MVC Standings with 7 games left

[Da Coach]

8 teams within 2 games of each other at the top of the standings

[ManMythLegend]

Have to take care of business at home Wednesday night. Big time game, we will see if the Braves want to step up and show us who we want them to be.

[Fan since 88]

Loved the good ball movement, did not like the 3 point defense (again) against UIC. Is it just me or is our 3 point defense just not very good? The schedule looks tough the rest of the way, we’ll see how good we really are in the next few weeks. Go Braves!

[Da Coach]

Loved the good ball movement, did not like the 3 point defense (again) against UIC. Is it just me or is our 3 point defense just not very good? The schedule looks tough the rest of the way, we’ll see how good we really are in the next few weeks. Go Braves!

I think the perception that Bradley's 3-point defense is not good is not entirely based on the statistics.
Below are the current stats for all games, and for MVC games, and Bradley has been among the better teams in 3-point FG% defense all year.

[Stryker]

I think the perception that Bradley's 3-point defense is not good is not entirely based on the statistics.
Below are the current stats for all games, and for MVC games, and Bradley has been among the better teams in 3-point FG% defense all year.

Coach, you are right, statistically BU is a pretty good 3 pt defender. I think though, the eye test is impacted by two things that make viewers think BU is not good at 3 pt defending. The first being the long stretches of poor 3 pt shooting by BU during some games this year, making opponent 3 pt baskets feel much more significant when they happen, and the second being above average guards like Frigborg and others coming in and dropping dimes on BU.

The combination of these two things can lead a lot of people to think BU is really poor at defending the 3. I know it feels that way to me as well no matter what the stats say.

[Stryker]

8 teams within 2 games of each other at the top of the standings

The only games I have any confidence about over the last 8 games is @ Valpo followed by MoState at home. It truly wouldn't surprise me if BU went 2-6 down the stretch OR 6-2. IMO it could go both ways, I just have no idea. If Zeke and Duke can keep up their production down the stretch I think the probability of 6-2 increases. If the guards continue to be streaky and not get bench production at the guard position I think 2-6 is more likely.

[BUfan14]

SIU is a huge game. Just like I said before the Belmont game (after and In. St. win) I will believe we are contenders when we win a big one. We lost at Belmont, lost at Murray St., blown out by Drake, lost at home to Belmont in all of our other chances to cement ourselves as contenders so far. We are 1-4 against the top 8 since league played started up again (and that one is against In. St. during a six game losing streak). We are 3-4 overall against the top 8. Once again we have clawed our way back to have an opportunity, what do we do with it? We have not played well at all in the last three games, though the passing was better at UIC. We shall see...it is at home, so no excuses.

Agreed Stryker, guard play is the key. We don't have much room for error there, and need Zek to continue taking the next step in his development to make it happen, because I think relying on Hick or Ville just isn't going to work out this year. Deen and Zek are the key guys, along with continued aggression inside (not just shooting threes) from Leons.

[Bball31]

The table is set for our Braves to determine their own destiny.

[Dub]

The table is set for our Braves to determine their own destiny.

there is some simple beauty in that.

They have the tools they need and it’s up to them to listen to coaching, band together and produce the best result they can.

Be the best you can be.

[Da Coach]

Again, perception doesn't always fit with the statistics, and I admit I am guilty, too.
Here are some stats on 3 point percentage.
Overall, Bradley ranks 3rd in the MVC in team 3-point percentage with 36.1%, just barely behind Drake, which ranks 2nd at 36.2%.
Belmont is 1st with 39.3%-
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...alPct/dir/desc

Nationally, Bradley currently ranks 80th in 3 point percentage, out of 363 Division I teams (22nd percentile)-
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/stats/team/_/table/offensive/sort/threePointFieldGoalPct/dir/desc (click the 3P% column, then move to 2nd page of teams))

Those are pretty decent 3-point numbers.
And in MVC games, Bradley is the top FG% shooting team in the MVC, and also the top FG% defense team-
https://mvc-sports.com/stats.aspx?pa...ue#field-goals

