yeah, Jesperson did that to us on our home court, too....then turned and trashtalked Mark Scott
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Arch Madness games
- Thread starter Da Coach
- Start date
Yes, it's been an afternoon game for many years on CBS. But the Big Ten moved their Big Ten Women's Tournament Final to the same day as the men's. Apparently CBS felt there is more interest in the Big Ten Women's Championship this year, especially with all the new schools that make the Big Ten a coast-to-coast conference, so they bumped the MVC Championship back to 11:00 am in order to televise the women's Big Ten final at 1:00 pm, followed by the men's Big Ten final at 3:00 pm The MVC preferred the national TV coverage of CBS to playing an afternoon game on CBS Sports Network, or another network, so they accepted the 11:00 am start time.
LittleBrave
Well-known member
BU ran into a VERY hot UNI team and I think most of us knew that a surprise team would win this season the way the Valley was, especially down the stretch. BU at #2 was one of the weakest 2 seeds in recent memory and the reality is they were about even with 4 other teams in the league, though I thought we were better than UNI at the start of the tourney.
As a BU fan, you like to think we have the edge with the tremendous fan support in St. Lou, but that didn't phase our opponents, BUT it likely helped us win in 2 OTs vs Valpo.
I thought Bradley played well on Sat. despite a porous D in the 1st half, but UNI is not know to blister the nets like that and they made some tough shots for 10 minutes of the half. We needed Bully to play better as we relied on him for most of the season. He struggled - probably pressed.
From my recollection, Jacobson usually gets the better of Wardle even tho BU has defeated UNI plenty of times at home.
But in Arch Madness it seems Jaco has a better gameplan vs Wardle, with exception being 2019 for the final 16 minutes.
I think UNI felt good to get past a pesky Evansville team and felt the pressure come off. Then they were the lower seed all the way through and you could see how loose and together they played. You can't shoot 64% in b2b games being tight. That group was having lots of fun about halfway through the ISU game until the trophy was hoisted...it was a lot like the 2006 Braves team the last 8 games of the reg. season just playing loose and they carried that into Arch Madness and to the Sweet 16.
As a BU fan, you like to think we have the edge with the tremendous fan support in St. Lou, but that didn't phase our opponents, BUT it likely helped us win in 2 OTs vs Valpo.
I thought Bradley played well on Sat. despite a porous D in the 1st half, but UNI is not know to blister the nets like that and they made some tough shots for 10 minutes of the half. We needed Bully to play better as we relied on him for most of the season. He struggled - probably pressed.
From my recollection, Jacobson usually gets the better of Wardle even tho BU has defeated UNI plenty of times at home.
But in Arch Madness it seems Jaco has a better gameplan vs Wardle, with exception being 2019 for the final 16 minutes.
I think UNI felt good to get past a pesky Evansville team and felt the pressure come off. Then they were the lower seed all the way through and you could see how loose and together they played. You can't shoot 64% in b2b games being tight. That group was having lots of fun about halfway through the ISU game until the trophy was hoisted...it was a lot like the 2006 Braves team the last 8 games of the reg. season just playing loose and they carried that into Arch Madness and to the Sweet 16.
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Thanks for the explanation. I don't like the earlier start, it probably hurts attendance.
houstonbrave
Well-known member
Wardle did get Jacobson on a March Sunday in 2019.
Known as the Luqman Lundy game.
For anyone who doesn't remember, Bradley fell behind by 18 points with 17 minutes left in the game. Then, sparked by Luqman Lundy's 11 points in a 4 minute 20 second span, Bradley came back to win 57-54 and win the MVC Tournament Championship (March 10, 2019).
"Driving with impunity" - Kevin Harlan
LittleBrave
Well-known member
If anyone doesn't remember then they may have been in a deep coma. LOL
(But thx for the factoid DC as I was unsure when exactly the comeback began - and thought it was after the Under 16 TO.) Was it 39-21 at the time of the comeback start?
BravesWinINStyle
Member
Huh? The crowd was way bigger the last 3 years (Drake/BU, Drake/INST, Drake/BU) than it was during all the years Loyola was in the final. The crowd got bigger the last 3 years. It got smaller this year with UIC. The crowd size is entirely dependent on who gets into the final.
BravesWinINStyle
Member
Yeah, the Monday night final crowds were rough back then. People always forget that. Moving to Thu-Sun was a godsend.
In that game, UNI lead at halftime 27-15, then quickly built the lead to 35-17 three minutes into the 2nd half.
That 18 point lead was their largest. Then Bradley went on a 17-3 run, which included the 11 points by Luqman Lundy, and closed the margin to 38-34. The game was tied 50-50 with 1:58 left, and Bradley finally pulled ahead for good to win 57-54.
Here's the play-by-play if anyone wants to revisit the game-
Men's Basketball vs Northern Iowa on 3/10/2019 - Box Score - Bradley University Athletics
The official box score of Men's Basketball vs Northern Iowa on 3/10/2019
bradleybraves.com
LittleBrave
Well-known member
Yes and No - personally I miss the Monday night championship game, but then I could never attend Arch Madness. I always looked fw to Monday after that weekend. Now it's a total bummer Monday if BU doesn't win on Sunday. I'd prob feel differently if I attended most seasons tho.
I hate the 11 AM start this year...it was really 10 AM with the time change - like 15 hrs right after the last game on Sat.
