Some Bradley nostalgia

[Da Coach]

If you are a bit bored like I am, here are a few videos from the last 2 MVC Tournaments that most have seen before, but they might give you a smile-


Bradley Braves 18 point comeback vs. Northern Iowa - 2019 Arch Madness Championship game

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9z3S_Lfpis

Bradley Men's Basketball Wins MVC Tournament Rewind
https://wwwyoutube.com/watch?v=kxXbWbVcdak

MVC 2019 Mens Basketball Championship Bradley VS UNI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YViEyULSohs&t=1052s

WMBD "Bradley Braves: Road To The NCAA Tournament" Special

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M90ShgWXAV0

Valparaiso vs Bradley MVC Championship Basketball Condensed Game 3 8 2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1sly016xrU

[houstonbrave]

I wish I could tell you those were the only “old” games I had watched during this shutdown. The “low” point was probably watching an old scratched up DVD of BU vs Illinois in the 2009 Las Vegas tournament.

[Da Coach]

I wish I could tell you those were the only “old” games I had watched during this shutdown. The “low” point was probably watching an old scratched up DVD of BU vs Illinois in the 2009 Las Vegas tournament.

What do you mean by a "low point"? Bradley beat Illinois in that game. I was there and it was an exciting time!
Bruce Weber admitted after that game that he wouldn't be playing in-state schools like Bradley any more.
Recap- https://bradleybraves.com/news/2009/...204841463.aspx

[houstonbrave]

It was a great win. I just thought it was sort of pitiful that I was so desperate for a Bradley game that I had to dig that deep to find a DVD I did not even remember I had.

[Da Coach]

It was a great win. I just thought it was sort of pitiful that I was so desperate for a Bradley game that I had to dig that deep to find a DVD I did not even remember I had.

.... I knew you must have meant something like that.

[patrick_o'brian]

I wish I could tell you those were the only “old” games I had watched during this shutdown. The “low” point was probably watching an old scratched up DVD of BU vs Illinois in the 2009 Las Vegas tournament.

HB that game is on Youtube if your quality wasn't very good and you want to catch it again.

[Tommy]

Bruce Weber admitted after that game that he wouldn't be playing in-state schools like Bradley any more.
Recap- https://bradleybraves.com/news/2009/...204841463.aspx

Poor BWeb. He tried to avoid us and still ran into the BU buzzsaw in the preseason tournament. So sad!

[bigjimmy]

If you are a bit bored like I am, here are a few videos from the last 2 MVC Tournaments that most have seen before, but they might give you a smile-


Bradley Braves 18 point comeback vs. Northern Iowa - 2019 Arch Madness Championship game

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9z3S_Lfpis

Bradley Men's Basketball Wins MVC Tournament Rewind
https://wwwyoutube.com/watch?v=kxXbWbVcdak

MVC 2019 Mens Basketball Championship Bradley VS UNI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YViEyULSohs&t=1052s

WMBD "Bradley Braves: Road To The NCAA Tournament" Special

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M90ShgWXAV0

Valparaiso vs Bradley MVC Championship Basketball Condensed Game 3 8 2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1sly016xrU

Going back to these 2 games it's still hard to believe that we came back from an 18 point deficit against UNI and that we held Valpo to just 1 FG in a 12 1/2 minute stretch of the 2nd half. Both games had 2 common threads, a relentless and tenacious effort on both ends. Just glad the guys this year at least got the experience and thrill of winning a championship before the season was shut down.

[Dub]

Watching the replay of last year's championship made me realize I hadn't even stopped celebrating from that one before we got a SECOND one. Wow man. I've been following this team for a long time, but never have I had to rush through one celebratory phase to make way for the next.

[Da Coach]

Watching the replay of last year's championship made me realize I hadn't even stopped celebrating from that one before we got a SECOND one. Wow man. I've been following this team for a long time, but never have I had to rush through one celebratory phase to make way for the next.

Yes, I agree, and a lot of fans feel likewise!
It's hard to equal the celebration and elation after beating Kansas and Pitt in the NCAA Tournament in 2006, but the 2019- & 2020 MVC Tourament championships come close.

How do other fans rank the biggest tournament wins in terms of their own winning BU experiences?
I go back a little farther than some here, though I was not around for the great wins in the 1950's and early 1960's.
I'll try ranking my top 3 (or 4) winning tournament experiences-
>>1982 NIT Championship- so exciting to be in NY City and beat tremendous teams from the Big 8 (Oklahoma) and Big Ten (Purdue) in Madison Square Garden.
>>2006 NCAA wins over Kansas and Pitt- total elation in The Palace of Auburn Hills. I had several people approach me and ask how good the MVC is if the 4th place team could pummel ranked teams like Big 12 co-Champion Kansas and a 25-win Big East team, Pitt, who was ranked even higher than Kansas.
>>3-way tie- MVC Tournament Championship wins in 1988 (Hersey Hawkins senior season), 2019, and 2020.
>>Honorable mention- 1980 MVC Tournament championship in Robertson Fieldhouse. Dick Versace's second year at Bradley; he took a last place team in 1978-79, and turned things around quickly to dominate the regular season, winning the MVC by 4 games, then winning 3 straight in Robertson Fieldhouse in the MVCT.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/mvc/1980.html

[bigjimmy]

This is going to be hard fun trying to decide which experience was the best:

#1: Beating Pitt in Detroit in 2nd round of 2006 tournament. Couldn't afford to go in 1980, 86, 88 & 96 but 06 was close enough, especially with a place to stay at my sister's who lives in the Ann Arbor area. A friend got me 2 tickets through Ken Kavanaugh and off I went. I just remember how loud the Palace was during and after the game. And I also remember Patrick O'Bryant being dominate in the game as he scored 28 points and held their All American center Aaron Gray, who ended up playing 9 years in the NBA, to just 12 points. After dropping my sister off I talked to my Dad who said that Dan DiOrio was on the air at WMBD with an extended post game show and was looking for people who were at the game to call in so I did. Ended up talking with him for about 10 minutes, which for guy who used to do that for living was a big kick in the pants. Made my trip home that much more sweeter.

#2: Winning the NIT in 1982. Still hard to believe that we didn't get an at large bid. I was going to ICC at the time and I knew some of their basketball players and they were laughing about BU not getting an At Large NCAA berth and said after we beat American University in the 1st round that their would be no way we would beat Syracuse at the Carrier Dome. So I said to them to put their money where their mouths were. Needless to say I enjoyed some good lunches for a few weeks.

#3: 2-Way tie 2019 and 2020 Arch Madness Champions. The closeness of all 3 games during 2019 and of course the 18 point 2nd half comeback against UNI made the previous 28 years of coming to Arch Madness and going away empty handed all worth it. But there was just something about this year that was just as special and that something was DB. How he never earned 1st team all MVC is beyond me and that was the way he played this year. His play and his passion was second to none and helped lead us to victory.