Final score: Bradley 83 SIU 60

[Da Coach]

BU is a 3.5 point favorite per ESPN. Does that seem low?

SIU is 2-0 at home and Bradley is 0-1 in road games, so maybe that plays into the betting lines a little. Here are some other factors that are considered-

SIU's two home wins are were 86-64 over Missouri S&T, a pretty good Division II team. The game at SIU was an exhibition game for Missouri S&T. They also lost an exhibition game at Tulsa 70-75 in overtime. Officially, they are 4-0 on the season with an average margin of victory in their 4 wins of 30 points. SIU also beat North Dakota State at home by 25 points, 69-44. North Dakota State was picked 3rd in the Summit League preseason poll. They are 5-4 and they won at Santa Clara 88-80.
SIU also beat a weak D2 Florida Tech 81-54 to finish in 7th place in the Gulf Coast Showcase.

SIU is 3-5, but most of their losses have been fairly close losses against good teams-
Lost to Charleston in Sioux Falls, SD 80-90- Charleston is 5-2, Kenpom 140
Lost at Oklahoma State 78-85 - OK State is 4-2, Kenpom 97
Lost at Florida 68-93 - their only blowout, Florida is 8-0, Kenpom 8
Lost to Louisiana Tech in the Gulf Coast Showcase 79-85 in OT - LA Tech is 7-1, Kenpom 104
Lost to Eastern Kentucky in the Gulf Coast Showcase 72-77 - EKU is 4-4 . Kenpom 207

[Tommy]

BU is a 3.5 point favorite per ESPN. Does that seem low?

I sure like our chances to cover that spread with their top player out for the year, but then, I haven't seen a second of an SIU game and I'm a homer!

[pfcmsh]

I hear ya, but I'll tell ya pfcmsh, the way everyone on this team can shoot the 3 will really help us avoid letdowns. Watching them win the Myrtle Beach Tournament against Wright State who shot and played really well, and then doing the same thing against Middle Tennessee State, who also played and shot well, really has my hopes up!

I know we had that big letdown against Washington State, but I am putting that on the 2 time zones and the late start time. That's still no excuse, I understand.

Lastly, we just got Burch back! We've played this well without our 6th man!

I feel better after your point about our 3 point shooting. The 3's seem to instill energy. We are 4th in the country on 3's and I forgot that. Thanks Da Coach.. That is pretty good! This teams seems really good offensively. Again, I love the balance

[pfcmsh]

SIU is a much different type of team this season compared with past seasons and I am sure our coaches know that. Under Bryan Mullins, SIU was usually the best defensive team in the MVC. In the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, SIU allowed just 61.4 ppg by opponents, the best in the MVC. By comparison, this year's SIU team is allowing an average of 74.0 ppg. Only 2 teams yield more points per game.
The other notable area of difference is in shooting. With players like Marcus Domask, Lance Jones, Xavier Johnson, Trent Brown, and Troy D'Amico, they had reliable 3-point shooters. This season, they rank 10th in the MVC in 3-point FG% with 33.1% and the only player shooting better than 33.3% is guard Ali Dibba at 42.1%.

Bradley ranks # 1 in the MVC in 3-point FG%, and they are # 4 nationally with 43.3% .
Bradley currently has 9 players shooting 40% or better-
Demarion Burch 2-2 - 100%
Connor Dillon 7-13 - 53.8%
Darius Hannah 8-15 - 53.3%
Zek Montgomery 14-28 - 50.0%
Jaquan Johnson 1-2 - 50.0%
Gus Rugaard 1-2 - 50.0%
Christian Davis 12-25 - 48.0%
Almar Atlason 17-42 - 40.5%
Duke Deen 24-60 - 40.0%

I'm feeling better. Because of the injury, I don't know much about Burch and his BU contribution. Never seen him on TV or highlights. He must be a good player and with him back, I take that our depth is even better. I see he shoots 100% on 3s.

