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Bradley Braves
Missouri Valley Conference
Killer Rating: 15.7
The Braves are riding an eight-game winning streak and are tied with Drake at 14-4 atop the MVC, where our model says the Braves are the best team and best underdog. Yet they get very little national attention. Well, it’s time to notice: This is the best Bradley squad in at least 15 years, with a highly efficient defense that keeps opponents at the perimeter, dragging their average possession length to 18.8 seconds (ranking 360th in the country) and allowing an effective field-goal percentage of just 45.8% (ranking 21st). And the Braves have taken their own long-range shooting up a notch over the past couple of seasons: 39.9% of their attempts are from downtown, well above average. As the conference heads toward Arch Madness, keep an eye on Malevy Leons, their Dutch-born big man with 48 blocks and 46 steals heading into Wednesday’s game at Valparaiso. No Missouri Valley player has gone 50-50 since the MVC started keeping records 42 years ago.
Further note: Drake is awful on the offensive glass (ranking: 307th, down from 55th when the Bulldogs were an 11-seed two years ago). And they don’t force turnovers (ranking: 219th). They are not built for the styles underdogs win with in the NCAA tournament. Our model sees a difference of fewer than 3 points per 100 possessions between Bradley and Drake in its basic power ratings but a gap of more than 10 percentage points in their tournament chances against an average giant.
Missouri Valley Conference
Killer Rating: 15.7
The Braves are riding an eight-game winning streak and are tied with Drake at 14-4 atop the MVC, where our model says the Braves are the best team and best underdog. Yet they get very little national attention. Well, it’s time to notice: This is the best Bradley squad in at least 15 years, with a highly efficient defense that keeps opponents at the perimeter, dragging their average possession length to 18.8 seconds (ranking 360th in the country) and allowing an effective field-goal percentage of just 45.8% (ranking 21st). And the Braves have taken their own long-range shooting up a notch over the past couple of seasons: 39.9% of their attempts are from downtown, well above average. As the conference heads toward Arch Madness, keep an eye on Malevy Leons, their Dutch-born big man with 48 blocks and 46 steals heading into Wednesday’s game at Valparaiso. No Missouri Valley player has gone 50-50 since the MVC started keeping records 42 years ago.
Further note: Drake is awful on the offensive glass (ranking: 307th, down from 55th when the Bulldogs were an 11-seed two years ago). And they don’t force turnovers (ranking: 219th). They are not built for the styles underdogs win with in the NCAA tournament. Our model sees a difference of fewer than 3 points per 100 possessions between Bradley and Drake in its basic power ratings but a gap of more than 10 percentage points in their tournament chances against an average giant.
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