And, I know that the feeling is that guys like Ville and Connor aren't shooting as well as we'd like from the 3-point line. But, their numbers have actually not been too bad. Ville is at 35.0% overall, and 36.7% in MVC games, which is better than the national average, and which would rank among the leaders in the MVC if Ville shot enough threes to qualify (minimum of 2.5 made threes per game to qualify)-
Current MVC Leaders- https://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...alPct/dir/desc

Connor is at 33.7% overall, and 34.0% in MVC games, which is close to the national average (≈34.2% this season). I believe he is capable of doing much better, and I am sure he does, too. He shot 37.4% from three last season as a freshman.
The 5 guys who have shot the most threes, Zek, Malevy, Duke, Ville, and Connor, have all shot average to well above average for the season.

[Tommy]

Loved the good ball movement, did not like the 3 point defense (again) against UIC. Is it just me or is our 3 point defense just not very good? The schedule looks tough the rest of the way, we’ll see how good we really are in the next few weeks. Go Braves!

Quite a few 3's were defended well with our guys right in their face with their hands up. Can't do much about them. I'm more concerned about the easy baskets at the rim, but most of them came from one guy (Carter). Would think we could stick Malevy on him and tell him not to turn his back on him and we could have shut him down a little bit. As it was, he was their offense.

[edit] I posted this before reading up on the comments. Looks like there were a lot of explanations on the 3 point defense already!

[Stryker]

Again, perception doesn't always fit with the statistics, and I admit I am guilty, too. Here are some stats on 3 point percentage.
Overall, Bradley ranks 3rd in the MVC in team 3-point percentage with 36.1%, just barely behind Drake, which ranks 2nd at 36.2%.
Belmont is 1st with 39.3%-
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...alPct/dir/desc

Nationally, Bradley currently ranks 80th in 3 point percentage, out of 363 Division I teams (22nd percentile)-
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/stats/team/_/table/offensive/sort/threePointFieldGoalPct/dir/desc (click the 3P% column, then move to 2nd page of teams))

Those are pretty decent 3-point numbers.
And in MVC games, Bradley is the top FG% shooting team in the MVC, and also the top FG% defense team-
https://mvc-sports.com/stats.aspx?pa...ue#field-goals

And, I know that the feeling is that guys like Ville and Connor aren't shooting as well as we'd like from the 3-point line. But, their numbers have actually not been too bad. Ville is at 35.0% overall, and 36.7% in MVC games, which is better than the national average, and which would rank among the leaders in the MVC if Ville shot enough threes to qualify (minimum of 2.5 made threes per game to qualify)-
Current MVC Leaders- https://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...alPct/dir/desc

Connor is at 33.7% overall, and 34.0% in MVC games, which is close to the national average (≈34.2% this season). I believe he is capable of doing much better, and I am sure he does, too. He shot 37.4% from three last season as a freshman.
The 5 guys who have shot the most threes, Zek, Malevy, Duke, Ville, and Connor, have all shot average to well above average for the season.

My eye test was forever ruined by Danny Adams dropping 8 dimes in a game and Jeremy Crouch shooting 50% from downtown for 2 straight years

Wow, impressions are strong as a 21 yr old in the front row of the student section.

[ManMythLegend]

My eye test was forever ruined by Danny Adams dropping 8 dimes in a game and Jeremy Crouch shooting 50% from downtown for 2 straight years

Wow, impressions are strong as a 21 yr old in the front row of the student section.

Those were the glory days weren't they? I wish we could get season tickets that close to the court for those same student season ticket prices

[Fan since 88]

Thanks Da Coach for the info, I guess our 3 pt defense is better than I thought!

[Stryker]

Those were the glory days weren't they? I wish we could get season tickets that close to the court for those same student season ticket prices

Considering I wasn't around for the Versace era, yes, those are the BU golden days for me. S16 run followed by beating Providence in the NIT at home, it was a lot of fun.