[Tommy]

I'm feeling better. Because of the injury, I don't know much about Burch and his BU contribution. Never seen him on TV or highlights. He must be a good player and with him back, I take that our depth is even better. I see he shoots 100% on 3s.

100%! Why, that's almost perfect!

[LongTimeFan]

At SIU, NIU, and Drake I will be glad to take any win and walk out the door with no injuries. Remember the way SIU plays defense.

[Da Coach]

Recall last season's game in Carbondale... Bradley came into the game on a 6-game win streak and was favored at SIU (by 1.5 points), but Bradley fell behind quickly.
Bradley shot just 33% in the first half and trailed by 21 points at halftime, 24-45.
SIU increased their lead to 23 points early in the 2nd half (24-47), before the Braves finally got hot.
Bradley shot 70% in the 2nd half and finished at 50% for the game.
The Braves outscored SIU 46-24 in the 2nd half to make a historic comeback and win by one point (70-69).
Box score - https://bradleybraves.com/sports/men...boxscore/21922

The 23 point come-from-behind win was the largest comeback in Bradley basketball history.

It was Bradley's 7th win in a row, and they went on to win 9 straight, and 11 of 12. The only loss in that stretch was an overtime loss at Indiana State - https://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...71/season/2024

By the way, Bradley has won the last 2 years in Carbondale. In the 2022-23 season, it was Rienk Mast's 3-pointer in the final seconds, with the assist from Connor Hickman, that put Bradley ahead for good, and gave them a 50-48 win. - https://x.com/BradleyUMBB/status/1627412367486091264

[Rickp1959]

At SIU, NIU, and Drake I will be glad to take any win and walk out the door with no injuries. Remember the way SIU plays defense.

Not the same SIU team, this team hasn't played defense like they have in the past.

[yoda]

I am sure like most Bradley fans, that everyone is excited to watch our Valley refs return to mid-season form
and whistle 50-60 fouls in this game...while forcing most of our starting lineup to the bench in the first 10 minutes...

wonder what the over/under is on 50 or more fouls

[Da Coach]

Not the same SIU team, this team hasn't played defense like they have in the past.

That is true.
Also, they are a bit weak inside. Hopefully, if the 3 point shots aren't falling, Bradley can exploit the inside.
The only true big men on their team are-
Antwaun Massey, a 6'8" forward who transferred from New Mexico Junior College- he has started all 8 games and averages 19.8 minutes, 4.5 points, and 4.1 rebounds per game. He's not a 3-point threat (only made 4 in 8 games)
Rolyns Aligbe, a 6'9" freshman forward. He has only appeared in 6 of their 8 games and averages 15.2 minutes, who averages 5.5 points, 5.3 rebounds. He is also not a 3-point threat (made 1 in 6 games out of 4 attempts).
Jorge Moreno is the only other true inside player at 6'11", 270 pounds. He is a junior college transfer from Lee College in Texas. He only averages 6.3 minutes, 2.7 points, and 2.0 rebounds per game, and has not attempted a three yet.

Starting lineups are posted - https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=549586

[Tommy]

Can someone please tell this guy to look at the BU roster when he calls out our players? How many times has he screwed up their names by mistakenly calling them by their SIU counterpart jersey number! Geesh dude, do some homework before the game!

[Bradley8792]

Like to see better rebounding for Bradley and fewer second chance points by SIU.

[Tommy]

I am sure like most Bradley fans, that everyone is excited to watch our Valley refs return to mid-season form
and whistle 50-60 fouls in this game...while forcing most of our starting lineup to the bench in the first 10 minutes...

wonder what the over/under is on 50 or more fouls

Man, I hope we don’t see that. Those high foul games suck the life out of me.

[BUBalum05]

Any word on Duke Dean? Went to the locker room early in the 2H and hasn't returned to the bench with less than 4min to go.

[OhRotanes]

Good to get that first conference win under the belt