ST. LOUIS — The Bradley Braves are now looking forward to their semi-final matchup with Drake Saturday afternoon after being the only higher seeded team to win on Friday.
It truly was a day of madness Friday in St. Louis, with upsets galore. Drake began the day by becoming the first ever No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1 seed when they defeated Northern Iowa 77-56.
In the night games, No. 2 seed Loyola became only the second No. 2 seed ever to lose their first game of the tournament when they lost to No. 7 Valparaiso 74-73. No. 6 seed Missouri State then went on to defeat No. 3 seed Indiana State 78-51.
Bradley goes into the game against Drake having split the two games with them earlier in the season. In the first game against Drake, played at Carver Arena on New Year’s Eve, Bradley defeated the Bulldogs 80-72.
In the return game at Drake, the Bulldogs emerged victorious over Bradley 73-60.
Senior Darrell Brown led Bradley in scoring in both games against Drake. Brown scored 19 in the first game and 24 in the second.
The key for the Braves in Saturday’s semi-final is what Head Coach Brian Wardle has preached all season long: rebounds and not committing turnovers.
The team that has had more rebounds in the first two matchups has went on to win the game. In addition, the team with more points off of opponent turnovers has also went on to win both games.
Coach Wardle spoke Saturday morning about the game plan for the Braves heading into today’s game, and his focus is on ball screens and transition.
“We’ve got to do a good job on our ball screen coverage. We’ve got to get back in transition. They love to run,” said Wardle. “Offensively, it’s run and try to crash the glass. Offensive glass is going to be big for us and just set good, hard screens to free people up.”
And don’t worry Braves fans, the Wardle’s red shoes will be back today as well.
“Absolutely. They’ll be there all tournament long,” said Wardle when asked if the famous red shoes were returning for the semi-final.
The Bradley Braves and Drake Bulldogs will tip-off Saturday afternoon at 2:30 in the Missouri Valley Conference semi-final for a spot in Sunday’s championship.