I remember in college getting up at 9:00 was rough on a non-school day. I can't imagine the morning after playing 2 or 3 straight days!
The fact is the crowds have been very slim once Creighton and Witchita St left the conference.
LittleBrave
Well-known member
I was impressed with the Sat. crowds for Session 3 - was my 1st Arch experience, so didn't know what to expect. The crowd looked decent yesterday too from the camera angle, but of course, would have been packed if it were BU. The UIC turnout was horrible all weekend for a team that had accomplished as much as they did this season. Their fans are not very hoops-educated either and about 20 of them were barking at the refs after every call vs. them even tho most were legit. The student section was their only bright spot.
basketball nut
Well-known member
My wife was bugging me to stand up like everyone else when it got down to 4 points. I said it will stand when we tie or take the lead. When it got to 50-50 my wife looked at me and said are you going finally stand up. Yes I stood up cheering like all the rest of us Bradley fans that afternoon.In that game, UNI lead at halftime 27-15, then quickly built the lead to 35-17 three minutes into the 2nd half.
That 18 point lead was their largest. Then Bradley went on a 17-3 run, which included the 11 points by Luqman Lundy, and closed the margin to 38-34. The game was tied 50-50 with 1:58 left, and Bradley finally pulled ahead for good to win 57-54.
Here's the play-by-play if anyone wants to revisit the game-
Men's Basketball vs Northern Iowa on 3/10/2019 - Box Score - Bradley University Athletics
The official box score of Men's Basketball vs Northern Iowa on 3/10/2019
A game none of us will ever forget.
bigjimmy
Well-known member
Having attended almost every Arch Madness game since it's been in St. Louis this years' version saw a whole lot of Bradley fans, a descent about of UNI fans and from the other 9 fan bases, disappointing turnouts. ISU Blue and SIU, fan bases that have really supported their teams over the years, stayed away this tournament. Drake didn't have the support like they had during their last 2 championship teams had. Belmont and Murray State fans had some fans but not as much as you'd expect winning programs to have. Valpo, Evansville and ISU Blue have never really had big fans bases come to St. Louis and frankly UIC has no fan base. The hallways were always tough to get around during halftimes and between games but not this year. Hardly ever had to wait for food unless the concession people were taking their sweet time and I never stood in a line to go to the bathroom. If the Mo Valley decides to add a 12th team they better be real careful about who they add.
Dub
Well-known member
This year solidified for me that right now our fans are 2 levels better than any others who show up at the valley tournament. If we can continue to grow our engaged fanbase even further, it will boost our team from a results and recruiting standpoint. Makes it a heck of a lot more fun too.
LittleBrave
Well-known member
I noticed similar things from the fanbases. I thought SIU turnout for games after their loss a day earlier was better than any other Valley team, so I'm surprised to hear they "stayed away". Evansville's low turnout I imagine was due to a bad season, b/c they have great fans. It's only a 3-hr drive to St. Lou! No excuse there.
ISU-red had a decent fan base on Friday night - didn't expect that, and most stuck around even when down 18 with 5 minutes left, but I guess they had nowhere else to go? It was odd - the ISU fans after the loss didn't seem upset, like they expected that result.
UNI's was solid. And I agree other fanbases were disappointing, especially UIC's, but I only showed up on Friday at 5 PM. Dub and I were laughing at how uneducated (hoops-wise) the UIC fans were, and they complained about EVERY whistle that didn't go their way, even when up 16 pts with 2 min. to go. Like really??
Drake fans only seem to turn out strong when they're doing well. Prior to the tourney, 9 straight losses didn't give them much hope and with Belmont up after the 1st win, they didn't see much hope there. But heck - if I were a big Drake fan, you gotta support your team riding an 11-game win streak in Arch Madness! It was a fairly weak Drake fanbase on Sat. in the semis.
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I've just read this section regarding Arch Madness! I've already stated previously that I would prefer Bradley be the favorite if I attend. Now seeing how much parking costs are, it does turn me off with all the expenses. However, I would like to experience this once in my life even at a high cost! I just watched Videos of Bradley winning 2 years in a row. I witnessed the raw emotion of Bradley's winning by Coach Wardle and his players! Although Bradley was a 5th and 4th seed, they weren't considered underdogs.Actually, they were very capable of winning! looking back, I wish I could have been there when they made the greatest comeback against UNI in 2018-19 Season! To be continued
My point is that I was still working then and not following the season. Plus I didn't even know Bradley Fans Forum existed! Now I have the time to follow! As past seasons have proved, the top seed doesn't always win and who's healthy and playing the best Ball can win it!!! I'm sad I missed those 2 Back to Back seasons! Because Back then, NIL was not as much a factor and players stayed all 4 or even 5 years! I'm not sure about the other teams, although I assume UNI players stayed in Cedar Falls! My point is Bradley for sure kept its players led by Darryl Brown but many other BU players stayed like he did! Those were the days I missed sadly. However, I did see BU win in person the Reg.Season title in Peoria! However, for me to attend Arch Madness going forward and specifically the next 2 years, Jacquan has to be the leader at least 1 more year! I don't think BU can win it without his superior Defense! For me to attend next year, I need Bully there surrounded by most if not all the players coming back like Timo, Burch, Montana, etc!!! I want Cohesiveness on the team! Then coach has to bring in some proven transfers preferably juniors and maybe 1 from Peoria a freshman or transfer! When I see the team melding together from last year to a new year, I think I can be drawn into going to Arch Madness.