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Final score: Drake 63 Bradley 48

BW says the players may not want to play in the NIT, but I believe when they think it through, they'll reconsider. The NIT always has pretty decent teams and it's no shame to play and try to win as many games as you can. We will see, but my bet says BU will play postseason!
 
That game was extremely frustrating to say the least. We started the game going inside and getting buckets. The refs let it become a physical game and we stopped going inside. Then they started calling all contact inside and Drake attacked and we did not. Hannah's seeming refusal to post up seems to have short changed his season. Duke became one dimensional and all tournament teams just face guarded him to make sure he couldn't get going. Being a small guard if he can't drive he can't contribute much offensively. I'm disappointed by the end, but that says a lot about where Wardle has set the bar.
 
I think it was a good year for such a one-dimensional team on offense. Hopefully, there will be a more diverse set of skills on the floor in the future.
 
It was a good season but it could have been a great season. Unfortunately, this team just never showed up when the stage lights were on them. Some guys really tried hard as they could CD and DH. Drake was a good team and good coaches. Probably the next Iowa coach. We have a lot of holes to fill next year. If the seniors don’t want to play in the NIT or the Brian Wardle invitational then play the young guys for the next year for more experience. No reason to put there heads down. They will always be a brave!!!!!
 
battlebasset said:
Good news is that with an NIT bid, we should win at least two games. Really hope we get more to show that the MVC is a quality conference.

And Drake was the better team today. Hope they make at least the sweet 16 to show the power of the MVC
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I certainly hope the guys elect to accept an NIT invite as that last game would be a horrible way to go out for these seniors. Can’t imagine them not wanting to play together again.
The hard part is the incentive to win games in the NIT when all you worked for was to get to the NCAA tourney and nothing less.

IMO this was a great season aside from not getting past Drake once again.
 
The one thing I agree with on this season being a disappointment was not so much the record, but that I can’t think of 1 returning player who played up to their potential or expecation this year. The closest was CD, but he had a handful of unproductive games. Hannah came on strong the last 7-8 games but prior he had been mediocre compared to last season.

JaQuan was a bright spot and thought Meta made some strides, but needs to play well for a full game and not just good halves every other game.

Hurts not to cheer on this group in the NCAA tourney - a very likeable group who went to war for each other for 2-3 years.
Life goes on and Braves basketball will too, though it’s a down day and probably week ahead.
 
The players had a good season. They should not hang their heads. You are not going to want the season to end. Go to the NIT. You are not done
 
battlebasset said:
Good news is that with an NIT bid, we should win at least two games. Really hope we get more to show that the MVC is a quality conference.

And Drake was the better team today. Hope they make at least the sweet 16 to show the power of the MVC
Click to expand...

I don't mean to sound callous but I'm not rooting for Drake whatsoever. Can't relate to them. (Yankees/Lakers of The Valley? Haha.) Guess I'll continue to focus on the B1G in the NCAAs. I hate the automatic qualifier system!!

BU did teeter and totter this season but the fight was not in vain. I like to think the Bradley Braves ARE NIT material even though we're all upset about the result.
 
katmusic2024 said:
I don't mean to sound callous but I'm not rooting for Drake whatsoever. Can't relate to them. (Yankees/Lakers of The Valley? Haha.)
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I'm totally with you! I mean I will still root for them in the NCAA tourney to represent the Valley, but I don't like Drake and are right up there with ISU-red among teams I HATE to lose to. I'll root for Drake to lose almost every game in the MVC season. (I actually dislike Drake more than ISU-red, but I'm in the minority there. If Drake goes back to middle-pack team, I'm cool with that!) :)
 
One of my favorite Braves team of all time. The adversity they overcame this year with the crazy officiating was nothing short of a miracle, and this team showed a lot of heart in the last second wins they racked up. Unfortunately poor free throw shooting and offensive flow did us in against Drake, but I’ll always wonder what would have happened had CD not been playing on a bad ankle and that huge momentum shift hadn’t taken place from the technical foul call. All in all, Drake outplayed us on Sunday, but I’m really proud of our boys and what they accomplished this year and hope we’re not done just yet.
I really appreciate the sentiments someone else posted (sorry, forgot who it was) when they mentioned how BW has set the bar so high that nothing short of a championship feels adequate anymore. That my friends is a sign of a great program.
We didn’t get the result we wanted, but these are high quality men that we’ll have memories of for the rest of our lives and I’m glad they were Braves. What a senior class with Duke, Darius, CD, and Zek, not to mention one of the best group of guys on the bench we’ve ever had. Love this team and will hate to see them go.
How about an NIT championship to go out as champs?
 
Tommy said:
One of my favorite Braves team of all time. The adversity they overcame this year with the crazy officiating was nothing short of a miracle, and this team showed a lot of heart in the last second wins they racked up. Unfortunately poor free throw shooting and offensive flow did us in against Drake, but I’ll always wonder what would have happened had CD not been playing on a bad ankle and that huge momentum shift hadn’t taken place from the technical foul call. All in all, Drake outplayed us on Sunday, but I’m really proud of our boys and what they accomplished this year and hope we’re not done just yet.
I really appreciate the sentiments someone else posted (sorry, forgot who it was) when they mentioned how BW has set the bar so high that nothing short of a championship feels adequate anymore. That my friends is a sign of a great program.
We didn’t get the result we wanted, but these are high quality men that we’ll have memories of for the rest of our lives and I’m glad they were Braves. What a senior class with Duke, Darius, CD, and Zek, not to mention one of the best group of guys on the bench we’ve ever had. Love this team and will hate to see them go.
How about an NIT championship to go out as champs?
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+1. Better than I could have put it! Go Braves!
 
Da Coach said:
The MVC Arch Madness All-Tournament team- https://x.com/MSUSportsNews/status/1898835109341442491
  • Bennett Stirtz, Drake (Most Outstanding Player)
  • Tavion Banks, Drake
  • Duke Deen, Bradley
  • Darius Hannah, Bradley
  • All Wright, Valparaiso
Congratulations to Duke and Darius!
​
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Congratulations D & D on being named all tournament.
Was i disappointed? Definitely! Was it a fun season? Definitely!
This team has left all of us with many memories. Some not real great but so many that were fun. Duke, Darius, Christian are all future BU HOF material.
They won't be soon forgotten.
Let's go for 1 or 2 home NIT games and let us enjoy you guys one more time.
 
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