Tweet
After sitting through another home drubbing at the hands of Evansville, I couldn't help but think how far Bradley has fallen. It seemed that until the last few seasons, the Evansville game each season was one we could almost always count on winning. But not any more!
Simply stated, there is no reason Evansville, a small private university in the deteriorating inner part of a medium-sized midwestern city, far from any recruiting hotbeds, with modest facilities, with no home arena, with a much smaller fan base, with no sustained success since they entered the MVC, with a much less storied D1 history than Bradley, and who spends a fraction of what Bradley spends on their basketball program and their coaching salaries, should be consistently better than Bradley.
So I thought I'd research the history of these games against the Aces, and what I found was a pretty stark comparison
Note that only Bradley home games are considered in this comparison-
Evansville entered the MVC in the 1994-1995 season, and this is their 21st season in the MVC. The have now played 21 games against Bradley at Carver Arena.
Here is the history of the Bradley vs. Evansville games played in Carver Arena.
In the 21 games between BU and UE in Carver Arena, Bradley is 16-5
Jim Molinari's teams were 7-1 against Evansville at home, losing only once in 1997-98 - a rebuilding year for BU, against a pretty good Evansville team that would make their only NCAA appearance the next season.
Jim Les' teams were 8-1 against Evansville at home, losing only in his first season, 2002-03 - obviously a rebuilding year for Bradley and with the Danny Granger turmoil.
Geno Ford's team is now 1-3 against Evansville at home, losing all but in 2012-13, and including a record 30 point blowout in 2012.
2014-15- UE 66-BU56
2013-14- UE 83-BU 66
2012-13- BU 76-UE70
2011-12- UE 92-BU 62
2010-11- BU 68-BU 54
2009-10- BU 74-UE 54
2008-09- BU 86- UE 79
2007-08- BU 77-UE 76
2006-07- BU 85-UE 78
2005-06- BU 90-UE 62
2004-05- BU 81-UE 76
2003-04- BU 68-UE 60
2002-03- UE 54-BU 51
2001-02- BU 67-UE 62
2000-01- BU 59-UE 52
1999-00- BU 61-UE 58
1998-99- BU 98-UE 65 1999 was UE's only NCAA year, yet it was the largest blowout by either team- with Bradley winning
1997-98- UE 71-BU 58
1996-97- BU 64-UE 50
1995-96- BU 73-UE58
1994-95- BU 76-UE 70
So after a dominating stretch of 8 straight wins by Bradley over Evansville from 2003-2011, and a 15-2 record in their first 17 meetings, we have now lost 3 of the last 4 games at home against the Aces, including a record-breaking blowout loss in 2012.
In fact, under Geno Ford, in just 3 1/2 seasons, Bradley has now lost more games at home to Evansville (3) than Jim Molinari and Jim Les lost to Evansville combined (2) in their entire coaching careers (17 seasons)!
Does anyone else find this unacceptable?
Simply stated, there is no reason Evansville, a small private university in the deteriorating inner part of a medium-sized midwestern city, far from any recruiting hotbeds, with modest facilities, with no home arena, with a much smaller fan base, with no sustained success since they entered the MVC, with a much less storied D1 history than Bradley, and who spends a fraction of what Bradley spends on their basketball program and their coaching salaries, should be consistently better than Bradley.
So I thought I'd research the history of these games against the Aces, and what I found was a pretty stark comparison
Note that only Bradley home games are considered in this comparison-
Evansville entered the MVC in the 1994-1995 season, and this is their 21st season in the MVC. The have now played 21 games against Bradley at Carver Arena.
Here is the history of the Bradley vs. Evansville games played in Carver Arena.
In the 21 games between BU and UE in Carver Arena, Bradley is 16-5
Jim Molinari's teams were 7-1 against Evansville at home, losing only once in 1997-98 - a rebuilding year for BU, against a pretty good Evansville team that would make their only NCAA appearance the next season.
Jim Les' teams were 8-1 against Evansville at home, losing only in his first season, 2002-03 - obviously a rebuilding year for Bradley and with the Danny Granger turmoil.
Geno Ford's team is now 1-3 against Evansville at home, losing all but in 2012-13, and including a record 30 point blowout in 2012.
2014-15- UE 66-BU56
2013-14- UE 83-BU 66
2012-13- BU 76-UE70
2011-12- UE 92-BU 62
2010-11- BU 68-BU 54
2009-10- BU 74-UE 54
2008-09- BU 86- UE 79
2007-08- BU 77-UE 76
2006-07- BU 85-UE 78
2005-06- BU 90-UE 62
2004-05- BU 81-UE 76
2003-04- BU 68-UE 60
2002-03- UE 54-BU 51
2001-02- BU 67-UE 62
2000-01- BU 59-UE 52
1999-00- BU 61-UE 58
1998-99- BU 98-UE 65 1999 was UE's only NCAA year, yet it was the largest blowout by either team- with Bradley winning
1997-98- UE 71-BU 58
1996-97- BU 64-UE 50
1995-96- BU 73-UE58
1994-95- BU 76-UE 70
So after a dominating stretch of 8 straight wins by Bradley over Evansville from 2003-2011, and a 15-2 record in their first 17 meetings, we have now lost 3 of the last 4 games at home against the Aces, including a record-breaking blowout loss in 2012.
In fact, under Geno Ford, in just 3 1/2 seasons, Bradley has now lost more games at home to Evansville (3) than Jim Molinari and Jim Les lost to Evansville combined (2) in their entire coaching careers (17 seasons)!
Does anyone else find this unacceptable?
Comment