How to Beat Drake - Your Thought?

[Dallas Brave]

Drake plays a great game at both ends of the floor. I'm very impressed with DU's team and looking forward to watching the Bulldogs play. Particular team strengths for DUs are:

• Scoring offense: 74.4 pts/game (2nd in MVC)
• FG %: .456 (3rd in MVC)
• 3P FG %: .374 (3rd in MVC)
• Off Rebs: 12.73/game (2nd in MVC)
• Scoring defense: 56.7 pts/game (1st in MVC)
• FG % Def: .396 (3rd in MVC)
• Steals: 9.5/game (1st in MVC)

These team stats are for all 15 games, not just conferance games. More complete stats can be found at: http://www.mvc.org/mbb/stats/DU.HTM

Bradley will need to play its most complete game of the season to win tonight??™s match. Drake??™s stellar defense will clearly put a premium on BU to protect the ball, make good passes, smart shot selection, etc??¦

But ... as has been talked about in previous threads, rebounding is the secret sauce to tonight??™s game.

For Bradley to win this game, we will need to limit DU on the offensive boards. DU is awesome in getting second chances. Against Duquesne, Drake had 22 offensive rebounds!!! With the Bulldogs shooting efficiency, you can??™t give them a lot of second chances. Bradley needs to go to the glass hard after every shot. It will be important for our guards to not release until BU has gathered in the defensive rebound.

If there is a chink in DU??™s game, it might be their defensive rebounding. They??™re not bad, but compared to other facets of their game, this is one of their non-strengths. So Bradley must have one of their better offensive rebounding games of the season. We will need to see a lot of minutes from our bigs.

Go Braves!!!

[Dallas Brave]

Drake plays a great game at both ends of the floor. I'm very impressed with DU's team and looking forward to watching the Bulldogs play. Particular team strengths for DUs are:

• Scoring offense: 74.4 pts/game (2nd in MVC)
• FG %: .456 (3rd in MVC)
• 3P FG %: .374 (3rd in MVC)
• Off Rebs: 12.73/game (2nd in MVC)
• Scoring defense: 56.7 pts/game (1st in MVC)
• FG % Def: .396 (3rd in MVC)
• Steals: 9.5/game (1st in MVC)

These team stats are for all 15 games, not just conferance games. More complete stats can be found at: http://www.mvc.org/mbb/stats/DU.HTM

Bradley will need to play its most complete game of the season to win tonight??™s match. Drake??™s stellar defense will clearly put a premium on BU to protect the ball, make good passes, smart shot selection, etc??¦

But ... as has been talked about in previous threads, rebounding is the secret sauce to tonight??™s game.

For Bradley to win this game, we will need to limit DU on the offensive boards. DU is awesome in getting second chances. Against Duquesne, Drake had 22 offensive rebounds!!! With the Bulldogs shooting efficiency, you can??™t give them a lot of second chances. Bradley needs to go to the glass hard after every shot. It will be important for our guards to not release until BU has gathered in the defensive rebound.

If there is a chink in DU??™s game, it might be their defensive rebounding. They??™re not bad, but compared to other facets of their game, this is one of their non-strengths. So Bradley must have one of their better offensive rebounding games of the season. We will need to see a lot of minutes from our bigs.

Go Braves!!!

The other thing I meant to mention was that BU will need to think defense first tonight, offensive second Scoring is not a problem for us, but our defense stinks. Bradley is dead last by 7 points in the MVC in points allowed per game - the gap is staggering. Let's not try to run DU out of the gym in the first half. I think our sometimes frenetic offensive pace undermines our defensive discipline. We can score most times down the court by passing the ball, working the ball in-and-out, and managing the shot clock to make each possession count. We don't need to win the game by trying to fast break.

[thefish7]

I agree in principle, I think, with what you're saying. Play two bigs!

[Dallas Brave]

I agree in principle, I think, with what you're saying. Play two bigs!

As long as you're not counting TW as a big, that is a pretty good summation

[Beninator]

As long as you're not counting TW as a big, that is a pretty good summation

very much agree.

[OrangeandBlack74]

As I stated in a different thread, I believe the key to tonight's game is ballhandling, and the ability in Ruff's absence of a freshman (SM) and our primary scorer (JC) to successfully handle Drake's ball pressure. I remember Ruff struggling with Drake's full court pressure as a freshman, and I'm hopeful that SM will not suffer a similar fate.

[Dubl R 1]

I'm willing to bet if we outscore them, we'll win. Sorry, couldn't resist.

[BUBraves2006]

I agree totally about the rebounding and your points as whole. But ...

Bradley will need to play its most complete game of the season to win tonight??™s match. Drake??™s stellar defense will clearly put a premium on BU to protect the ball, make good passes, smart shot selection, etc??¦

I hope you aren't comparing Drake to Michigan State, Butler or Vanderbilt. I think all three of these teams would usually wipe the floor with any MVC team this season. We played a pretty darned good game against Michigan State and lost.

I've watched Drake play on TV a couple times this season and they are much improved over past seasons. But are they the juggernaut that their fans and some of our fans are making them out to be? I certainly wouldn't go that far, at least not at this stage. They've done nothing in the MVC to prove me anything, yet. They won their home games (everyone expects that) and beat the two worst teams in the league on the road (Evansville and Wichita State).

If they can win in Peoria as well as beat ISU at home and Creighton on the road, then I'll become a believer. Otherwise, I see a great possibility in the Blue Jays being in first place after next week when they beat Drake at home.

Here's hoping we make a good showing tonight and knock off the Bulldogs! I think it will take a very good, just not "the best" effort all year.

[Dubl R 1]

Honestly, Drake is the only team I've yet to see play in the Valley this year, so I really can't comment on how I think we should go about beating them. But some things remain constant no matter who you play. Rebound, Defend, play hard, smart basketball and BU should be fine. Did I mention REBOUND.

[BradleyBrave]

Defend and rebound. When BU does that, they don't lose.

[tornado]

Fans need to get into this game like it is a tournament game.
I plan to bring reinforcements to support the Braves (anyone got extra tix??)

[thefish7]

As long as you're not counting TW as a big, that is a pretty good summation

I don't consider TW a big even when he's playing forward. He's a player I like a lot, but he's a guard.

[Dallas Brave]

I'm willing to bet if we outscore them, we'll win. Sorry, couldn't resist.

What if we take a different tack and hold them to fewer points?

[Dubl R 1]

What if we take a different tack and hold them to fewer points?

Nahh, our defense hasn't been good enough to do that, we better outscore em'

[MacabreMob]

defense!!!