77-73 on 3/17/06.

[Da Coach]

2 other games I thought were huge last year and would include in the top 10 were--

1) The road win at Evansville 1/28/06. Even though it was Evansville, and we were supposed to win it, it was the first MVC conference road game Bradley won last year, and it wasn't easy. They should have held on to win in regulation, but they allowed Evansville to come back and tie. But instead of folding in overtime, Bradley played well and won 79-76. A huge basket by Boogie put Bradley ahead by 1 with 10 seconds left, and a steal by Cellus on the subsequent inbounds pass lead to 2 free throws and sealed the win.

2) The home win against SIU on 2/14/06. Bradley had been on a bit of a roll, but then faced MVC co-leader SIU at home. They had lost at SIU earlier 66-57. But Bradley shredded the tough Saluki defense for 72 points on 60% shooting, never trailed, and won the game easily 72-60 on Marcellus Sommerville bobblehead night!

[MacabreMob]

I agree with Da Coach's selection of the SIU win at home last year. That game was AWESOME and INTENSE all the way.

Another honorable mention would be the Depaul win at home this year... the atmosphere and everything.

(also, not sure I hang my hat on beating ISU at home or on the road so much.... their program lives or dies on beating us, not the other way around)

[TheAsianSensation]

I don't count games where we lost in the top 10, because, well....we lost. How can that be good?

1) Bradley beats Evansville on the road. If that ugly floater from Boogie doesn't go in, we careen off the road, never win a road Valley game, and Les gets fired after about a 12-16 season. Just sayin'.

2) The Kansas game. We knew we were a good team at that point, but I'm not sure anyone thought we were THAT good.

3) The Pitt game. Same thing as the Kansas game.

4) The road win at UNI. I still don't know where that performance came from. Unreal.

5) The home blowout against ISU. Just because it was ISU.

6) The semifinal victory over WSU in the MVC Tourney. Locked up the bid.

7) The quarterfinal victory over Creighton in the MVC Tourney. Because we needed it to get to WSU.

8 ) Beating SIU at home. Back when we needed big help to make the tourney, this was step one.

9) Beating DePaul to start this year. Confidence, confidence, confidence.

10) Probably the Iowa St game. Because it's a roadie at a BCS school. This time last year, raise your hand if you thought we could say we beat a Big 12 team in a true roadie (and don't give me that "It was neutral" garbage. It was a roadie. ). Then put your hand back down.

[New Guy]

All of these bring back good memories. One I would like to add to the discussion is 2/25/06 Carver, senior night, Bradley 86 Drake 66 (game not that close). How they beat not who they beat makes me think of this one. Cellus with a career-best 30 on senior night, in fact of the seniors there all but Heemer were in double figures. Tony B 14 and Boogie 10. Heemer even had 4 with some nice moves. It was the 5th win in and row and they dominated from the opening tip with defense, passing, and shot selection. The team showed the home faithful that they were playing their best ball at the right time of the year. I thought it was a great send off for a great group!

[houstontxbrave]

7. The first round Valley Tournament win over Creighton 54-47 on 3/03/06,
BU's first MVC Tourney win in a decade

This one sticks out for me simply because of the CU fans sitting behind the BU section in STL in a suite and how unbelivably rude they acted throughout the game. Very satisfying to send them home with a huge "L".

I think if Squirrel posts on here he was sitting next to me and knows what I am talking about.