Final score: Loyola 62 Bradley 51

[bigjimmy]

Loyola wins 62-51. They outrebounded us 34-24, 12-4 on the offensive boards. We held them to 18-45 shooting, 5-17 from 3 but They were 21-30 from the FT line while we were just 5-5. We got called for 23 fouls to Loyola's 12 which is just sad as they would bump us when we'd try to drive to the basket and there'd be no fouls called yet we'd get called for it on the other end. We had 17 turnovers while they got credited for 12 steals. We had some open shots that just didn't go down but when teams are allowed to be overly physical with us we just have a hard time executing on offense and conversely have a hard time winning games.

[Bradley3342]

I too agree with you bigjimmy about us forcing things a little to much when teams play physical with us but I think that changes when Elijah returns.

[Da Coach]

Final score Loyola 62 Bradley 51

http://stats.statbroadcast.com/mobile/?id=280009

[Tommy]

We don’t win games where the refs are overly active and we can’t get any rhythm going on offense. We thrive when the game flows and we never got any of that in this game.

Interesting to see them doubling Krutwig with Bar and Henry from the get go and it seemed to be working fairly well in the first half, but didn’t last. Henry got into early foul trouble that really cut into his minutes and we couldn’t buy a 3 until our new secret weapon, Sean Houpt was unleashed. In the end, too many fouls and terrible offense did us in. I’m sure the two were related (see paragraph 1).

I really dislike Gentile arena. It’s boxy, low ceilings, the sound is crazy loud (I know, I’m an old man), bleacher seats, high railings that obstruct your view and we couldn’t see anything in the far corner from our seats (section 204). I suppose I’ll like it more when we start kicking their butts there regularly (it’s comin’).

Always a longer ride home after a loss, but I still say this will only make us better when Eli returns.

Dub brought up an interesting tidbit tonight that I didn’t realize. We haven’t lost 2 games in a row all year. That’s impressive.

[elmerb]

We really miss Childs. Granted we have 2 seven footers, but when they're not on the court, we're a very short team with our tallest players Nate and Ja'shon at 6'6'. Boya has improved quite a bit this season and could really be a factor the next 2 years. But on the bright side, we have 3 very good kids coming next year in the 6'10' range. So for the next 4 years a lack of height should not be a factor.
Hope Childs can be back by the SIU game.

GO BRADLEY

[Da Coach]

I really dislike Gentile arena. It’s boxy, low ceilings, the sound is crazy loud (I know, I’m an old man), bleacher seats, high railings that obstruct your view and we couldn’t see anything in the far corner from our seats (section 204). I suppose I’ll like it more when we start kicking their butts there regularly (it’s comin’).

This I agree with you, Tommy.
The Gentile Arena is quaint, and is better than it used to be. They did a total renovation in 2012, and note this quote from this site after the renovation-
The renovation of the Joseph J. Gentile Arena and its re-opening in the winter of 2012, upgraded the facility to one of the top venues not only in the Missouri Valley Conference, but also in the Midwest.

https://www.luc.edu/studentcomplex/gentilearena/

Ummm, not quite. They did add the chair-back seats in the lower, 100 level sections, but every seat in the 200-level is still a hard, unpadded bench seat. Before that, it was all bleacher-like bench seating, but even after the renovation, when Loyola joined the MVC in 2013, their arena was by far the smallest and worst basketball venue in the MVC.

Then they did a modest $1.4 million upgrade in 2017 ($1.4 million doesn't go very far), which was mostly cosmetic, plus they added nicer scoreboards.
http://loyolaphoenix.com/2017/11/gen...illion-update/

Then last summer, they upgraded the court surface-
https://loyolaphoenix.com/2019/07/lo...de-since-2011/

But they did make one other change since last year- they added that huge scoreboard that hung down from the ceiling in the corner where the Bradley bench was. It doesn't really block the view of the court, but it is a monstrosity when viewed from the back side that is really low-hanging and ugly. Plus, as Tommy said, a high percentage of seats in the arena have some kind of railing that partially blocks views of the court.

I like visiting and watching Bradley play in Chicago, mostly because I am from Chicago, and enjoy a lot of other things one can do there for the weekend. But without question, Loyola and now Valparaiso, have the 2 smallest, and least "college-like" arenas, that remind you of a glorified high school gyms.

I am always impressed with their student turnout and participation. I wish Bradley could duplicate that.

[bradleyfan124]

There is something wrong with that disparity in fouls. I can see somewhat of a difference but that much? Are the refs in the Chicago not used to body up defense? I remember my son playing high school ball in Peoria against the Manual and Central teams went to a tournament in another part of the state where the refs were not used to tight defense. They about fouled out there whole starting 5. Maybe some refs need to do back to school.

[Wizard]

I hate to say this but IMO we were clearly outcoached in this game, especially in the 2nd half.

[Wizard]

Here's what I'm talking about. We have no plays for creating openings for our 3 point shooters. Our 3 best shooters(Nate, Darryl, & Ville) have to create their own openings and rush their shots or take bad shots. Look at Northern Iowa and how they set up their 3 Pt. guys. All we do is dribble around the perimeter looking for openings which are really not there. We dribble too much and do not pass effectively. As a result, our offense bogs down and we turn the ball over. And finally, If Nate & Darryl do not make shots early in the game, they get "Greedy" , hog the ball with few passes and end up taking bad shots. Our coaches need to address this with them. If our coaches do not address these problems now, it's going to be a long, disappointing season.
Wizard

[Tommy]

I hate to say this but IMO we were clearly out-coached in this game, especially in the 2nd half.

