Back from the Hump

[Bulldog Backer]

To quote Rick Stansbury, our Head Coach, after the game, "we just beat a very good basketball team." Your team stayed with us most of the game, and even when down by 16 in the second half, clawed back to within 7. Stansbury called a time out, and then called for the corner 3's. We got three consective 3's, went back up by 16, and that just seemed to take the air right out of your team.

I was very, very impressed by Ruffin. He is a terrific player. He could play for us anytime. You had some excellent post up shooters, but your big guys couldn't handle Charles Rhodes or Varnado inside, so they got into foul trouble. Your freshman also can play. It would have been a different story if you still had O'Bryant.

Just curious, but how was my pregame scouting report on the Bulldogs?

[Big Mike]

Pretty good......not over the top on hype which is what visitors usually give us........good luck @ FS.....we will be pulling for you! See if your coach wants to do a home and home for the future?

[MacabreMob]

Thanks for your pre-game and post-game comments DoubleB. Good luck vs Fla St and hope you guys win it all in the NIT.

[Bulldog Backer]

Home and home

I would love to see a home and home with Bradley. My deceased father-in-law played football for Bradley back in the late 1930's. That is the primary reason I came on this board, because I have always kept track with Bradley.

Our basketball team will be much, much better next year. We have all but Dietric Slater coming back, and add a transfer from Louisville, a former McDonald's All American, named Brian Johnson, who is 6-9 245. We also have signed Mississippi's two time player of the year, Ravern Johnson, who is a 6-7 wing with great 3 point accuracy to 25 feet. You will hear his name a lot in the future. We also have another well regarded signee in Kodi Augustus, who is now at Maine Central Institute.

[Big Mike]

Where was your father-in-law from?

[Da Coach]

One thing that was impressive was the athletic complex and the facilities. The Humphrey Arena is very nice. It is designed a little like the Civic Center Arena, except it it exclusively for basketball, no hockey, so it has much better seating in the lower bowl. Plus the lower bowl has a much higher percentage of the seats compared to the Civic Center.
Anyone who thinks the state schools don't have an immeasurable advantage is nuts. A campus like MSU sell itself compared to one like Bradley. It would be nice if the state would build facilities like that for Bradley!

[VromanFan]

Boy, that was one athletic, skilled team.

As good as I think MVC and BU basketball is...there's still a talent and size gap out there.

I'm sure good things are ahead for MSU.

Good luck to the Bulldogs,

Congrats on a great season for the Braves.

No disrespect to last year's team or the '95-'96 Valley champs, but this was the most fun I've had watching a Bradley team since I enrolled.

Cheers,
VromanFan

[Bulldog Backer]

Sauk Center/St. Cloud, Minnesota

Where was your father-in-law from?

My deceased father-n-law was from Minnesota.

[Big Mike]

Thanks....just wondered if he was from Illinois.....and good luck the rest of the way!

[IlliBraves]

Well, I had no idea you guys were going to beat us at our own game and absolutely torch us from 3. You made 15 3's in the game. Awfully hard to win a game that way no matter how well you play, and our offense played pretty well. No answer for the 3's, and when we tried, our smaller guys got burned inside.

[it's boogie time]

MSU outhustled Bradley. Lots of other things happened, but this Bradley group won't win when the other team has more desire to the ball.

[Braves4Life]

MSU will be a Sweet 16 team next year, possibly Final Four. Mark my words.

I just hope we get another crack at them sometime over the next two years.

[dogsrus]

MSU outhustled Bradley. Lots of other things happened, but this Bradley group won't win when the other team has more desire to the ball.

Or MAYBE the other team is just plain better. You can "hustle" all you want but if the other team is longer, quicker and stronger there aint much you can do.

I will NEVER question this team (BU) when it comes to efffort, desire and hustle.

We just got beat by a better team....PERIOD.

[tornado]

MSU outhustled Bradley. Lots of other things happened, but this Bradley group won't win when the other team has more desire to the ball.

Or MAYBE the other team is just plain better. You can "hustle" all you want but if the other team is longer, quicker and stronger there aint much you can do.

I will NEVER question this team (BU) when it comes to efffort, desire and hustle.

We just got beat by a better team....PERIOD.

By all measures Pitt and Kansas were better teams last year, but BU came out on top.
Had we played in Peoria, and a few of their shots that rattled around several seconds not gone in, then they'd have been chasing us all day and the outcome might have been different.
But indeed yesterday, they had us.
Sure they are disappointed, but there is nothing for these kids to be ashamed of. They and the coaches are the biggest surprise in the Valley (except maybe how far Wichita fell off).

[Jays]

MSU will be a Sweet 16 team next year, possibly Final Four. Mark my words.

I just hope we get another crack at them sometime over the next two years.

um......no to ruin your hopes about MSU or anything, but remember they are in the SEC, which agurable is the best basketball conference in the nation... it might be hard to even get in the tourney for them. if they were in a different conference they would dominate!