Final score: Bradley 71 Valparaiso 56

[Bradley3342]

Boya has been a difference maker. Since his minutes have increased, we've gone on a mini-win streak. Not saying it was all due to him, but he sure ain't hurtin' us right now and is playing well at both ends of the court. Did you see the steals he had? And how about that hustle play to save the ball from going out of bounds? Total effort and most importantly, learning how to finish at the hoop!

Absolutely! That spin move for a basket in the 2nd half was pretty amazing. The way he is playing now is also giving Rienk a breather and keeping him fresh…

[Tommy]

Absolutely! That spin move for a basket in the 2nd half was pretty amazing. The way he is playing now is also giving Rienk a breather and keeping him fresh…

haha, right! I was all like, 'Where'd THAT come from!' on that move! Crazy! He's clearly got the talent if he can stay focused. I'm hoping he comes back for another year!

[The Old Guy]

If Boya and Henry both return next year BU will not be picked to finish sixth. Should be picked in top three.

[Dub]

Boya has been a difference maker. Since his minutes have increased, we've gone on a mini-win streak. Not saying it was all due to him, but he sure ain't hurtin' us right now and is playing well at both ends of the court. Did you see the steals he had? And how about that hustle play to save the ball from going out of bounds? Total effort and most importantly, learning how to finish at the hoop!

I'm telling you, I think the mental shift the last 3 games is related to getting the news that Henry is out indefinitely.
Think about it.... Henry gets hit in the head during his big return game (ISU) and in response, everyone hung their head and gave the game away.
Then they reassess and realize it's truly "next man up" time, and a switch gets flipped.
They rose to the occasion in a very satisfying way. This mental improvement is directly related to doing it for their brother.

[Tommy]

Forgot to mention, but I'm sure everyone noticed - the passing in that game was unbelievable. Quick and accurate, which is what led to many of our dunks.

[bradleyfan124]

I'm telling you, I think the mental shift the last 3 games is related to getting the news that Henry is out indefinitely.
Think about it.... Henry gets hit in the head during his big return game (ISU) and in response, everyone hung their head and gave the game away.
Then they reassess and realize it's truly "next man up" time, and a switch gets flipped.
They rose to the occasion in a very satisfying way. This mental improvement is directly related to doing it for their brother.

At the beginning of the season the guys were building leads in games then losing them. Now they are building leads and holding off the other teams when they make a run. Thats progress!!

[LittleBrave]

As much as I love the 3'......this DUNKFEST is just as fun!

Yessssir BigMike!!!

[LittleBrave]

That was fun! This team is for real! Hard to believe I thought they had no heart and were going nowhere just 4 games ago.

Great game Braves!

Tommy - I was just thinking that after that gut-wrenching loss at ISU-red!

Not sure any of us truly believed we'd be sitting at 5-4 after that loss.
Let's get a Dubb this weekend and we could find ourselves in the hunt for Top 3!

[LittleBrave]

For sure! From start to finish! Only thing that worried me a little bit was leaving our starters in with a minute to go. Not worth losing one of them to an injury in a blowout win…

If there is one thing that worries me is that we have 3 guys on the bench who could contribute and aren't seeing any PT...wonder if any will be in the picture next season. I have to believe Hannah is on his way out.

Would love to see Zeke play 5-10 min. per game - he has some major upside. I'm baffled why he has only seen the floor like 15 sec. in last 2 games.

[Cousins Cuts podcast]

If there is one thing that worries me is that we have 3 guys on the bench who could contribute and aren't seeing any PT...wonder if any will be in the picture next season. I have to believe Hannah is on his way out.

Would love to see Zeke play 5-10 min. per game - he has some major upside. I'm baffled why he has only seen the floor like 15 sec. in last 2 games.

While I do agree he has upside, I don't think now is the time to mess with the rotations. Until someone gets hurt or falls way off I trust the 8 they put out last night. If need be I'd throw Ekono or Zeke in there but not Hannah. He may as well transfer cuz he just ain't gonna get minutes and rightfully so

[Dub]

I believe Hannah is a sophomore. He’s a great disrupter and has skills and talent. He needs to knuckle down, improve his deficiencies, play within himself, work his way back into the rotation, and stay in a quality D1 program. He’s enthusiastic and appears to have a good attitude. Except when you get in between him and the rim… then he has a bad attitude, in the best way.

Hannah owns the best 2 highlights of last year’s season.

I want to see more of that, but it’s gotta come with more consistency, ball handling, and control.

[Tommy]

Agreed Dub. I like Hannah's upside. He is an excellent blocker and rebounder, but right now he's an offensive liability. If he can work on that aspect of his game and improve it to even average, his value would far outweigh weaknesses.

[LittleBrave]

While I do agree he has upside, I don't think now is the time to mess with the rotations. Until someone gets hurt or falls way off I trust the 8 they put out last night. If need be I'd throw Ekono or Zeke in there but not Hannah. He may as well transfer cuz he just ain't gonna get minutes and rightfully so

Hey - I'm not a head coach and don't know these guys well personally...but it just seems to me that if our freshmen (other than Hickman) don't have hope of seeing the floor much the rest of the year, and most everyone is returning next season, I would want to look elsewhere for more PT.

Zeke has played well and suddenly he's not even getting in even with a couple games well in hand. Not a good sign.

I think Zeke is more physically gifted than any BU player other than Roberts. He also has a natural shooting stroke.
Hate for this kid to go somewhere else next season. Could see him being a big part of Braves team 2 years from now.

[Tommy]

Zeke has played well and suddenly he's not even getting in even with a couple games well in hand. Not a good sign.

You know, 4 games ago, Boya wasn't seeing the court at all either. Wardle is pretty consistent, if guys perform at practice, they get playing time. I can only think Zek is not doing what needs to get done in practice right now, but that can change overnight as we've seen with Ari. Zek definitely has a lot of upside as he is crazy athletic and long. I think it's just a matter of time before we start seeing him in there again!

[bradleyfan124]

You know, 4 games ago, Boya wasn't seeing the court at all either. Wardle is pretty consistent, if guys perform at practice, they get playing time. I can only think Zek is not doing what needs to get done in practice right now, but that can change overnight as we've seen with Ari. Zek definitely has a lot of upside as he is crazy athletic and long. I think it's just a matter of time before we start seeing him in there again!

I agree. This is the way it used to be back in the day. If you lost your spot you worked hard to get it back. Alot of pampered American kids (not all ) these days dont want to do that or if they dont get their way they just quit.