Wiz, I love you and agree with most of your posts, but I have to give a counterpoint on this one:

Not to make excuses for BW, but I am such a big fan of his that I feel obligated. The fact is, you're right, we did seem out-coached in the 2nd half of this game and Porter Moser is no doubt one of the 3 best coaches in the valley along with BW and Jacobson. I think most people if polled would agree with that assessment (maybe not, that's just my guess).

That being said, in just about every game this season, our team plays better in the 2nd half than the 1st, a direct reflection on coach Wardle. Also, let's not forget we're still playing without our star player and stud freshman (Gabriel) that was kicked off the team leaving us with an EXTREMELY depleted roster. We played 9 players, one of which was walk-on Sean Houpt who made 2 big 3's and played 9 minutes against Loyola who played 11 scholarship players. That's tough to match up against, especially when you've got one of the best players in the Valley like Krutwig.

We are where we are, so we have to learn how to win with what we have, and that does seem to be Coach Wardle's approach. He's not much of an excuse maker and that's one of the things I love about him. I just think we have to look at everything in context before we start talking about Wardle's coaching. I'm not sure any coach in the Valley would be performing as well as he has with the adversity BU has gone through this season. Take Krutwig out of Loyola's lineup and how many games do you think they'd win? I'd venture to guess not many. Take Green out of NIU's lineup and how many would they win? Again, I think they'd be average at best.

No doubt Brown and Kennell struggled and it's hard for us to win with both of them playing poorly, and the last couple of games, turnovers have just gotten out of control. At the end of the day, we haven't lost 2 in a row all year, so that says a lot about this team and the staff in my opinion, and I'm looking forward to seeing what this team brings to the table when we get Eli back, which should be soon.

[Chris]

Here's what I'm talking about. We have no plays for creating openings for our 3 point shooters. Our 3 best shooters(Nate, Darryl, & Ville) have to create their own openings and rush their shots or take bad shots. Look at Northern Iowa and how they set up their 3 Pt. guys. All we do is dribble around the perimeter looking for openings which are really not there. We dribble too much and do not pass effectively. As a result, our offense bogs down and we turn the ball over. And finally, If Nate & Darryl do not make shots early in the game, they get "Greedy" , hog the ball with few passes and end up taking bad shots. Our coaches need to address this with them. If our coaches do not address these problems now, it's going to be a long, disappointing season.
Wizard

We have no kick out game whatsoever right now. We rarely drop the ball into the post because Koch has terrible hands and no post game, and when we do it usually results in a turnover. We put our bigs at the top of the key to set screens that usually don’t result in open shots and never results in a successful roll because Koch and Ari just can’t handle the ball at all. That’s a big part of getting open looks from 3 and it’s just nonexistent. I’m praying Ari learns how to play the strong post up and roll game that Koch has never managed (how many times a game does Koch catch the ball under the basket and bring it to his waist so someone a foot shorter can steal it?).

We have no mid range game either. For some reason, Nate hasn’t hit the broad side of a barn unless he’s shooting from deep. Darryl and Ville can occasionally, but it’s usually from drive floaters. Antonio has hardly taken any shots. Eli had to be respected from the elbow, which created openings elsewhere, but we don’t have that right now. Ja’shon has been shooting the ball better, but he’s really only taking the occasional 3 versus under the basket.

I despise this offense we are running currently, but I’m not sure what else we can do right now. On the flip side, at full strength, we can beat any team in the Valley, and a strong finish in the season and a run to the Valley final could get us in the tournament even if we finish second.

[Bradley3342]

It seems like some on this board are getting a little restless and starting to panic a little bit. I agree we have had our struggles on the road but I don’t think it’s time to get down on them yet. You got to realize we are playing without our best player in Elijah. Playing with a walk on that I don’t mind saying filled in pretty well with some of our players being in foul trouble.We’ve had injuries and one our best freshman being let go and still have been very competitive. How quick we forget how we we’re getting blown out at home by double digit losses night in and night out! I think we all forget what shape this program was in before our board all woke up and cleaned house. Thanks coach Wardle! You definitely have turned this program around! Go Braves!

[Da Coach]

Some may not agree, but I think we would have won at Loyola with a healthy Elijah Childs. He adds another dimension to this team, and there may not be another MVC team that has a forward that matches up to him. With Elijah, it shifts defenses closer into the paint and opens up the perimeter. But without Eli, you saw Loyola push one of their big men out and double-team Darrell and our other guards (mostly it was Tate Hall or Aher Uguak) and make it more difficult for them to run our offense and get open shots.

[Bradley3342]

I totally agree Da Coach. Elijah is such a threat inside that he definitely frees up our guards on the perimeter. It is such a shame he got injured. Possibly candidate for POY!

[bradleyfan124]

I also agree with you Da Coach. Just having Elijah in there changes the strategy of the other team. Even if he did nothing other than stand there it would change the strategy. Elijah draws the best inside defender. Jashon would then get the second best