Final score- UIC 93 Bradley 70

[daveineureka]

Here we are just a few hours from game time. Getting pumped for the game. Hope we have a good crowd. No weather issues to contend with, so everybody comes on out and support the Braves. Hope to continue winning and post season chances will take care of themselves. I am of the opinion if Bradley wins the conference tournament, the realistic seeding will be around the 10th seed. Any thing higher would be great. Any one else have an opinion on the matter.

[yoda]

I have a UIC grad in the family & I looked at the UIC message board - one question from their fans is WHY doesn't Sasa Ciani play more?
The 6-9 transfer is averaging 11 ppg/9 rpg & among the league leaders in FG%, but doesn't get the minutes you'd think he'd get.

Saturday in UIC's close loss to SIU, he only played 12 minutes, in a very close, winnable game that UIC got absolutely KILLED in the paint
(points in the paint were 54-32). He rarely ever plays much more than 18-20 minutes/game, & averages 20mpg in MVC play.
And its not fouls - as only twice in the last 13 games has he picked up more than 2 fouls in a game, and one of those was an overtime game.
UIC is a good 3-pt shooting team, perhaps their coach prefers to have more outside shooters on the floor.

[basketball nut]

Congratulations on the 20 year anniversary of Bradley Fans.
The potential of this team is through the roof but as we seen a couple of times we do have to be ready to play each game.

[basketball nut]

Wondering if this game will be like the game against ISU. They had a game plan of match up zone defense against us and they played it well. Sure UIC studied film and will see if they try the same thing. On the other hand Wardle may have made a few adjustments to counter that strategy. Hoping for our Braves to come out with another win today. And let's cheer for Northern Iowa. "LET'S GO BRAVES"

Watching UIC practice and definitely looks like a sagging 3-2 match up zone.

[Stryker]

Can't have a 1st half like this and think we are actually a good team.

[BRAVE82]

Bradley getting murdered at halftime. UIC just lost to SIU at home. Will have to beat Drake at Drake to have any chance of a MVC title. UIC with wide open threes.

[BengalFan14]

Our point guards are killing us.

[houstonbrave]

That was awful

[ghunt]

I wonder if Zek regrets hotdogging to the crowd in the opening minutes when it looked like we were going to blow them out before the tables turned. Are there clawback provisions on the NIL money?

[BUBraves2006]

I rarely go off on an rant after a game, but this game warrants it. I can accept losses. I can accept games where we just don't have it or get beat. It's college basketball and these are still young guys in general.

But, one tenet of Coach Wardle teams is that they simply do not quit. They didn't quit when we were winning single digit games back when Coach Wardle first started. And I thought that this would continue even after we got down by a ton and then cut it to 10. Then Darius misses two layups and we just laid down and quit. We flat out quit and before you know we were down 23. I am never embarrassed as Bradley fan but this one was really embarrassing.

One game doesn't ruin what has been a great season but my goodness this is just an effort I flat out cannot accept and I never want to see that again from this team. The only silver lining is that this happened now and not in St. Louis. Onto the next one and I'll be watching. Go Braves!

[Da Coach]

Coach on the post game show, " we had guys who didn't want to play tonight".
Also, "I tried to motivate them...it didn't work".

[BRAVE82]

We beat them last year 74-47. They bring in a new coach and all new players. We have a solid nucleus returning. We play like crap at their place and still win. How does this happen? And how does Drake start from scratch with a new coach and players and start the season 18-2?

[Da Coach]

I have to believe that's the best UIC has played this year. Every one of their guards played great and seemed to make every shot.
Final score- UIC 93 Bradley 70 - https://bradleybraves.com/sports/men...boxscore/22357

Attendance 5,785

[ghunt]

Our point guards are killing us.

And, they were not guarded that tightly or physically as other teams have done when they were successful. The only good excuse for this lack of performance would be the flu or COVID making it's rounds in the team. Otherwise, they may have been "reading their own press" and forgot what they needed to do. Worse case scenario for such a flop would involve tracking betting apps

[ghunt]

Coach on the post game show, " we had guys who didn't want to play tonight".
Also, "I tried to motivate them...it didn't work".

Yep, I guessed this would be one of the few times the Coach would go to that well and let them know it. Hopefully, the feeling of such a debacle sinks in and they don't let that happen again. They are college kids, but everyone has seen their talent and when their effort level is high, they can really play. Playing hard and losing to a good team is one thing, but playing below par and getting destroyed is another.

Hats off to UIC, they played outside themselves and just about everything they threw up went in.

Maybe, like the team, I let my expectations get ahead of current events and I jinxed them :-( The guys can recover, though:-) The MVC tourney will be a good one.