Saturday, January 7, 2017 7:00 p.m.
Carver Arena, Peoria, Ill.
If you haven’t been noticing, Bradley is getting better. In the second year of a rebuilding program under former Green Bay Coach Brian Wardle, the Braves are starting to generate some excitement in Peoria. BU’s conference season opener on December 29 against SIU drew 5989 fans, the largest crowd of the season by several hundred. The Braves won that game, and then got their second conference road win in the past two years by knocking off Evansville 74-63. At 2-1 after their first three conference games, it’s Bradley’s best start in conference play since 2012-13.
Above: Inside Carver Arena, from BradleyBraves.com
As recently as 2009-10, Bradley was averaging 9339 in home attendance. That figure dropped under 7000 for the first time since the early 90s in 2013-14, and under 6000 for the first time since the early 70s (at Robertson Fieldhouse) in 2014-15.
Fueling the improvement are three newcomers in the starting lineup. Freshman Darrell Brown is a 5’10” speedster out of Memphis who leads the team in scoring (11.8 ppg), assists (42), minutes (30.1 mpg) and made three pointers (26). Unfortunately, he also leads the team in turnovers (44), and shoots only 41.7% on two-pointers. JoJo McGlaston 6’5” junior guard/forward who transfered from Utah State. McGlaston averages 9.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, but has a tendency to get into foul trouble despite averaging only 22.1 mpg. The third newcomer is 6’10” freshman starting center Koch Bar, who leads the team in blocks (24) and rebounds (6.2 rpg) while adding 6.5 points per game. Bar doesn’t take a lot of shots, but if he gets the ball near the basket, it’s probably going in.
Rounding out the likely starters are returnees Donte Thomas, a 6’7” junior forward from Thornwood High in South Holland, and Antoine Pittman, a 6’3” sophomore guard out of Rockford. Thomas is a great rebounder who averages 5.2 boards and 4.6 points in only 17.7 minutes per game. He has given Loyola problems in the past, most notably the game at Gentile Arena last year where he sank a late three pointer to give Bradley its only road win of the year. Pittman averages 6.6 points and 1.9 rebounds per game, and may be their best perimeter defender.
The interesting Bradley newcomers have knocked some of last year’s many newcomers back to the bench. Six-nine sophomore forward Luuk van Bree (Netherlands) and 6’9” sophomore center Callum Barker (a former Loyola recruit from the island of Tasmania) join another overseas player Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye, a 6’3” sophomore guard from London, coming off the bench. Lautier-Ogunleye gets some starts, and has played well against Loyola in the past; he’s averaging 7.8 points and 3.5 boards. Van Bree averages 6 points and 3.2 rebounds to go with five blocks and a team-leading 13 steals. Barker plays an average of only 10.6 minutes per game and contributes 2.4 point and 2.1 rebounds.
Six-foot-six freshman guard Nate Kennell (5.4 points, 1.5 boards) and 6’3” freshman guard Jayden Hodgson (another Aussie, averaging 3.3 points and 1.3 rebounds) also make notable contributions. In all, there are 10 Braves that average double-digit minutes. The have a lot of fouls to give, and they use them strategically—Evansville shot 46 free throws in their 74-63 home loss to the Braves on Wednesday.
When Bradley scores over 70 points, they’re 6-1. When they score in the 60s they’re 1-4, and below 60 they’re 0-4. Conversely, when opponents score 63 or more, Bradley is 3-8. “First one to 63 wins!” – how’s that for a Loyola slogan?
Neither team is particularly good on the boards, despite Bradley’s size and depth in the front court. The Ramblers have more speed and better ball handling, so it may be a matter of whether Bradley can neutralize those assets that decides the game. The Braves are also highly prone to turnovers and fouls—Bradley has committed 51 more turnovers than their opponents, and seven different players have fouled out a total of 10 times. By comparison, the Ramblers have four players that have fouled out only six times, and Loyola has committed 60 fewer turnovers than their opponents. Perhaps the Ramblers should consider using a press, particularly if Bradley decides to go big.
Loyola needs to win this game, not only because it’s one they’re supposed to win, but because the next two are at 13-3 Wichita State and home against 11-5 Missouri State. It will also help take the lingering sting off losing at Drake.
LINKS
Ramblermania Discussion
Loyola game notes (PDF)
Bradley game notes: Pending
TV/Streaming video: ESPN 3
Vegas odds: Pending
