Final score: Bradley 86 SIU 67

[Stryker]

If Bradley ends up losing most of these players plus Wardle they more then likely will lose more season ticket holders . The fan base is up there in age and some will not go thru another rebuilding period where you see the team finishing at the bottom level of the conference. I also would like to know why the NIL at Bradley cannot raise enough money to keep our players satisfied. Zek is a prime example of getting more money and now comes off the bench on a bad team. Players that have any chance at going pro over seas need to actually prove themselves on the court and they cannot do that by coming off the bench and getting 10 minutes or less.

It's still early with the new transfer rules and NIL. Things will normalize eventually after the first "generation" of players to deal with NIL are gone etc. Newcomers will see what the wisest choice is going to be for them and there will be a balance between getting money now vs pro-prospects (including over seas pro prospects etc.). Last year almost 40% of D1 players entered the portal. That is not sustainable and many of them ended up not playing this year or ending up in much worse situations than they were before they transferred.

In regards to the fan base, having been going to BU games for almost 20 years, I am seeing a lot of kids and young parents at games now, more imo than there was 15 years ago, despite overall attendance declining. I don't think the fanbase is really in a position to "age out" much anymore, I think that has already happened over the past 15 years, and BU should be able to maintain a stable demographic of fans going forward. Obviously performance will play into it some but assuming the program is stable and average to above average, I wouldn't expect another big decline in attendance until AI takes over the world and humans start living in VR worlds most of the time or some such dystopian future is realized.

[bradleyfan124]

I REALLY hope this is spot on BF124! It does appear that Duke is coming back - does anyone have any hunch that he will not? For sure Duke and Hick are the best 1-2 guard punch in the Valley.

Hick has had a solid season and has fought through some injuries - he hasn't looked sharp every game, so I think his best year is still to come!

Oh don't hang your hat on what I think. I also thought my ex-wife was going to be a keeper.

[Tommy]

Oh don't hang your hat on what I think. I also thought my ex-wife was going to be a keeper.

That one made me laugh out loud at work for real!

[bradleyfan124]

That one made me laugh out loud at work for real!

Lol!!!

[Bradley8792]

II also would like to know why the NIL at Bradley cannot raise enough money to keep our players satisfied. .

I think the number of individuals in our community who have the financial resources to fund the NIL is really very limited. We don’t have a T Boone Pickens that’s willing to drop 10’s of millions into our program. Keep in mind, Bradley only graduates around 2500 students a year compared to schools like U of I where’s it’s probably 4-5 times that. Again, it’s a smaller pool to draw from.

[egib52]

If Bradley ends up losing most of these players plus Wardle they more then likely will lose more season ticket holders . The fan base is up there in age and some will not go thru another rebuilding period where you see the team finishing at the bottom level of the conference. I also would like to know why the NIL at Bradley cannot raise enough money to keep our players satisfied. Zek is a prime example of getting more money and now comes off the bench on a bad team. Players that have any chance at going pro over seas need to actually prove themselves on the court and they cannot do that by coming off the bench and getting 10 minutes or less.

Lots of speculation going on right now. However, keep in mind if Wardle and players leave, the right can turn things around right away. See Utah State for an example.